To go to a and e because I can't get an appointment with GP?

[Mamadoll]

I have been trying to get an appointment for almost 2 weeks now and I'm at the end of my tether with my symptoms. I was treated for helicobacter (stomach bacteria) a few weeks ago and within a week of stopping treatment my symptoms have come back with a vengeance. It's making my life a misery; I struggle to eat much and can't sleep properly for the constant pain in my stomach/ chest.

I really hate wasting people's time but am I supposed to just put up with this until after new year?

YABU. Please don't waste the doctors/nurses time going to A&E.

I know we shouldn't have to but if I need to see a GP fast I will pay for a private appointment. I get two free appointments each year through work and I've also used a FaceTime service to speak to GP's when I know I had a UTI. I knew I needed antibiotics and they would send a prospection to my local pharmacy.

Sorry OP - I hadn't realised you don't have a walk in centre nearby. But you obviously have an A&E department and usually there will be a minor injuries or walk in centre attached to it. You can still ring 111 as it may be possible to see an out of hours doctor at the hospital.

With that sort of pain, I would go to A&E. It could be anything from a whole host of things. A GP would only send you in anyway.

All our walk ins and minor injuries closed years ago. It's GP or A&E.

I came on to say this. It frustrates me every time someone comes on to say they can't get a GP appointment and someone tells them to go to a walk-in centre. Some of us don't have access to them!

But you obviously have an A&E department and usually there will be a minor injuries or walk in centre attached to it.

This is where ours used to be, before they were closed down! Now it's just A&E.

Luckily my local hospital is one on Boris's list for replacing with a new one. I'm sure it will be a priority, after all he did promise....

We’ve never had walk in centres, or a minor injuries unit. Fortunately our surgery is pretty good.

My doctor's surgery is like this - you have to ring at 8am and of course it is permanently engaged or you are put in a really long queue. By the time you get through, all the urgent appointments for the day are gone. The only way round it is to actually turn up at the surgery the minute they open and make an appointment in person.

Does your surgery have online consult ? Mine does and it’s been useful in exactly your kind of circ - had prescription and/or advice same day.
Having said that friend had to pay for a private doctor home visit recently as sever tonsillitis which go surgery could not sort out appointment for. She was nearly hospitalised due to being close to sepsis (or fear of it). Thank god she could afford this but it’s not good.

Don't all doctor surgerys have a system where you can turn up in the morning and sit and wait to see one?

No, they don't.

Same as not all areas have Drop In medical centres and Minor Injury units.

Our GP surgery has gotten rid of emergency appointments, in that they no longer call them that. They just have a number of 'book on the day' appointments - you call at 8:30am to try and get one. To be fair, I have always been lucky enough to get one whenever I have called.

Our online system you can only book appointments in advance, not on the day ones. You can't book nurse appointments online though which I do find a bit of a pain.

Does gp have an out of hours service?

Nope. We can get in line either in person or on the phone from 8am for a emergency appointment. They've always managed to squeeze the kids in, I've normally managed to get a phone consultation or nurse practitioner appt.

If it is a non emergency you just have to keep asking, there are only a few GPs in the surgery who do them and they're booked up weeks and weeks in advance

Don't all doctor surgerys have a system where you can turn up in the morning and sit and wait to see one?

Nope

Our surgery offer appointments on the day only and you have to phone at 8.30 and try and get through. Last week it took me three days to get an appointment for a 10 year old asthmatic with a chest infection

You can't go up either as the building is kept locked to the public until 9am, so by the time you get inside all appointments are gone

First we have the assumption that everyone has a walk-in centre, a minor injuries clinic, a GP surgery where you can turn up for appointments, online surgery . . .

Next we have everyone has money to hire a private doctor.

Meanwhile, this person could have an infected ulcer, not exactly a cold or sniffle.

These threads are so weird:
"don't tell 111 you have chest pain they'll just send an ambulance"
Now I agree that 111 's algorithm is risk averse to say the least, but the fact is, the OP IS having chest pain, and has been pointed out by some previous PPs no one here can say what's going on.
These threads should really be quite short.

People should come on, make some helpful suggestions about possible alternatives (reading the thread so far so as not to repeat anything #walkinclinic) and give some helpful advice about pain relief.

The OP is in pain and struggling to find help for it, its not her fault the NHS is short of staff and money.

"don't tell 111 you have chest pain they'll just send an ambulance"

If the OP is having chest pains of course she should tell 111.
You have no idea why he OP is having chest pain! That could be very dangerous advise.

What is available in different parts of the country varies wildly. In my area we are pretty well served my urgent care, OOH GP services etc. They don't always work perfectly but no major issues.

However, a few years ago I was on holiday about 200 miles from home. I had a severe toothache, pressure started to build in my jaw and I knew i needed antibiotics. We tried to call an emergency dental service but 10 minutes after the line opened, we were on hold, they had no appointments. We googled walk in centres, there weren't any. We called 111 and were told there was a GP service at the local hospital. Hurrah! But no, when we drove another 30 miles to get there, we were told it wasn't available for another 10 hours and only available for people registered with local GPs.

So I ended up at A&E asking for anti-biotics. The receptionist was none too pleased, as you can imagine, but I asked if she knew anywhere else I could go to. She didn't and put me on the list. They forgot about me which they openly admitted to, we joked it would have been quicker to drive the 200 miles home and go to a walk in clinic there.

The point is, what works in one area, might not work in another.

OP I'd call 111 and see what is available for you.

@Mamadoll apologies if this has been recommended, I haven't read the whole thread. Currently this is a GP issue, & not an emergency.

You need to be retested for Helicobacter pylori, treatment can fail, however, there are alternative treatment combinations available.

Contact your surgery in the morning to ask reception/practice manager to message the duty GP to request a repeat test. Collect the faeces sample pot & form, & provide the sample to go to the lab tomorrow, or Friday am, results take less than a week.

PPI (e.g. omeprazole/lansoprazole) medications can help your discomfort but can give false negative results. You can buy PPIs over the counter while waiting for your results, discuss with a pharmacist.

I’m just going to leave this here......given that my fifteen years as an A&E dr was discounted earlier. (RCEM is the royal college of emergency medicine)

shoebedobedobedobedoo
Because posters in the NHS have a record of being so incredibly successful don't they?

What is the evidenced impact of staff sensitively but assertively pointing out to A&E timewasters that they shouldn't be there?

@Devereux1 twitter.com/EmergMedDr/status/1207294947302481920

Rosebud21
That's exactly the same link as the previous poster. What are you trying to show by that link?

What is the evidenced impact of staff sensitively but assertively pointing out to A&E timewasters that they shouldn't be there?

Define ‘timewasters’ please.
Do you mean:
drunk people
Chronically depressed people (for whom A&E can only offer a smile, a sympathetic ear and a cup of tea......but that might be enough to stop them ending their lives that night)
Homeless people who just want some warmth and food
Parents who are worried about their child with a cold (who else can they turn to when it’s 3am, they are petrified for the health of their baby and OOH/111 is taking an age to call back)
People with toothache (surely they should just see their dentist?)
Pregnant women with spotting before 23 weeks but after they’ve had a scan showing an intra-uterine pregnancy (there isn’t anything we can do for them either).
Patients with dementia......all of them
mostly.
Anyone with a minor head injury and no worrying symptoms (do you know what symptoms to look for in a head injury?)
Anyone who has turned up claiming to be in pain but also ‘doesn’t take medication’.

I understand your frustration, and I used to share your view. But time and life has changed my opinion. But people go to A&E because they can’t get the answer they need or the reassurance they crave. I’d go mad if I got frustrated with all the examples I’ve given you above- but none of them NEED emergency, or even urgent medical intervention.

DH is a GP - average wait for an appointment is three weeks and it’s likely to get worse.

@Devereux1 I given your response to the tweet poster, who didn't give the link, I thought you might be a HCP & find the twitter conversation interesting, or you may not...