To be fucked off with the doctors situation

[StopFancyingPeople]

I’m so sick of the fight to get a doctors appointment. It never used to be so difficult and now it’s near on impossible.

I rang at 8am on Monday like you’re meant to. Automated message .... press 1 for appointments ... I press 1. I then get a long automated lecture about Coronovirus and then get told to press 1 again if I still want an appointment and have no symptoms of CV. I press 1. Automated message telling me the lines are very busy and press 1 for a call back. I press 1 and head off to work. They ring back at 9:30 when I’m upto my eyes in it at work and can’t answer the phone.

I try again Tuesday. Same kerfuffle with the automated messages. I request a call back and head off to work. Get a call back at 11am by which point there are no appointments left.

I try again yesterday. Same old shit. No appointments left by the time they ring me back. I lost my shit a little as I feel so Ill. I need to see a fucking doctor. It shouldn’t be this difficult!!! They sympathise and offer me an appointment ... for the end of March!!!!

I’m barely functioning. I’m incredibly fatigued, constant headache, nausea, anxious mess and not sleeping. Yesterday I could barely stay awake whilst driving home. Last night I went to bed do fucking tired that I woke up in a pool of my own piss. I didn’t even wake up for a wee. 2nd night in a row that I’ve wet the bed.

AIBU to call dr again today, make up some shit just to get an emergency same day appointment?! I don’t even feel that I should need to make shit up, I think I genuinely need to see a Dr today.

The annoying thing is, when you do by some miracle of god get to see a GP they then decide you need a blood test. Now god forbid the GP do this test there and then ... noooo .... you’ll have to make another appointment for a nurse to do it and good luck getting that within the next month or so.

It’s ridiculous. The system is fucking failing.

Also, as a nurse I see this from other people’s points of view too. A woman made up an excuse to come to my clinic last week. When she got there she asked me to diagnose something she had as she’d been trying to get a dr appointment for 3 weeks and has all the ducking symptoms of cancer. I could not help her, she needed to see a GP 3 weeks ago.

My friend has recently left GP practice. It wasn't government cuts that drove her out it was the way she is treated by (some) patients. Threatening to complain, refusing to listen to her diagnoses, not turning up for appointments, swearing at her, threatening her..... and many more issues. She'd just had enough.

I am frontline nhs and echo most of the feelings on here. The sheer attitude and entitlement of many is staggering tbh. For certain, what we are doing at present is not sustainable. My colleagues are leaving in droves because things are that bad.

As an aside, my GP surgery is amazing! I am very very lucky.

"The UK should.look to Australia and copy its system."

Er, no. Sadly the Medicare system is now so underfunded that you very little is available free of charge, and some places don't even have a GP surgery. We live in a fairly large urban area of "country" NSW, and we've lost 2 local surgeries in the last year. Our biggest GP surgery can't keep GPs for long - people rarely get to see the same one twice.
You can only see the GP for ONE thing and if you try to slide another thing in, they'll charge you double. If you take up more than 5 minutes, they'll charge you double.

It's still ok if you're a child or a pensioner, but if you're not and don't have any kind of healthcare card, then it's expensive. Yes you can claim some of it back, but e.g. a cervical smear costs $100 now.

So no - Australia is no longer anything to aspire too in health terms.

That's awful. Do you have a walk in clinic nearby? We're really lucky as our surgery is a walk in clinic from 8am to 11am every day. OK you have to sit and wait about an hour but you're guaranteed to see a doctor. If I was you 8d go to the closest walk in clinic.

DH is a GP - there are simply too many patients wanting appointments. The situation is going to get worse and there be longer waits for an appointment.

We are moving to Canada. The practice will close as there are no GP’s to take it on. The patients will have to find another GP.

YANBU OP and I hope you are seen today.

Many people have mentioned booking online.

In order however, to gain access to my GPs appointment system you have to visit them first with 2 forms of identification (one of which has to be a photo id). After this, the receptionist will deal with the registration for the online system and will give you the registration details. You are then provided with a user name and password.

That's unacceptable op. At my previous surgery, they did not let you book a routine appointment at all. All appointments were on a same day basis. You'd have be on hold for up to half an hour, then a nurse or doctor would call you back. This could be half an hour later, it could be 4 hours later. They would then decide if they need to see you, which would be sometime later that day.

This was a total nightmare as I couldn't be on hold whilst being underground on the tube. If I did get through before leaving for work, then they might call me back when I'm on the tube. And it was impossible to plan my working day when I didn't know when I would be seen.

The current system where I am now is not too bad. You still have to wait a couple of weeks for a non urgent appointment. But if you need an urgent appointment and can't get seen during the day, there are evening clinics are other surgeries you can go to within the same borough.

The booking again for a blood test annoys me. Years ago your GP just did it, last year I had an appointment with the top Genetics Consultant for my region. I had an hours journey to see him, when he talked me through everything he ended up saying I would have a blood test, I knew I would have one and had thought I wonder if I could have it done that day or at my surgery to save a 2 hr return journey. Imagine my amazement as he said, "Just roll up your sleeve." and seconds later it was done. I don't understand how someone as busy as him, the waiting time to see him is months, can take a minute to do the test but my GP can't. It didn't even waste a minute as he continued to talk me through what would happen next as he did it.

To be fair though the young lady who does the blood tests at my surgery is brilliant, I think she is some sort of magician as she always gets it first time and never hurts me, I've always had problems having bloods taken and usually end up very bruised. When I was admitted to a hospital as an emergency a junior doctor ended up in tears as she had tried so many times and had hurt me so much. A senior doctor had to do it.

I've got HCPs in the family, nurse, doctor, midwife, hospital manager and they've told me to get a private GP.

You’re not being unreasonable but I guess it filters out the people who are well enough to go to work.

On Mumsnet you can be at deaths door and someone will still tell you that you should’ve gone to work.

Sounds like you need a check over and a test for diabetes ASAP. Wetting the bed and exhaustion were symptoms for a friend of mine pre diagnosis. Hope you feel better soon

Don't understand how this government was voted in again . 85 year old mother with fractured back had to wait four days for an x-ray, given morphine. Not seen by a soul . After 2 days of trying to get through on phone she mentioned nicely she didn't think at 85 she would have to spend two days on phone for appointment.... receptionist then eats head of her telling her she's not going to be treat different! My mum had meant for anyone!

Why aren't we protesting on streets for basic care

@1forsorrow here we go again huh? I’ll tell you why I don’t do it. Your genetic consultant probably had 30-45 mins for you appointment? I have patients booked in every 10. That includes how long it takes to walk to/from the waiting room, call you, get you in, deal with your issues and then type up notes. So realistically 7 minutes of real contact time. It’s not that I think ‘I’m too important’ it’s just realistically, most problems alone don’t fit into that 7 minute time slot so we have to streamline what we can do in the appointment. But I know you hate GPs anyway so whatever we do is wrong

Op seriously, you don't sound safe to be working (or driving!!). You need to stay at home and await the phone call, then you can get seen. It is admirable that you don't want to let patients down, but ultimately you are putting your own health (and others - nearly falling asleep at the wheel!) at risk yet you are blaming your GP. As you well know, we are all responsible for our own health. The GP cannot help you if you won't help yourself.

Can you rock up to the surgery 15 mins before it opens with coffee in hand and warm scarf. That's what I have to do to get an appointment.

I sympathise hugely and agree with everything bobby has said. Also, for receptionists at surgeries who are blamed all the time for the situation. They also take a huge amount of anger and abuse and very low paid.

‘ Brefugee

You’re not being unreasonable but I guess it filters out the people who are well enough to go to work.

well in this case clearly not since she went to work. And is still working.

... just saying.
Don't then.’
^

What are you even talking about?

Op you’re a nurse, if you are that unwell- you need to put your health first. Surely you of all people should know this. You are putting people in danger driving home feeling like that, also people in your care.

It's not the doctors that most people have a problem with - it's the stupidly constant rearranging of the appointment protocol.

I have the NHS app, but there are no appointments to book. Just a message to contact the surgery. To add insult to injury, my GP practice now doesn't even take phone calls, everything has to be done online. This has disgusted me, what about people who can't use a computer for some reason? They may be elderly, have learning disabilities, or otherwise not able to fill in an econsult form.

I have written to my local Care Commisioning Group and my MP on this matter as I feel that is it discriminatory.

Bobbypins I completely agree with you about the entitled worried well. Quite often on here people suggest going to the pharmacist for a minor complaint and others pile in saying I'd only go and see the GP as I'm entitled to an appointment. I have a minor problem at the moment and I'm dealing with myself through stuff from the pharmacist. So many people asked if I'd been to the doctors. I only go to the GPs if it's something I think might have serious consequences if I didn't get it sorted (maybe once every three years plus mammograms and smears).

Why do people not realise that them going to the doctors with every minor issue can lead to other people not getting timely diagnosis for serious stuff.

Go to the pharmacist first for minor stuff. If you can afford it go to an osteopath/physio for strains/back pain etc. Also if you can afford it pay for a counsellor for minor depression rather than clog up appointments with a GP who's not a MH specialist. Don't go to the GP about a minor viral illness asking for antibiotics, treat it at home and follow NHS guidelines. All this will help us maintain our precious NHS for when we really need it.

If you are looking for someone to blame, blame the government. GP's are hugely overworked and underpaid. My DH is a 'part-time' GP. He works 40 hours a week in 3 days for £40,000 a year. He did 6 years at medical school, has 3 degrees, plus speciality exams. It took him 12 years of training. He works 1 x 12 hour shift a week with the local out of hours service to boost our family income. He could not work anymore hours!
We need more GPs and to start looking after the ones we have - not get distracted by the division and 'race to the bottom' tactics the papers spew out.

which NHS app? I've got Evergreen and Livi, neither of which lets me book appointments with my gp. Sooo annoying! It's v hard to get a dr appt at our gp. Usually 2-3 weeks.

I know it can be frustrating to be on hold but you could also go in person when the surgery opens and get an appointment.

My GP surgery won't accept 'window walk-ins'. The only way to get an appointment is to ring at 8am. You have to tell the receptionist why you feel you need to see a GP. If they agree, they add your name to a list for a phone call from the GP - which can take place any time between 8:30-1pm. If you miss the call then you have to start again.

Once you have spoken to the GP they decide if they need to see you. If they do then you need to be able to go straight away - if you can't go then and there, you have to start again.

The only reason I haven't moved to another surgery is because the staff are really nice. The receptionists are lovely, the doctors are all helpful, the nurse practitioners are great - the care I have had from them has been brilliant. They are triaging like this because they are trying to cope with massive demand and inadequate resources.

Just to update - I downloaded the NHS app, filled in all the details and fairly quickly I was able to book an appointment online.

Where is the extra £350 million per week we were promised?..........

Same place as the 5,000 extra GPs we were offered by 2020 (current figure is -150). Same place as the 6,000 extra GPs we're promised by 2024.

The situation is going to get worse, but you will hear endless statements from the government about how they are getting better. Just like Soviet tractor production could never fall, the NHS will always be receiving record levels of funding and have excellent levels of satisfaction.

Funding might well be at record levels but the system was deliberately designed by Andrew Lansley to be inefficient in order to allow competition. (In the mind of right-wing ideologues, competition always improves quality. In the world the rest of us actually live in, it always reduces quality.)

Levels of satisfaction are excellent if you ask the right questions. When patients actually meet a doctor, nurse, physio, etc., they are usually very satisfied with the care they recieve. As long as you don't ask questions about getting access to that care you'll get the answers you want.

Anyone who believes a "promise" from someone like Boris Johnson or Michael Gove is criminally naïve.

Did anyone see the Private Eye cartoon of an HS2 train with a slogan on the side: "£109 bn - shouldn't we fund our NHS instead?"

The system's broken now - our surgery used to be great, appointment on the day if you needed one and were triaged in by the nurse, same week if it was just something routine and you wanted a specific doctor. The surgery is now creaking at the seams with multiple week waits for appointments (it's up to 2 months if you're wanting the really in-demand doctors who work limited days) and the poor staff are an absolute frazzle last time I was in!

Why do people not realise that them going to the doctors with every minor issue can lead to other people not getting timely diagnosis for serious stuff.

• Because they can’t tell if it’s minor or not (nor would a chemist as they can’t diagnose . They would be able to spot red flags aka really important stuff)
• because the worried sick are often people with MH issues who don’t/cant get support
• because the issue isn’t people misusing the system, it’s the system failing. Please stop blaming the victims, aka the most vulnerable.