To expect my doctor to see me.

[Vedaisawesome]

I have Lupus, lupus nephritis, arthritis and also suffer from avascular necrosis. I have been fairly stable medically wise for the past few years but recently things are starting to go wrong. I am losing my hair, in copious amounts, which in my case, is a trigger for a very serious flare. I cannot get to see my consultant due to isolating, but AIBU to at least expect my GP to see me somehow and adjust/ give new treatment with perhaps consulting my consultant by video. I can't get an appointment at all with anyone. I am very worried which isn't helping. Last time I had a major flare I almost died. It is not something I want to risk again but all I can do at present is try to self manage,which having had Lupus for over 35 years I'm pretty good at. But now I can just about manage pain and am using what drugs I have to control symptoms but I need professional help. Also if anyone knows anything to do to prevent hair loss, please share as nothing I'm doing is working.

I think you need to contact your consultant’s secretary and see about a telephone consultation with them as your condition sounds complex and they are probably in a better position to advise on how to manage you. If you need bloods they can also arrange that as they might need tests the GP cannot request. Alternatively does your surgery have e consult- that is a way to get the ball rolling and the GP can then call you in if they need to see you physically or arrange bloods etc. Or as others said ask to speak practice manager but expect to only have a telephone consultation initially as that is how a lot of practises are tending to work at the moment.

Just to clarify, did the receptionist offer you a phone consultation?

but I need my bloods checked to properly prescribe treatment and they just won't see me to do that

That's awful OP. It is a failure to provide health care. I wonder how many people are in a similar situation? Can you contact your MP? How is this acceptable?

My GP is only offering short telephone calls but that won't help. I can describe symptoms etc but I need my bloods checked to properly prescribe treatment

But have you had a telephone call with a GP to discuss your symptoms and the next steps? It sounds like you have just assumed they won't request blood tests, without speaking to them yet. GPs are doing telephone calls first and arranging video calls/ face to face appointments/ blood tests if needed after that.

How will a GP physically seeing you change things? You need bloods and the input from your consultant. Both of which can be arranged by phone. And if you are on treatment for lupus, not seeing you is to protect you from them rather than the other way around.

I wonder if you came across as worried about hair loss rather than worried about the flare of a life threatening condition. Even here you've asked if we know how to stop it. When you've told us it is a flare symptom. So you stop it by treating your lupus. Treat your lupus by getting input from your consultant. By a)phoning his/her secretary and b) phoning your GP

Did the receptionist offer you a phone call? If not simply ring this morning explain you are worried about a flare in your life threatening condition and you need to speak to a GP please about how to get treatment.

There's probably different ways of getting blood tests done and all sorts (my mum used to go to the hospital for regular bloods, now goes to a community clinic)

They are not taking bloods because the hospitals aren't analysing them. There's little the GP can do if there is no working lab to send bloods to

Are you serious? All labs have stopped processing blood tests in the UK? Why?

"Oh good morning receptionist! I have a several serious chronic health conditions for which I regularly see both the doctor and consultants at the hospital and I am in crisis, which requires urgent medical attention. I'd like a phone appointment with the doctor TODAY please" at which point. You'll hopefully be given one. If not...
Ask to speak to the practise manager.

Are you serious? All labs have stopped processing blood tests in the UK? Why?

Some hospital labs have stopped processing most GP requested blood tests, to focus their resources on processing inpatient blood tests and urgent blood tests. They will still process a small number of GP blood tests deemed essential/ urgent, e.g. INR for monitoring warfarin medication.

It may be that OP's GP cannot request most blood tests currently. In any case if she hasn't actually spoken to her GP by telephone call that is the obvious first step. If her GP thinks she needs blood tests urgently they can advise how this can be done. If it is urgent, there will be a route to doing it.

They haven’t stopped analysing blood surely? DF is 88 and has his regular warfarin clinic appointments and getting results.

I put yanbu but if you haven’t yet had the telephone conversation yabvvu. The receptionist can’t give you an appointment but the GP can, once they’ve triaged you. I had a chat with one of our GPs last week about a new skin issue for my child, nice phone conversation, emailed some photos, prescription waiting at chemist the same day, with instructions to call back if it doesn’t clear. Absolutely brilliant service and I didn’t need to lug a toddler to the GP!

Some hospital labs have stopped processing most GP requested blood tests, to focus their resources on processing inpatient blood tests and urgent blood tests

Why? Are their resources so overwhelmed they can't process blood tests from people with pre existing conditions? Why does anyone in the UK think it's acceptable that so many medical services are inaccessible? This is not happening in other countries, blood tests, routine medical care continues. OP, you need to write an email to your surgery and put in writing that you need a blood test because you are worried about a serious onset. Get it in writing. Get a response.

Absolutely ridiculous.
I would ask to speak to the practice manager.

I once had my GP refusing to give me a referal to a gynaecologist after another, temporary working GP from her practice found a suspicious spot on my uterus. She was on holiday when this happened and refused to acknowledge that it was serious enough for a referral after she came back.

I told her I would send an email to the practice describing that I had a suspicious spot on my uterus of which it was not 100% sure if it was cancer and that she refused to refer me to a consultant even though her collegue, the other GP had strongly adviced to do so. She knew very well that this was evidence that she had made a huge medical mistake if it would turn out to actually be cancer later on.
Immediately after mentioning sending that email, she agreed to give me my referral.
Perhaps this might work for you too.

I'm not sure how useful it would be to have a GP consultation, or a blood test taken by the practice nurse. It will take time to process the tests and then all they can do is refer you to your consultant to have them interpreted. Even if you have one of the very small number of GPs who are knowledgeable about lupus there isn't a great deal they can do for you, and even if they knew what to prescribe it's unlikely they would be able to do it themselves.

You would be better off contacting the secretary of the consultant who usually treats you. Blood tests are still being doing for urgent cases, and once the results are back they can prescribe something via the hospital pharmacy.

Have you even had a telephone consultation? You need that first. The receptionist is not qualified to ascertain whether or not you need a face to face appointment. Get the telephone one today. Then put in a complaint that the receptionist is failing to explain practice procedure correctly and is putting lives at risk.

Ring again and ask for a telephone appointment when she asks what it's for say its personal. No more questions will be asked and she will have to get you a call. At least then the GP can decide what he wants to do.

Do telephone call. Then doctor will arrange bloods etc, you just need to access the doctors through a telephone appointment

They are not taking bloods because the hospitals aren't analysing them

Not true.

I'm sorry this is happening IP. I have an autoimmune disease and am on a drug which requires monitoring normally every 4 weeks but extended to 12 weeks due to CV19. I can either go to a local hospital or the GP where I make an appointment in advance.

Have you contacted your consultant? If I ever want a phone consultation with my GP I do similar to PP 'good morning I need to speak to Dr XXX about my autoimmune disease and the increase in symptoms'.

I work in dermatology with patients who have forms of Lupus. In your case they'd ask if you were happy to come to the department and you'd have a consultation and get your bloods done at the hospital. We've loads of clinic capacity as everything had been cancelled. We're scraping around looking for patients to attend! Are you under a consultant and have you tried their secretary?

Sorry just read that you're isolating. That's poor then from your GP. Ones in our area are sending out district nurses and bloods are processed at hospital lab.

I am an NHS consultant. Hospitals are absolutely processing bloods and still seeing patients. I triage all my patients by phone first and then call those in who either require a face to face consultation or if they request to be seen.
You need to ring the GP and get a telephone triage to move forward with this. Your GP can then contact your consultant and arrange bloods / further telephone review / consultant face to face.
Telephone triage by the GP will just be the first step.
Alternatively ring the secretary of your consultant at the hospital and ask for a telephone review by your consultant who will then arrange bloods / face to face as they see fit.
I don’t want people to get the impression from this thread that we aren’t seeing patients that need to be seen when we definitely are !
Right must get kids off to school as I have a full clinic of face to face patients this morning.

Labs are doing all blood tests where I am. It's business as usual for us. Telephone appointments and seeing if needed.

We've loads of clinic capacity as everything had been cancelled. We're scraping around looking for patients to attend!

This needs to be highlighted. It is replicated throughout the NHS. The repercussions of these widespread cancellations will become explicit.

My GP is only offering short telephone calls but that won't help.

But it is at least an 'in' so you can ask for blood tests etc. You'd be foolish not to book one.

Please don’t spread lies about hospitals not processing blood samples - they are. And if the OP needs blood tests done there will be a process to get them done.