I thought GPs were supposed to be open?!

[DrPatient]

So, I had a routine appointment booked in to check my anaemia - cancelled due to Covid back in March and they'll let me know when I can have it. Fair enough, I get that. But it's now July and they're still not ready. Then, I tried to make an emergency appointment as was told that, no, they aren't doing any emergency appointments and to phone 111. I phoned 111 and they said to book a GP appointment or go to A&E - but I obviously can't book a GP appointment because they said no. I received the letter saying I should book my son in for his one year vaccinations. When I tried to book, they said they aren't doing vaccinations due to Covid - but everywhere is encouraging parents to still vaccinate during Covid. I'm due a smear test - can't book it "due to Covid".
I've had issues with my GP in the past, for example they refuse to provide contraception at all - they tell me to go to a private sexual health clinic about half an hour away instead, and I needed a medical check done for a new job and they flat-out refused. It's very difficult to get an appointment at the best of times with the receptionist demanding to know every minute detail in order to decide whether or not you're "worthy". This was all prior to Covid.
AIBU to think they should be doing appointments now? Are other GPs back up and running?

I think provision is patchy, OP. Some surgeries are doing great. Others, like mine and yours, seem to have pulled up the drawbridge and it is impossible to get any support from them.
They use the ‘ring at 8am’ system/excuse. Then I see the GPs on Twitter banging on about team building and conferences etc. Nothing about seeing their patients!
Health care rationing by stealth was happening before Covid, but it has intensified.

Have you tried booking a regular appointment as opposed to an emergency/same day one?

So when you’ve rang your GP, have you asked when the next available appointment is? Or just assumed because you can’t have an emergency appointment you can’t have any at all?

I agree that provision is patchy. We recently changed GPs (house move) and it took 5 phone calls to get an appt for DTs to have their 8 week vaccinations. In contrast to this, our old GP surgery had emailed me when they were 4 weeks old to ask about booking the jabs/ PN checkup.

I have had a kidney infection this week following surgery in February where my urethra was damaged accidentally.

I called my GP and it was all done over the phone I have been fainting and have been sick but there is no way to see an actual human. It's all phone based.

Yet I work in a school and we are expected to be face to face with pupils! For a fraction of the wages of GPs

How many serious conditions will be missed by this.

This is dreadful.
My GP practice has actually been great through this, I’ve had 3 or 4 calls about a condition for my daughter they have sent the prescriptions straight to pharmacy for collection. My husband had 2 calls regarding an eye injury to save him going to A&E. My daughter also had vaccinations because they said how important they are especially with everything else going on.
I genuinely hadn’t realised other practices were failing miserably.

My practice is phone only and you are discouraged to have one of these appointments unless really urgent

Sounds like a nightmare. Are there any other surgeries you could change to? I understand why they want to keep patients to a minimum but they should still be seeing patients when needed. Also vaccinations are important! A lot are doing phone and video appointments!

It’s absolutely shocking how bad some provision is at the moment, like in shops they should be using PPE and getting on with it. Opticians are now managing, GP surgeries should be too. Honestly in a year or 2 we will see the impact of so many people not getting adequate care and it will awful.

Just to add I know some surgeries are doing really well. But some are doing terribly and it’s not right.

Covid is irrelevant. I've been registered with my GP since 2002, but I haven't been able to get an appointment since 2016. No slots available by phone or online.

My surgery is doing telephone appointments and if they decide they need to see you in person, you get an appointment at the surgery.

The doc wears PPE (don't know if that's just a mask & gloves, or the whole visor/plastic apron etc) and there are masks and sanitiser in the entrance that you are instructed to use.

I heard all this from my neighbour, I haven't needed to contact the doctor for anything for over a year.

That sounds really bad. DD has her 1 year vaccinations a couple of weeks ago and it was no issue at all to book.

That sounds bad

I’ve had 2 phone calls with my Gp about skin problems, a mole that had gone crusty. Emailed over photos and got a reply with to monitor and a prescription .

I’ve had my regular blood tests with the nurse in the surgery for my routine medications. They need doing twice a year

I’ve also had a face to face appt with a doctor as I was getting stomach pain and they wanted to feel the area.

Obviously they were fully dressed in PPE (masks, visor, apron and gloves) and if at all possible I didn’t have to be there I wouldn’t have been (like I got prescribed an ointment for the crusty mole and it cleared up). There’s a one way system in through the front door and out through the back and there’s no waiting room, you wait outside until they let you in.

and I needed a medical check done for a new job and they flat-out refused

Are you British? That’s normal as the NHS doesn’t offer such a service for anyone. You should have gone private.

From reading your post I can’t see what the emergency is, so why are you asking for an emergency appointment? Even during the height of lockdown GPs were still carrying out blood tests - if necessary, so they thought it was safe to wait for your retests.

The vaccination/smear test letters were probably automatically sent and didn’t take COVID into account. I think you’ll be fine to wait although other practices may have offered these services. If you are desperate for a smear contact sexual health clinics in your area.

The only valid complaint you have is the refusal to issue contraception (Pre COVID), that’s weird. The rest of it is annoying but not exclusive to your practice unfortunately.

Mine isn't seeing anyone. They are currently trying to figure out what to do about my medication related blood test, which is due as I am shielding so going to the hospital for it is not really ideal. Phone appointments only.

One of the GPs is shielding, some were reassigned and another has shielding people in their family. We do have a problem with GPS in our area though. A surgery closed last year as the GPS were due to retire and no replacements could be recruited.

Do you have another GP that you can register with? Maybe worth asking around to see whether other local practices are better. Might also be worth looking at the Clinical Commissioning Group complaints procedure.

@Mnhealth202020 So, you think I need to tell you what my medical condition that requires an emergency appointment is otherwise I don't deserve an appointment? People are entitled to medical care if they tell strangers on the internet about the ins and outs of it? Ok, noted.

[quote DrPatient]@Mnhealth202020 So, you think I need to tell you what my medical condition that requires an emergency appointment is otherwise I don't deserve an appointment? People are entitled to medical care if they tell strangers on the internet about the ins and outs of it? Ok, noted. [/quote]
No I don’t think that, I also don’t want to know the ins & outs as I don’t care frankly! What a dramatic leap. Your post reads that you requested an emergency appointment for a routine check for anemia - that’s the information I was basing my post on.

@Mnhealth202020 Well, no. I phoned to book and emergency appointment because I needed an emergency appointment and they said they aren't offering any emergency appointments. I don't need to tell you why I need an appointment. It seems odd that you'd assume that no one needs an emergency appointment for a GP surgery for the four months that we've been in lockdown. I assume you work for the NHS?

My mirena coil was due to be changed in March. Still cant get it changed in July. No idea when they will open for this type of service. My surgery gave me a pill to take but it had bad side effects on me.

Mine have been fantastic, telephone triage with video option and will see you face-to-face if needed as well (with PPE).

It's bloody ridiculous. My sister just had to go private for her B12 injection, as she feels so ghastly without it.

I feel like they're just using it to make money because they still receive the same amount of funding but have an excuse not to provide anything. Because they're private organisations, the NHS/government can't force them to provide any healthcare.

I agree, can’t understand why if dentists and opticians etc are not back at work - in a lot closer proximity to patients than a lot of GP appointments would necessitate, I can’t understand how they get away with it.
And how long does this go on for? At what point will they deem it ‘safe’ to operate as normal?

Are *now back at work