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?

That's shocking!!!

Have u considered emailing your MP? Maybe they could put pressure on elsewhere as this is appalling

My GP surgery has never closed. They have 2 buildings and closed one doors to people and they based themselves for all phone appointments and the other one did the face to face appointments needed.

Even this morning I rang wanting a non urgent phone appointment for my daughter and I had a call back by lunchtime!! (I would never get an non urgent appointment face 2 face that fast usually!)

All vaccinations etc have always continued

Ahh I see. You haven’t contacted them recently to even ask when the next available appointment is.

Until you actually do that, you have no cause to complain.

Virtually all surgeries have been operating triage systems throughout this pandemic in which decisions about who gets an appointment are made solely by GPs...

I like this new system whereby you have a telephone consultation with a GP & they then decide if you need to come in for an examination or not. There is so much that can sorted out & organised via the telephone.

Also, my surgery has eConsult which is for non-urgent issues (e.g. requesting medical certificate) and it works really well, it means you will (usually) get a call back from a GP.

I think the OP needs to find a new GP practice if her current one are not able to even let her book a non urgent GP telephone appointment.

My GP surgery is offering telephone consultations. They have an consult service - you detail your issue online and they either give advice via the receptionist, or they call you to discuss.

I have a suspected inflammatory arthritis and have been sending photos of my swollen joints and my nails (which are coming off) to my GP via the eConsult service. GP arranged for me to have a drive-thru blood test but says she can't refer me to a specialist until Covid is over. I was unlucky - before lockdown I had one swollen joint and a referral for an ultrasound which was cancelled due to Covid. Now I have 3 swollen joints and can't have any scans etc. to check the cause.

I have heard of people going private too.

Does your surgery not offer an eConsult? I found mine on the surgery's website. Might be worth suggesting your surgery does something similar if they don't already.

Just to add, our GP surgery has never stopped doing immunisations for children, their way of thinking was that if they stopped, there would be a massive catch up to take place later no to mention it's better all round for babies & young children to continue to be protected from other diseases during a global pandemic.

@DrPatient this is ridiculous and I think you have a surgery issue tbh. My elderly parents have needed blood tests etc and appointments during lockdown. It hasn't been an issue and everything has worked like clockwork. They've had telephone consultations, blood test forms have been issued along with repeat prescriptions.

I had a slipped disc recentky and my GP phoned me within 48hrs and prescribed medication for pain and muscle spasms.

It's not good that an anaemic patient is being left to wait.

Open here and provision informed by COVID risks. By telephone, face to face or home visits depending on circumstances.

Some other surgeries are unable to provide contraceptive/coil/sexual heath and have centralised hubs for variety of reasons. For example, fitting coils require specially trained GPs and PNs which are not available on every surgery.

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

Well that sounds like a pointless GP surgery to be patient at, I'd get myself registered at a new practice if it were me!

Your GP surgery sounds awful OP. I work in a GP practice and we have been seeing patients throughout. Non urgent appointments like smear tests and chronic disease reviews were postponed at the height of the pandemic but re started a while ago. Urgent bloods and high risk drug monitoring never stopped, also things like wound dressings continued as normal.
Most GP appointments changed to telephone or video calls but they will triage and have been doing face to face appointments where needed - again these never stopped. Anyone requesting a GP can speak to one on the same day or next day. Anyone with suspected covid symptoms that absolutely needed to be seen was seen in their car by a GP wearing full PPE - and if they really needed to be seen inside the building we had a process for this so they were kept separate from other patients and staff, did not touch anything, and the room was cleaned afterwards.
I am hearing from friends and family that their GP practices closed and thought that surely they were mistaken- we were never advised to close! We are a big surgery though so can spread the load - a few clinicians are sheilding so are working from home only. In a smaller practice where a high percentage of GP's and nursing staff needed to shield maybe there was no alternative but to close.

Kiddie Simms done here too. Have proven to be essential checks when some other HCPs engagement with newborns have been paused.

Wow there's such a difference in provision.

My GP surgery has been great DP has been in for 2 routine blood tests and had 3 phone appointments.

I've needed them twice for dd, once she was seen within 15 mins of the phonecall as she had an ear infection again 🙄 and needed antibiotics.

They've got a sign on the door saying appointments only, but they have seen people there and then that have just turned up.

The stories im seeing on here and on FB are dreadful and some of them are quite scary.

Smears aren't available yet. Not because we don't want to do them but the health boards aren't processing them so we have been asked not to. They are starting the urgent backlog soon I think in Scotland.
We are doing telephone appointments and seeing who we need to. We saw several people this morning.
We have also been doing nexplanons for ages as we felt we could do it safely.
I'm actually busier than I have ever been as everything takes a lot longer as we have to get into PPE and then wipe rooms down afterwards.

It is definitely NOT just emergencies only but even talking to other local GPs we are doing more than a lot of them.

But we cannot see anywhere near the same number as we used to and do it safely due to cleaning procedures.

I'm hating it. I'm due to retire in 3 years and I'm definitely off.

Also, OP have you tried arranging a routine telephone appointment with a GP?

The issue might be that you are asking for an emergency appointment- from your initial post, it sounds like you've had anaemia in the past and you need routine blood test for it. I'd imagine this doesn't normally reach the threshold for an 'emergency appointment'.

My surgery has a 'duty doctor' on each day, when one of my DC was unwell we were booked in with them no problem, but it was for something which was non-routine i.e. unwell child and thus needed an urgent appointment.

Think you need to change GP. I called mine this morning about checking my b12 levels had a call back at lunchtime and am now booked in for blood tests later in the week.
I also finished my jabs at the beginning of lockdown and had further blood tests a month ago.
I wouldn't be happy with your GP.

Someone mentioned that we always saw infections without PPE before. we did but the things we saw were never like this. Our surgery and area are lucky..very few cases but when you hear about the nursing homes it's clear we needed to take this action to reduce footfall.

I'm in my late 50s so higher risk and my partners who are much younger said they would stop me from seeing ?covid patients.
Some surgeries were wiped out as it spread through the staff and some surgeries had to buddy up with others to provide a service. The post COVID fatigue has been a real problem for many people who have recovered so this is also affecting some surgeries where they can't get GPs back to work.
Some are also shielding at home.
It really is nothing like other infectious diseases and I dread the school's going back when we won't know if it's coughs and colds or COVID.

There are some really bad surgeries though but the majority do do their best.

@MaxNormal it's not your surgery. We haven't been allowed to start smears in Scotland yet and they are being very clear about the ones we can and can't do. It will start soon but the national smear centre will write to you when they are able to tell you when to get it done.
It should all be HPV testing now as this was just being rolled out when we shut down.
If you bring to get a smear we will be unable to do it unless you have a letter from the central recall office as they simply won't process it.
I'm due both smear and mammogram. At 57 I've never had an abnormal smear so not particularly worried.

I am anaemic. I get my medication for 90 days, then they wait 30 days without medication and check my levels with a blood test. I was due to have the check at the end of March. I haven't been on my medication since the end of February. They won't give me a test to check my levels or to see if I need to be back on my medication

Well that sounds rubbish and very poor care- I would think you're much better off finding another local surgery to register with, if possible.

Mine have been great. I rang in the middle of the pandemic about a potential cancer symptom. I was seen and examined by the GP 5 days later. I was then sent for tests at the hospital which were carried out within 2 weeks.

There seems to be shocking Inconsistency across the country. Someone asked Boris at the last briefing when will GP’s and dentists be back to normal and he had the gall to answer they are back to normal now! They didn’t go back to the caller or I’m sure she would have said are you insane!?

Mine have been brilliant. I have had two face to face appointments and numerous telephone conversations. I have to fill in a form and a doctor will ring you that day. My DD has had her vaccinations and smear tests were delayed but are now being done.

I actually had a phone call from my surgery asking me to come in for a routine smear. I went and had the results a couple of weeks ago.
I'm really surprised there is such variation in services across the country.

@Brookers01234

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?

Dentists have been able to reopen for weeks - though it has taken some varying amounts of time to get sufficient PE equipment.( I had a dental appointment this week and it involved taking my temperature and rinsing thoroughly with a peroxide solution - all the staff, inc reception, were very thoroughly gowned up )

The independent optician near to me has reopened and I saw a ‘welcome back, we’re open ‘ sign in the chain one that is situated in the big supermarket.

I'm still getting monthly blood tests for monitoring, and have done throughout.

I have been doing my own B12 injections. My GP surgery are still doing repeat prescriptions but no medication reviews, etc. Luckily not had to try and see anyone but their website states they are only providing essential services.

@heartsonacake Can you not read?