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?

Mine is definitely pushing back for things that seem not an immediate threat or things that don't need physical examinations for, but they've not refused blood tests or vaccinations.

I am also due a smear and have been told to wait a bit, but their provision for other services eg. Mental health has actually improved. My doctor has been able to call me fortnightly to talk to me about medication and weight gain/loss.

A family member at the same practice who suffers from alcohol abuse has been shoved away though because our city has a dedicated alcohol services which aren't seen as essential, even though they're drinking themselves half to death every day and the GP says it's out of their remit.

[quote DrPatient]@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?[/quote]
Have you forgotten what paragraphs are? It would make your posts SO much easier to read. Again, I really don’t want to know about your health issues nor do I expect you to tell me. Your OP, with the lack of paragraphs, makes the first 4 sentences (at least) seem like a continuation of the same issue, hence why I thought you wanted an emergency appointment because your previous routine anemia check appointments were cancelled.

Ours have been great - phone appointment within a couple of hours, much better than the previous 3 weeks wait to see a GP. I had to go in to see the nurse and it was so quick, in and out in minutes including a chat with the nurse. I'm hoping they keep some of this in place instead of previous nightmare trying to get an appointment.

My doctors is open. Rang a few times and get an app same day.

@MadisonMontgomery

EnlightenedOwl, the receptionists are not, and never have been in charge. We simply carry out the instructions given to us by our employers, i.e. the GP’s.

I dont agree . And they shouldn't be giving out medical advice or asking what the problem is.

@heartsonacake As PP have said, four working days is "recent" to any normal human being. The last six days is within the last week. What exactly are you struggling to understand?
@Mnhealth202020 I'm sorry that you were confused - I'll try to use more paragraphs in future. The anaemia, urgent issue, my son's vaccinations and my smear test are not all one issue as I've apparently somehow implied by not separating them into separate paragraphs. Sorry for the confusion.

@Puzzld Oooh were you this rude with the GP receptionist? That might be why you didn’t get an appointment
I think my response was completely in line with the rude and patronising comment. She's continued to behave ridiculously and is clearly a troll. Regardless, receptionists don't get to withhold medical care (especially from a child) because they don't like their tone. It's not my fault that she appears to be incapable of reading and then gets arsey when she hasn't immediately been responded to asking for answers that have been stated multiple times.

The surgery in work at has been open for phone appointments right through. If the GP needs a face to face they book it. We have started over the last few weeks doing regular, non urgent things like smear tests, regular blood tests. Baby immunisations have been done right through, as have important blood tests etc.
And the reason that we are keeping a minimum of patients in the surgery isn't for the staff's safety - it's for that of the patients.

I've been trying to get in contact with my GP since last week, engaged or goes to your call can't be taken.

As I've got a nasty leg ulcer that won't heal think I'm going to end up at walk in centre

Well some of you seem to have really rubbish GPs. The surgery I work for has changed many of the ways they work. Some we’ll keep, others will go back to the way they were before - eg there will definitely be more phone consultations, as many patients, as well as clinicians, have really liked how these have worked. We’ve never stopped seeing patients although in the early days of the pandemic the phones were eerily quiet. We had several staff (including two nurses and one GP) who were shielding. Some procedures stopped for a while, but most have now restarted.

To those moaning about the receptionists (again), they really are not in charge. They really are only doing what their employers (GPs) are telling them to do. It would make their lives far far easier if they were allowed to give everyone exactly what they wanted and just “squeeze in” all those patient who only need a “quick word” with the GP, instead of having to put up with the abuse that they regularly receive from patients - the same patients who will happily swear profusely at the poor receptionist, but when they actually see the GP butter wouldn’t melt. I’m not a receptionist, but work closely with them and hear the crap they regularly have to put up with. Of course, there are bad ones, but the receptionists I work with do their utmost to help patients - sometimes in spite of resistance from GPs.

It's not just GPs. I'm not going into details but will say that members of my immediate family have been badly let down.

We haven't had a national health service for months. We've had a national covid service.

Enlightened Owl we ask the problem because the GP's want us to ask what the problem is. I don't care if you have thrush, athletes foot, urine infection, a boil on your nether regions or have bleeding haemorrhoids but having to ask could ensure someone having chest pain is not waiting for a telephone call later in the day from a GP but being told to ring 999.

We are not allowed to give out medical advice but can advise on the best person to consult whether it's a GP, Practice Nurse, Pharmacist or a Paramedic.

mouldiwarp1 thank you. I was called rude today because when a patient asked when we would be open again I said "not any time soon and I can't imagine it will be the same as before but we've always been here". I wasn't rude but truthful. If I'd said "I don't know" I expect that would have been rude too.

My dentist isn’t back.

Yes I'm in the same boat with contraception. My implant runs out in two months and I need to go on the coil. I 100% do not want a child right now.

GP don't do it anymore. Local GUM says emergency only. Next nearest one says emergency and under 21 only. I've found one 50 mins away but I always have fits when they remove the implant so I wouldn't be able to get home safely.

Finding somewhere is maddening it's like a never ending maze where everyone keeps palming me off.

I'm 25 - I just want long term contraception.

So what would you prefer, that you ring up, ask for an appointment and the receptionist just says okay and books you in with a GP? What if you had chest pain and needed to be given advice to go straight to A&E? What if you wanted a blood test and actually needed to see a phlebotomist and the GP appointment would be wasting your time & theirs? What if you had a UTI and needed to provide a urine sample before the samples are collected at lunch? What if you had a back problem and could be booked straight in with that clinic and bypass the GP altogether? And then, when all the GP appointments were booked up with things that didn’t need to see a GP at all I bet you’d be the first to moan that there were no appointments left.

Sorry, that last post was for EnlightenedOwl (and anyone else who thinks GP receptionists have all the power when they actually have none)

@MadisonMontgomery I just saw your second post - ignore what I just said. I was so confused why you thought not giving me any appointments was somehow helpful haha

Interesting as over the past 2 weeks my son has had his school immunisations albeit at the local rugby club and I am having a smear test on Wednesday at my doctors surgery.

The reason my GP told me they stopped my appointments was their safety. They made that very clear. As did the mental health team. I was accused of potenially killing them, and reception staff and nurse who took my temperature by turning up for the appointment they insisted I had in March after lockdown (I was supposed to be at my students funeral who had ended their life weeks before, and, most importantly I was the only person allowed to be there due to lockdown so there was no one there at all - I tried to rearrange and was told I wasn't allowed - I regret not insisting it was changed).

Don't underestimate just how much that hurt me (I already had severe depression and thought I was worthless, now I know I am) and ruined any trust I had spent years building with them (I've very severe medical phobia).

Both services said my appointments would be reduced and additional phone support, not stopped altogether. I've had the practice manager try and stop my daily prescriptions because of the risk I pose to everyone by being on them.

I've had the last appointment where any one tells me my life is worth anything at all.

Shocking but surprising, the difference in GP care across the country. It isn't consistent, this is a major problem with the current Partnership model of General Practice where each practice runs it its own way. It's not fair on the patients.

I am a practice nurse, throughout the pandemic I have been vaccinating, taking bloods, changing dressings, giving B12 and other injections and even syringing ears (advised to stop this but used my discretion when the poor patients couldn't hear anything!). Some patients were shielding so we saw them in the car park when possible, to save them coming inside.
We never stopped smears, I've even been using my quiet periods (because many patients are putting off coming in) to call people who are overdue them and invite them in. So many people were surprised that we were offering them as they assumed the health service had effectively shut down (in some areas it seems it has).

The problem was that in the beginning we were sent a load of guidance about things we could stop doing 'to prioritise' more important things, in the expectation of being overwhelmed by Covid19 (at the same time the message was call 111 not your GP for covid symptoms) which we never were. Unsurprisingly.

We're still paying locum GPs to come in, because we're still offering as many appointments as before they are just done mostly by phone now which actually works really well. People still come in if they need to.

I'm very fortunate that we have an excellent team and sensible management. We interpreted the guidance and did the best we could for our patients. It's so saddening that people in other areas are not getting the care they need.

Should say shocking but NOT surprising.

Our GP surgery has not got a great reputation but my dd and I have both had telephone consultation with nurse prescriber and I had one with GP. Dh has continued to have his blood tests. As he is shielding a nurse came around the house.
Also had a smear test recently.

Blimey there must be some rubbish practices. Where I work we are open usual hours 8-6.30 and I'm doing phone and e consulting work way beyond that, we are doing telephone triage and e-consult initially. Any one who needs to be seen in lesson after one of the above will be seen face to face in the surgery. We are busier than ever. We have done bloods, vaccinations, smears throughout . The only thing we can't do is spirometry and for a while we were not allowed to look in throats. I get really sad and disheartened by the GP bashing but quite frankly I'd be ashamed to be offering the service some of you seem to be getting !