To say the NHS don't care, and to think a private billing GP would care?

[plplz]

DD is 5 months old and I am convinced she has a chest infection, she feels warm, is wheezing and has had a cough for three weeks. Have had two covid tests and both negative, but the NHS doctor still won't see her. Its like they don't believe me and think I'm over reacting.

Her nursery sent her home because she had a temperature, and the GP said everyone is just being overly cautious and its probably nothing.

I am thinking maybe a non NHS doctor (one
I would have to pay for) might actually want to see us; because they have a financial interest to do so.

AIBU? Am I over reacting? Feels like the NHS just don't care now and covid is a great excuse not to actually treat anyone.

In my experience staff who favour working in private practice are not more caring, no. They are more likely to do what the paying customer wants though.

Perhaps ask the nursery what they think - in pre-covid times, would they have been sending her home and telling you to take her to the doctor.
If you can tell the doctor that the nursery say it's not just covid-caution, perhaps they'll take their word for it and agree to see her.

If your dd is wheezing I would phone nhs direct now.
They will go through questions and hopefully will get her seen at the out of hours.
She is only tiny and they can go down hill very quickly.

I'd take a wheezing baby to A&E.

A wheezing 5 month old.... A&E

That’s shocking, I’d call 111. I think a wheezing baby with a temperature will at least get you an out of hours GP appointment if not an A&E visit.

Does she have a temperature and seem unwell? Me personally, I wouldn't bother with a GP for a baby with a cough unless they had a fever I couldn't control well with medicine at home or were clearly unwell. The only time taken ds (who's nearly 3) to the doctor for something for a respiratory virus type thing was the time when he spiked a 40C temp in about an hour and had a febrile seizure. I was asked to bring him into A&E and we spent 24 hours in hospital for observation (he was fine, just miserable for the night, the only thing they did was give him ibuprofen and paracetomol). They do get these viral things and the coughing does last for weeks and weeks. I'd say 3-4 weeks is pretty standard whenever mine get something. But as long as the fever is controllable and they are otherwise mostly well (miserable and sick, yes, but not having a fit, or too sleepy to wake, or something really obviously wrong), there is often very little that a GP can do other than tell you to give medicine to control the fever.

A private GP may be more willing to give you antibiotics, if that's what you're after, as they don't have to abide by the same policies as the NHS and they may be more willing to please you. But antibiotics won't usually help in this situation as a wheeze is unlikely to be from a bacterial infection (usually the chest gets very congested instead). A post-viral wheeze is really normal though.

If she is really struggling to breathe though or you have a history of asthma in your family, it's worth just making sure a GP has listened to the wheeze. That may not be easy to do with coughing symptoms at the moment though.

PS. I couldn’t get a drowsy, food-refusing 12 month old with a fever and rash (and a negative Covid test) seen by our GP surgery. When I called 111 he was seen very quickly and put on antibiotics, it turned out to be a throat infection.

Sorry to hear that, sounds worrying for you. I think I would phone 111 for advice or GP again first thing tomorrow. Your DD is still very little.

However, was the GP's exact wording really 'it's probably nothing'?

Because all the GPs I know (DH, lots of friends) say they always see children as they can get poorly so quickly. They would want to examine and do temperature check etc.

I'm just really struggling to believe a GP could write in the notes 'spoke to mum of 5mo, reported temperature and cough for three weeks. Sent home from nursery, -ve covid tests. Advised it was nothing'. Because that would seriously bite them in the bum should your DD get ill...

If it was how it happened, then make sure you tell the receptionist you want to see/speak to a different Dr.

Hope all is well.

Call 111, at the beginning of lockdown I went through this with my DC, only difference was DC was 7 not a baby, i had antibiotics at the local chemist within a few hours.

Hope you get seen soon

Any healthcare person I have accessed privately works in the NHS too. They don't have a switch of care. In private care my GP appointments are 25 minutes. Nhs are what, 10?

Regardless a wheezy 5 month old, just take them to a and e.

It’s not the NHS, it’s YOUR doctor.

Mine has never refused to see my children if I’ve been worried, they’ve never refused to see me either.

Mine saw my son because he was ‘pulling a funny face and seems a bit off’.

I would, however, take a wheezing baby to A&E.

A cough for 3 weeks and wheezing? Contact 111.

Your GP isn’t taking this seriously, but that’s down to them, not the NHS.

To add, it’s probably not co vid, but it doesn’t mean it’s nothing

I feel like this at present. I have a terminally ill parent who has been effectively abandoned by the NHS due to Covid. I have 2 other relatives, one with cancer, who are not getting the care they need. One has gone private to finally get the operation he needs

Ah yes one GP represents the entirety of the NHS, of course. When you say they won't see her, does that mean you cannot get an appointment face to face so they haven't seen her at all yet? Get onto 111 to book into out of hours, or head to A&E for a wheeze in a 5 month old as a last resort. The advantage of private is that they aren't squeezed to the bone, they have funding and actually have an incentive to see people really. I can't complain about the GP surgery here at all, even through covid that have seen the DC when needed, and referred to hospital in one instance which made it a lot easier when we arrived.

I was sent home by an OOH doctor when dd was 18 months old who told me she was fine and I was a worried first time mum.
I knew she was wheezy and lethargic so I called back the OOHs number. The nurse i spoke to could hear dd's laboured breathing over the phone and called an ambulance. She was put on oxygen immediately and spent a week in hospital.
I would not take a risk with a wheezy baby.

Do you think all the US medical staff care but U.K. ones don’t? When you can’t get treated without showing your insurance details? When Drs will perform over the top cosmetic procedures which make you look freakish - simply because you are willing to pay for them? ( reference anyone on Botched). Drs running unnecessary tests because they can bill for them. No. The answer is no. Good luck getting your kiddo seen ( you don’t have to stay with your GP you know if you don’t think they’re very good)

I agree with 111 suggestions. They should get a doctor to ring you if nothing else and may well recommend a and e. Hope she recovers soon

Wtf?

Take tour baby to see someone a and e if no gp/ooh will see them. Someone needs to listen to chest if wheezing and coughing for 3 weeks

I think a private GP will have a better bedside manner and more time and will give the impression of caring more.

However, if your baby is coughing and wheezing, she must be seen. Please ring 111 or take her to A&E. (If you lift her vest, are her ribs pulling in a little as she breathes). This happened when DS was 4 months. He was admitted for a week with bronchiolitis.

@OhTheRoses, actually the majority of NHS GPs care very much. My DH cares so much he is out of the house for 15 hours on average and doesn't see our son in the week because he misses bedtime.
Our relationship is also terrible as he is so stressed and uses up all his empathy and energy on his patients.
But yes, just assume that because he works for the NHS that he doesnt care...

If my baby was wheezing I’d go to A&E. make a formal complaint to your GP’s surgery as well. That is disgraceful.

Most GP surgeries aren't part of the NHS anyway, they are independent contractors to the NHS