Can anyone actually see a GP in person nowadays?

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I've had an ongoing ear infection for two weeks now (diagnosed over the phone) which hasn't cleared despite the GP doubling my antibiotics (probably due to having compromised immune system). It's now worsening again and a locum GP has suggested someone should actually look in my ear. The GP surgery are not happy and keep saying they are treating people over the phone. I can't believe this is considered good enough .

Is this the case everywhere at the moment?

It is in our practice. Not even a video call, just a phone call. Unless the GP decides at the last minute to send a text cancelling the appointment, deciding it wasn't needed after all!

My Gp surgery are seeing people in person after talking to the doctor/nurse on the phone if they feel it’s necessary. It’s been really good when DDs physical condition worsened and the physio asked GP to take a look as they saw her in person.

All phone calls here. They send you a link if you need to send a picture of a body part for closer inspection.
My elderly neighbour was asked to send a video of her leg.

Yes unfortunately, I have had a problem that hasn’t cleared up and I’m having a phone call appointment agains tomorrow, GP said if still there after 4 weeks they will refer to hospital! It’s nothing major just needs looking at to treat it properly had it before but tablets aren’t doing anything this time round!

It's not good enough.
My asthmatic son was a bit breathless a couple of weeks ago, he'd had a negative covid test so they agreed a face to face appointment after a telephone consultation.
I'd imagine there will be instances where phone treatment is adequate, but I don't understand how they can accurately diagnose without actually seeing someone in a lot of instances.
Our surgery has been hammering on about people missing telephone appointments too... But can't tell you what time they'll call (not even an hour timeframe), it's very difficult to be available all day when you're working from home/looking after children etc!

Ours is very good at phone calls and blood tests, but seeing an actual GP is quite hard.

Ours are - you obviously do a phone call first, but if they want to see you, they do. A few weeks ago I blossomed forth in a really awful rash that had some worrying features - I called at 1, and by 4 I had had a phone appointment, and been seen

Not everywhere no. I have been able to get in to see my GP face to face. The first point of contact was a telephone call, then I sent photos via a text service and had a prescription issued and sent direct to my pharmacy. After complications a few days later, I phoned the surgery and the GP got me in same day for a physical exam.

For my toddler I had a telephone consultation and they gave advice over the phone. They said if symptoms continued despite care at home, she would be given an appointment for a physical exam.

Don't get me wrong, first point of contact is always by phone. But they are still seeing people if absolutely necessary. Although for things like major injuries, they are telling people to go to minor injury units instead

My husband got seen in person by the walk in centre, got a course of antibiotics that didn't work and then gp instead of seeing him in person had a swap test he could administer himself and find out which infection it was from there

Ours are doing blood tests and smear tests, so that's good.

Online/phone call first then you might get a phone appointment with dr or asked to come in. I went with dd yesterday for what I considered to be non urgent and non serious - painless lump on inner wrist that looked like a ganglion cyst. The doc wanted to see it because she’s young to have one. Got an appointment within a week

I had a new lump in the summer. GP wouldn't see me, but I sent a photo and he referred me to the consultant (and needed a nudge to get that done). Unfortunately he didn't send the photo so I started again with the surgeon. Surgeon was brilliant and lump was removed within 10 days and biopsied 5 days after that. (I did have to take my own stitches out though!)

However, the HCA are still seeing people face to face. Wonder why it's ok for them but not for the doctors?

Yes, of course they are. It’s changed to telephone first but if things need seeing in person then they are.

Mine is thankfully, or was about a month ago anyway. I had a phone consultation first, then a couple of blood tests and then a face to face. Home visits are still going ahead for those who need them too.

Same at my practise. 8 weeks ago I called Dr as had blood in my urine, telephone call only, didn't want to examine me, didn't ask any questions or test urine. Gave me antiobiotics for a UTI that I didn't have.

Turns out I have a 8mm kidney stone blocking my ureter and have just had to have surgery and a nephrostomy fitted.

I was seen in person on Friday at my surgery. This was after a phone call with a nurse practitioner and the duty doctor. Tbh, it could have been dealt with over the phone but they wanted to check my blood pressure and a few other things.

But I'm glad I went as the doctor I saw was most annoyed that my "urgent" referral had been completely ignored by the hospital. Funnily enough, I'm booked in for my procedure on Thursday!!

Dear God, can we stop with this fear mongering? GPs are seeing patients in person, when needed. Nurses are seeing patients in person, when needed. So are hospital doctors etc.

I paid to have a smear test privately recently as my normal GP wasn't doing them and I have a family history of cervical cancer. Luckily it was all normal but it's awful to consider how many diagnoses must be being missed at the moment.

We're in Suffolk and can have face to face with GP's and clinic nurses, I saw one today and my daughter has an audiology appointment tomorrow, all face to face but we're all masked up and so are they with social distancing 😊

Really depends where you are. The surgery I work at sees a fair few in person every day. Basically anyone who needs a physical exam will be told to come in by the GP, once they have had their telephone appointment. So everyone gets the telephone one first. Each GP sees at least 2 patients in person each day on average. Some get sent to us (nurses) for example wounds or blocked ears and we can then call the GP in if necessary.
However our surgery seems to be in a minority as we carried on with almost all the nursing duties during the worst of covid while many seem to have stopped things like smears and injections simply because they were told they 'could'.

P s I hope you get seen and feel better soon, ear infections are terrible!

Telephone call here first and seen in person if needed after. I much prefer it, the telephone service is great.

Dear God, can we stop with this fear mongering? GPs are seeing patients in person, when needed. Nurses are seeing patients in person, when needed. So are hospital doctors etc.

Clearly that isn't true for everyone. Plenty of cases where this hasn't happened.
Our GPs are useless, no appointments whatsoever and DH needs a medication review which is almost a year overdue but can't even get a telephone appointment. On the other hand the walk in centre in our area is open almost as normal and I was able to walk in off the street and have an appointment, only had to wait a couple of minutes which was amazing. But anything that's ongoing and needs to be sorted by our GP is impossible.

I managed to see a GP yesterday. I've been trying since late March/early April.

My son was seen for his ear infection, GP’s are seeing patients in my area, they have been great throughout the whole pandemic.