Can anyone actually see a GP in person nowadays?

[Newstart20]

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?

At ours you can see a nurse, but the GPs don't seem to be available for face to face consultations. Ridiculous.

@LadyWithLapdog

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.

That might be the case for you, and is the same at our amazing surgery, but my sister hasn’t been able to see anyone in person for a random collection of symptoms she has had for months, so it definitely isn’t true eveywhere.

Yes our surgery are fab and saw my son when he had covid symptoms and I was concerned about his breathing. The GP asked me how soon I wanted him to be seen and assessed him in the car park (she got him to run across the car park with a pulse oximeter on his finger) then took him inside briefly to physically examine him. They are so good with the kids.
I imagine if it was my husband or myself through it would be over the phone as much as possible

I had a phone appointment. Problem with my stomach. Saw the doctor in person 2 hours later for an examination.

Happier with phone consultations TBH - practice did them pre-covid, far more efficient.
I saw my dentist last week with only a day or so wait for an appointment. Bit of a kerfuffle that receptionist said they weren't doing NHS work, but then dentist charged the NHS rate anyway.

@HotChoc10

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.

That's terrible. Guidance from the screening service was to continue doing them (unless the surgery was overrun by covid patients, which they never were because the national message was don't contact your GP about covid symptoms).

I did a smear training course the week before lock down and everyone on it with me has nearly completed their practical coursework. We were given a 3 month extension to the 9 month timeline because of potential covid disruption (people not wanting to come, mentors isolating etc) but at no point was it suggested that practices would have stopped doing them altogether.

I'm really not sure what some practice nurses have been doing for the past 8 months, from the amount of things I have heard people being told aren't being done!

I filled in an e consult form yesterday and got a phone call today giving me appointment tomorrow, I could have had one today but I waiting for a tradesman who was booked for today. I didn't even need to speak to the doctor.

I can't even speak to a GP over the phone due to the fact that we're in tier 3 (Scotland) according to the receptionist.

It's not fear mongering - clearly other posters have had the same experience as me. It isn't something they can do over the phone and I feel after two weeks of worsening symptoms someone ought to take a look.

I was told if it worsened to go to A and E - what a waste of time that would be for everyone because my practice refuse to see patients face to face.

Seen a GP once & nurse twice in the last 2 weeks. GP for oxygen sats & to listen to my chest & the nurse for bloods.

Nope no GP appointments around here, telephone only and if it’s urgent go to A & E.

Yes, I am having a face-to-face appointment tomorrow with my GP. I have actually really liked the option to have telephone appointments and video appointments but I need to be examined this time around...

So yes, they are seeing people when needed.

I have twice for my depo contraceptive injection. I didn’t discuss anything else with them whilst there, but they seemed happy to entertain other concerns.

I also visited an out of hours GP in person on advice of 111. I had a weird skin problem and they prescribed steroid cream. My GP could definitely have sorted it out over the phone though.

Nope.
Neither at the surgery I attend or the surgery I work in.
Yes a lot is being done over the phone but, after a chat, if the Dr /Nurse prescriber feel you need to be seen they book you an appointment to be seen by them that afternoon.

No smears here for months but they restarted just before lockdown 2 so not sure if that has reverted. Another recent thread linked to a home test so would have done that if i had known and not waited.

I am fascinated by the dismissive replies by posters unable to comprehend that some practices are not seeing patients face to face. It’s as if they can’t comprehend a world that is different to their own.

It’s hardly ‘fear mongering’ when it’s your real and lived experience.

You can't see anyone in person at ours
Phone appointments are hard to get
There's a form you can submit with symptoms and then they are meant to ring you however they dont
My repeat prescription was done in 20 mins from request it used to be 2 days so presume this is all they are doing

You can at our surgery apparently but only if they ask you to go in after a phone call and I don't know anyone who has actually been told to go in.
The whole system has gone to pot to be honest. You can't even book phone calls in advance, you just have to join the queue listening to the hold music from 8am. And getting prescriptions is a nightmare too. We're rural so our GPs is a dispensing practice. They've introduced a delivery system so nobody goes in to pick up medication which sounds great, and it is when it works. But the delays are often significant. I had a phone appointment on Friday morning and my treatment was changed. I was told to ring back on Mon or Tues to report on how I was getting on with it, but one drug was delivered yesterday afternoon and the second one hasn't come yet so there didn't seem much point in calling today! I absolutely understand that these are exceptional times but a lot of this stuff just doesn't make sense to me. We have a fairly low number of Covid-19 cases here anyway so its not that the surgery is swamped caring for them.

Vast majority over the phone. Called back next day after submitting online form.

GPs are seeing people they need to examine (I've been called in once). I've also had bloods taken and HRT review in person for blood pressure check.

I'm in Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

It’s as if they can’t comprehend a world that is different to their own.

Or the posters cannot comprehend that patients within a practice may be being assessed on a case-by-case basis and their experience of not being offered a face-to-face appointment may not be echoed by other patients.

I saw mine at my practice a few weeks ago. I had a blocked Eustachian tube which had made me go a bit deaf. Had a consultation with someone over the phone (receptionist or call navigator as they are called now) and she recommended the doctor look in my ear. I was actually seen by a student first of all but then my gp came in and examined me as well, he looked in my nose, throat and ear, all very thorough.

However dh wasn't able to see a gp at his surgery (we have different surgeries) only a nurse which has causes a bit of a problem tbh but that's a different story...

@Pandamanium

It’s as if they can’t comprehend a world that is different to their own.

Or the posters cannot comprehend that patients within a practice may be being assessed on a case-by-case basis and their experience of not being offered a face-to-face appointment may not be echoed by other patients.

Confused by your response, are you saying that it’s a standard across the U.K. and it’s just that people are being assessed as not needing to see a GP?

Because that is not true.

Yes husband had a mole, filled in online form sent photo's spoke to GP who asked to see it in person.

No issues.

We have a very good gp surgery, never had a problem seeing a go or being refused treatment. We're in SE London

I had my smear test this week but I had to explain to the receptionist first that a) My last one was mildly abnormal and b) It was overdue because I had a baby five months ago. She initially said I couldn't see the nurse for it unless I'd got the hospital letter calling me in, but then she spoke to the nurse who said I could be seen.