To want to see a Dr at an appt

[Purplerayhan]

I can see a nurse, a care practitioner but a Dr? No. It's so frustrating. Without going into details, it's something that needs examining but because I called up with 2 non connected issues, I got told to lets see how the first one goes, they do a referral for a specialist, SALT oversubscribed team, to get in touch at some point in the future (no time frame given, understandable but frustrating) and they'll have a look at the hernia after that. Sorry, just frustrated. Why is ok for lower paid nurses and care practitioners to have to see patients face to face but not my Drs?*
*rhetorical

In fact, one of them needed eczema cream the other week, and rang the practice to get a call back from a doctor to ask for them. The doctor said 'I shouldn't be giving you these really, as you haven't booked your cervical smear yet!' She said 'what on earth has my not booking my cervical smear got to do with my eczema cream?' The doctor said, 'well we're reluctant to help patients when they are not taking care of their own health.' Fucking disgusting, nasty, manipulative, emotional blackmail. She had every right to refuse any more cervical smears, without being threatened with refusal of having the meds she needed

I really CANNOT believe that actual this conversation occurred!

The PP clearly has massive issues with her practice and also with the GPs there

I really cannot see how it is helpful to write something like this about a GP, ok we are all entitled to our own opinions but this is ridiculous

This thread 'might' be helpful for those GP bashers

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/AMA/4179602-Im-a-GP-AMA

I can totally imagine it was said in a somewhat pompous, we know what's right for you patronising manner. I've just had a HCP on the phone earlier today (about an unrelated matter to the one I posted about) calling me 'young Kevin', repeatedly. I'm over 60, live in a retirement complex and know when I'm being patronised!

@KevinBaconsMoustache 😤 that sounds outrageous. The emoji is the closest I could find to spitting feathers.

"Why is ok for lower paid nurses and care practitioners to have to see patients face to face but not my Drs?*
*rhetorical"

There's more cover staff.

There aren't enough locum doctors to keep up with the sick rate if they all went patient facing.

Better to still have them available for serious issues/consultations and video appointments, than losing them because they did face to face needlessly

@LadyWithLapdog it wasn't done with any malice but by goodness it got right on my nerves

@Keepingthingsinteresting is spot on. Nurse practitioners are highly qualified, and very experienced. I wouldn't hesitate if I were referred to one. They know what they are talking about with many issues, and are better than some doctors on some issues. They must refer to a doctor if out of their sphere.

Ah, let's do away with Drs then as they're clearly not needed.
Might as well get rid of teachers and use TAs instead.
Specials instead of police.

@KevinBaconsMoustache

Ok now no disrespect to TA’s or the specials but that is insulting nurses and drs are both educated to bachelor degree level.

There is no comparison, why don’t you go and do some research!!

But they aren't educated to the same level though are they? There is a difference..in education, in experience, in pay structures to reflect this.

I have an older neighbour who had cancer nearly 20 yrs ago, lives alone and is over 80. She's been in pain and hasn't been able to get a doctor's visit. She's frightened it's cancer returned. A family member called 999 and they refused to come out. She was referred to 111. Another neighbour and I went to sit with her and she calmed her down. She was told to phone her dr this morning and she was refused an appointment. Then she got a phone call giving her an appointment. I've had a dr's appointment since the pandemic. I see a dr about once every 2or 3 years and I'm over 70.

I had severe back pain, GP wouldnt see me and just rolled out pain killers. The next day my back still felt very painful and I felt like it was deformed. Called back, different GP this time made me do a urine sample ???? and see the Nurse Practioner.

Upon seeing me she takes one look at me and notices a deformity in my spine likely caused by a significant swelling pushing the vertebrae out of place. She prescribed me strong pain relief more suited for inflammation and now I'm pursuing private treatment.

Had the 2 GPs seen me (or frankly in the case of the second one, listened to me properly) I could have had the appropriate treatment sooner and the reassurance that I was being cared for.

@KevinBaconsMoustache

Nurses have a bachelors degree drs have a bachelors degree. They are different degrees if you ask any consultant what advice they give their junior drs it’s to listen to the nurses. However one can not work with out the other hence it’s a team.

Nurse practitioners will know their limitations if they can’t help they will refer on to the relevant dr and they also run their treatment plans past the dr. The nurse however will be better at providing an holistic approach and can be much better communicators.

A nurse will be professionally sanctioned if she gives a drug dose that’s wrong or she knows is the wrong drug regardless if it’s prescribed. The nurse is responsible for knowing the action of the drug, dose, side effects and how to give the drug.

@pbdr

As a GP, I've never worked harder than I have in these last few months. It is incredibly frustrating when patients seem to think that we are sitting with our feet up doing nothing when the reality is we are working flat out. We are trying to limit face to face contact with patients to reduce the risk of spreading around Covid-19. I have always been very aware that every time I bring a patient into the surgery there is a potential risk of that patient or others in the waiting room being exposed to the virus, and that is easy to justify if they are unwell and need to be seen face-to-face, but if it is someone wanting their eczema reviewed, or wanting me to look at their fungal toenail that risk is much harder for me to justify. My advanced nurse practitioner colleagues do an excellent job, and make their own individual risk assessments for each patient. Some clinicians have a lower threshold for seeing patients face to face than others, but we all are trying to do what we think is right by our patients.

I'm sure you have and the conditions you work under must be very difficult to say the least. But I think we can acknowledge how absurdly difficult it is to see a Dr face to face in this country.