Utterly frustrated at not being able to see a GP?

[ismiseeire]

My health is detiorating! Sorry, in pain, so not a long explanatory post.

Yes I totally agree with you and who knows how long this will go on for .
Everything is online at the moment .
If your in a lot of pain, you should call your GP surgery they will have a out of hours number .

Why don't you go to the hospital?

Out of hours gp through 111 are very good in my experience. Might be worth using that service. Some gp practices also use private gps for video appointments

I saw a GP and a nurse on two separate days last week. Surely if it's urgent and necessary a GP will see you.

Call 111.

Yes I agree you should call 111 .
That’s what they are here for .

As others have said, call 111. If you're in pain that means that you're unable to type then you really need to get seen by someone

You clearly don't have the same GP as my parents. My dad ended up in hospital 5 times last autumn because my 94yo dad's GP refused to see him face to face. Even with 111 calls and a letter from the hospital after his 2nd admission saying phone calls were not suitable for his condition. Lucky he survived the resulting heart attack and pneumonia though it was touch and go.

Sorry you are in pain. Why can’t you see a gp?

@AtlasPine

Sorry you are in pain. Why can’t you see a gp?

If it’s anything like our surgery, they simply aren’t giving out appointments for face to face consultations with a Dr. If you’re lucky you get a call back from one of the ‘duty Drs’; if less lucky your request for a GP appointment (with brief explanation of reason) is bumped to a call from a pharmacist (who then admits you need to speak with a GP and you go to the bottom of a list for a call back that doesn’t happen as the pharmacist calling you triggers the ‘system’ to close your contact with the surgery for that episode so the request for a GP to get in touch gets filed as unnecessary or ignored as it’s believed it’s the original request from the patient. Or, finally, a trainee receptionist is supposed to let you know that you are being put down for a callback but doesn’t press the button to actually send the instruction so no appointment is actually booked!!

Definitely ring 111 .

In same boat - six weeks of bleeding and no idea why - my therapist (employed by GP surgery) has said she’s ringing my GP to specifically ask them to see me, but goodness knows . GP surgery said the doctors only handle immediately serious emergencies now and don’t see or deal with any routine matters - said it’s for a nurse who just told me to crack on and stop complaining ...

I read a good analogy the other day--that "protecting the NHS" by closing down most of the services it offers, is a bit like trying to protect your new sofa by leaving the plastic covers on it. What's the point of protecting a health service that isn't actually doing half the things it's supposed to do?

Some practices are using covid as an excuse to be inept. I was told by midwife to get mu flu jab via my gp. I contacted my gp practice to be told that they would not be able to administer it and to go back to the midwife. I went back to the midwife to be told to contact the maternity day bed at my local hospital. After finally contacting them they informed me that many midwives has wrongly been referring patients to them and it should be done at my gp practice. In the end I decided to see if any chemists were still offering the flu jab and got it from them. They did tell me I could get it free on the nhs which I was aware of but noone was willing to give it to me. I can't say I was that concerned about myself getting flu as the season is almost over but my baby will be born in Autumn (hopefully)and it will pass on some protection for them.

In more serious cases like the ops or the poster whos dad had a heart attack and pneumonia this is outrageous.

GPS are still writing prescriptions and many are doing video consultations but they should still be seeing patients that need to be seen. If not people will end up at a&e unnecessarily. It is the variation between surgeries that I find ridiculous.

I would keep trying. Ours was impossible during first lockdown and now we get triaged on phone then can book a face to face.

My doctor won't see me in person until I've done a covid test. I've been ill for weeks now and the phone consultations just don't cut it. Hope they're not going to use covid as an excuse to make everything over the phone in future. It just doesn't work.

Doesn't surprise me at all.

I had an appointment in the hospital with one of my consultants a couple of weeks ago and I mentioned if something got worse I'd get in to my GP. Their exact words were "don't bother, they are of no use at the moment, you phone in and come back to see me."

My GP surgery is the same. I can’t believe that this situation has become the accepted norm

@coffeeandjuice

My doctor won't see me in person until I've done a covid test. I've been ill for weeks now and the phone consultations just don't cut it. Hope they're not going to use covid as an excuse to make everything over the phone in future. It just doesn't work.

This is also my experience, called with non-Covid symptoms. Told to get a Covid test and call back if it was negative.

Meant that rather than getting treatment on the Thursday I had to suffer through until the Monday.

Have you tried asking to a telephone consultation?
Ours you do that, then, if the GP thinks they need to see you asks you to come down. It's very efficient.

I've had a few patients who have tried to see their GPs for weeks after becoming ill and have come to see me instead - I'm an allied professional - I've taken one look and sent them straight into hospital with sepsis and on two occasions gangrene.
This situation cannot go on.

@LibertyWX

Why don't you go to the hospital?

There’s some hospitals also shut to walk ins - we have been told whatever the illness, injury or accident now to call 111 unless suspected stroke, MI or unconscious . They won’t let you in door at local casualty until you ring 111 .

A&E, MI unit won’t see any walk ins at all - unless immediately life threatening - and GP surgeries won’t handle any routine stuff .

GP surgery say to try self care for a month first, then pharmacy, then practice nurse; then phone call - said very rarely does a GP ever need to see someone; most illnesses don’t need examined or seen apparently.

I had a UTI at Christmas (recurrent with overlying chronic/serious condition), blood in urine etc . Phoned 111 who said ring pharmacist . Pharmacist said won’t treat due to medical history and said ring GP . GP receptionist said wouldn’t treat as had a fever - so it was now a ?Covid . Said call covid hub . Covid hub said to isolate and test despite saying it was probably just a UTI . Test and it comes back negative . Phone GP surgery back . GP receptionist says phone pharmacist (to begin whole cycle again?) ... took seven days to get antibiotics in the end by 111 prescribing broad specs over the phone . Exceptionally frustrating .

I have a fantastic doctor though maybe because its a smaller set up in the middle of nowhere. Made an online call back appointment, doctor called Friday and made a face 2 face appointment for tomorrow.

I suppose with smaller numbers of patients they can see (time taken for cleaning in between etc) they do need to prioritise so unfortunately can't see everyone. No easy solution.

A year on and people still can't get a basic doctor's appointment. It's absolutely ridiculous and shouldn't be happening. Numbers in A&E will be back on the rise soon if that's the only way people can access healthcare.

A+E Sister here. Our work load has increased so much with things that people should be going to their GP with but they can't get an appointment so they come to us knowing we can't turn them away. Last night almost 80% of our patients could have been seen by their GP. So frustrating.

Ours are doing phone first .then face to face if necessary?

It has worked quite well