AIBU to be annoyed that my GP seems to have no plans in place to see patients as we come out of lockdown?

[everydayiwritethebook]

After reading another poster's thread where she couldn't be seen by a GP and ended up at A&E, it struck me just how angry I am about not being able to see a GP face to face (socially distanced of course).
I have had a couple of instances where I've needed to see a GP, and my DC urgently needs to see one face to face, but we can't. I understand during lockdown it was necessary, but I haven't been able to see a GP in 14 months and now that most places are back at work (I work with the public and have been back for several weeks), it feels like they're taking the piss.
It's actually got worse at my surgery - today I took a letter in for my GP about being referred for a condition, and whereas previously they had a locked foyer which you could enter one at a time, now the front door is locked and you speak to the receptionist via intercom! I was also told my letter would be quarantined for 72 hours, even though I said it is urgent.
I feel like they are really failing their patients now, and I wondered what other people's experiences or thoughts were about this?

@JanetWeb2812

GPs are pretty intelligent people and plenty are now gaming the system so that they maximise their income for the minimum of effort. Our local GP was very keen to get his patients signed up for COVID vaccinations at the surgery. At £12.58 per jab in the arm he could clear £1500 per hour and then, whammo, slam the door and back to telephone consultations.

Hilarious. If they did do 100/hr and earned £1258 (12.58 x 100) this is what it pays for the following - please note each hourly rate average has to cover NI and 14.38% pension contribution for the staff member:

GP - £85
Nurse - £22
Basic vaccinator £17
Admin to input data £12
Overheads to open the building if out of hours - extra to have separate reception/admin to greet patients £12/hr
Then there are the 20hrs per week of admin time to book these appointments

The above is based on AZ vaccinating and we can make a profit of £200 per day.

BUT - we also do Pfizer which cannot be done as quickly as we actually make a loss providing the Pfizer vaccine.

So, in summary - the small profit from AZ is wiped out by the loss on Pfizer and our poor staff are exhausted as they are doing this on top of the day job - but as usual, the usual MN posse slagging them off and saying they make loads of money...

I'd like to stop doing them and push people to a mass vac centre but most people do not live within 10 miles of one or cannot get there so GP practices fill this gap - but hey keep on moaning.

@JanetWeb2812

He’s still not clearing £1500 then is he, he’d have multiple staff to pay

His assistant (just the one) is already employed by the practice.

He and his assistant would have to do 60 vaccinations each per hour for him to clear £1500.

That’s not happening.

Additionally there should still be a way to book appointments (whether thag is phone or F2F) in advance for a specific day/time - previously if I had an issue that needed treatment but wasn't "same day appointment/A&E urgent" then I could go online or phone the surgery and book an appointment for a few days or weeks time. This meant I could book an appointment when it was convenient or would at least have a few days to rearrange my schedule to accommodate it. Now, the option is a same day phone appointment at some indeterminate time between when you called and 8pm or nothing, and that is only if you can get a phone appointment slot for that day - if not then you have to repeat the process over and over again.

Ive wished this was possible for a long time, way before covid. Weve never been able to make apts for anything other than same day unless you have seen the dr and they can make the apt for a follow up.

@Oblomov21
I vote for ‘covoiders’ to denote lazy staff taking advantage of covid.

I have had 15 months of shambolic service from my GP. Had covid, then long covid left with lingering issues (mucous that comes up/down and fills nose and back of mouth, which gets progressively worse - until I feel like my chest is full and wet, I then get antibiotics and it holds it at bay for 2/3 months rinse and repeat)
I have had 6? Lots of antibiotics (currently on 2 weeks double dose of doxcillin) i have NEVER been seen ! They won’t. I have had 7/8 phone calls and 2 video consultations with an nhs service that’s not my GP but gp refuses to see me and instead insists on guessing I have GERD (silent of course) causing post nasal drip and sinusitis (if it is I have escaped all the typical symptoms) .. even if the diagnosis turns out to be correct it would be usual to investigate why! This requires a physical to look for polylps/septum deviation can also be caused by candida.. despite this the phlebotomist was happy to take my annual (non urgent just a safety check) diabetes hbac1 test. You couldn’t make it up !