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?

I must be lucky with my GP. You initially have a telephone conversation, then you will be told whether they need to see you in person.
I can walk into the reception area [ social distancing in place ] and speak to the receptionist or collect my prescriptions. I had my vaccine at my surgery as well as a blood test and smear test. I am happy how my surgery are handling things.

The surgery in my village is completely different, they won't see anyone in the surgery at all, doors locked, you have to speak through a small window. They refuse to do blood tests. I know many people who use this surgery are so unhappy about how they are handling things that they are now changing surgeries.

I think lots of people are taking advantage and doing less of their job than they should. I'm sure it will be given a covid name soon.

My surgery has changed for the better. I know this isn't the case everywhere so I'm echoing what other posters have said if some surgeries can why can't others?

@Sirzy

My dad has a mole by his eye. It has grown to the point it is impacting vision and is now leaking.

The gp said go to the walk in centre. The walk in centre said they could treat any immediate issue but not refer on as is obviously needed. The battle to get the GP to at least refer on if he won’t look at it continues.

@Sirzy Might be worth a trip to the opticians. The optician here referred me to the eye hospital directly when they spotted a potential problem during an eye test.

YANBU it's a joke
GPs need to open up. The rest of healthcare has been running throughought .

I can get a filling bedroom my dentist but can't get a dodgy mole on my buttock looked at! My gp told me to try and get a colleague to look at it and take a photo!!!!!

So unprofessional and dangerous

[quote everydayiwritethebook]@Feetupteashot this is not intended to be about slagging off GPs. It's genuine frustration that all other sectors are opening up apart from this. [/quote]
But it is slagging off GPs

I have no idea what is going on in your area. In our area, a large proportion of GPS

Pressed post too soon. Many of our GPs are working virtually full time on vaccine delivery. With a skeleton staff for normal GP work. There is no capacity for business as usual.

I was at work yesterday and of my 28 booked Tel appts I saw 8 face to face and booked a further 3 for next week to come in. I will examine ears, do gynae exams, moles, lumps and rashes . These are nearly impossible to do remotely. The rest didn't need to come in and one had symptoms that needed a covid test before it would be safe for them to be seen face to face. Not everyone wants to come in either in my experience. Most of my colleagues also work like this. It's your surgery it's a service, change if you are not happy.

I changed GP as my old one was useless - you did get seen face to face though after a phone consultation even if you were dismissed. Went to the new one, phone consultation first, told to go down and am now on the two week cancer pathway. So much for being dismissed by the first one.

Our doors are also not locked. The whole of the NHS is also not open contrary to what people what to believe. 80% of our letters from secondary care are remote consultations still.

@Disabrie22

Yes same here - to be honest having been in an environment face to face with 60 children and six adults the whole way through lockdown I think it’s only fair GP’s open up - and adapt their setting.

The difference is that the vast majority of children and also most (though of course not all) teachers are not vulnerable. However a very large percentage of a GP's service users will be vulnerable to covid, particularly the ones who have no option but for face to face contact, and also will be more likely to be in and out of hospitals.

It's not all about protecting the GP, it's about protecting patients and minimising spread.

That said, if they can't follow up a phone appointment with a face to face one, that's rubbish.

I've seen a GP face to face after I pushed but I also ended up in A&E last yr after I couldn't see one.

A relative had emergency open heart surgery, I have spent 2.5 hours on hold at their GP over the last two wks trying to get prescriptions/sick note sorted. In the end I had to go to the hospital as we were running low on thinners, even they tried phoning! She needs to have her medication reviewed by the GP & they offered us a telephone appointment for the end of May or call back next week to try & get a day one 🙄 It's a joke tbh.

It’s really frustrating. My ds had his vaccinations yesterday and I was left standing for ages holding him and answering questions via the intercom.

I’ve actually finally managed to get a face to face appointment when I cried down the phone on Monday.

When I was in hospital the staff were moaning about GPs closures causing lots of unnecessary A&E patients.

@Buttybach so sorry for for your loss.

My GP and all the staff are absolutely brilliant. I was surprised the other week, however, when I called in to collect medication and thought I’d book a needed, routine blood test while I was there. I’d pulled out my diary when the receptionist said “the nurse will do it now”! I thanked the nurse profusely for sparing the time and she said shed otherwise only have been making toast! Eh?!

The usual reactions, which have been going on for years before Covid.
Any serious criticism of the GP system is deemed 'slagging them off' - the obvious implication being no valid reason for the complaints.

So unbelievably arrogant when people directly have their health affected by this awful system of access and resourcing models which has been inconsistently serving the population for far to long.

I guess people have different experiences but where I am if you want any medical care you pretty much have to pay to see a private GP. It's impossible to get through to the NHS surgery by phone. I have no idea if they are doing face to face as I haven't been able to speak to a receptionist.

@tilder no it isn't about slagging off GPs. I was fairly happy with my practice before covid, but the fact that a snotty receptionist has had both me and my daughter in tears over not being able to get treatment has made me very angry. I've worked at the vaccine centre for three months, and am now back working face to face with the public. The locked doors, intercom and 72 hour quarantine of my urgent letter yesterday were the final straw for me.

Our recently retired GP friend , now working part time in a hospital high dependency unit, is scathing about the laziness, opportunism and the current working practices of many GPs.

My surgery is great, but DH’s was hard to access so he moved to an online NHS GP. He loves it - video appointments via an app, easy to book an appointment, if he needs blood tests they have an arrangement with a local clinic. If it had a GP like pp above are describing, I’d be moving to the online one.

Not quite the same but it annoys me when they get shirty that I can't access my phone 100% of the time or come to an appointment 20 mins later.. I work in inpatient NHS myself!

I've had a physio assessment over the phone... bloody ridiculous!
I completely sympathise with you.
Please don't be deterred.
Maybe send an email and scan a copy of the letter ... good luck, keep on going 👍

@NotOnMute maybe we should look into that

I’ve been really ill this last year. I’ve been able to get telephone consultations but no face to face. As we were mid lockdown when my illness first occurred I though fair enough but as time progressed and I’m continuing to suffer with no examination it isn’t on. I still haven’t had a face to face appointment and it strikes me that visibly seeing people is half the job of doctoring.

I cannot pre book a telephone consultation either. It’s insane that I’m clogging up phone lines at 8am for a same day appointment for a prescription review - something that I just used to log in to my account and pre book.

I don’t doubt that there are a lot of good gps out there but the system surrounding them at the moment is appalling.