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?

My dentist just told me they are not seeing NHS patients. Happy to see if you pay privately though for the same issue...

My issue is more that people expect business as usual. We aren't there yet. Plus there is a massive backlog.

I don't expect business as usual just not the scenario I mentioned.

The pharmacist on the other hand were great & worked out of hours on a Sunday & brought round the medicine & even offered to get bread & milk!

@tilder

I totally understand why people are angry and frustrated. Why people need to see a GP. This was an under funded and under resourced service beford Covid. Add Covid on and it gets tougher.

For those who want to know a bit about the role GPs have in the covid vaccination programme this might be of interest.

www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/covid-19/vaccines/covid-19-vaccination-programme

It might also help to understand why healthcare is currently spread so thin. They aren't sat doing nothing. They have an extra job on top of their normal day job.

It's all the unintended consequences of Covid.

Some aren't. At our practice it's a couple of specific nurses running the covid clinics. not gps.

Ours have been alright. They will insist on ringing you first and yes you're in for a long wait when you phone but generally when you do get through they will call you.

We also have a locked door and intercom which I can't say I was overly impressed with.

@Iwonder08 I'm sure it is if you can afford it. However many cannot. My husband has a chronic disability which means that private health insurance is completely unaffordable for him, especially now he is retired.

I had a perfectly normal visit to the dentist and hygienist last week.

I don't see why the doctor needs to be different.

I needed a blood test last week, had to be buzzed into the GP surgery via intercom to see the nurse. Reception was shut so I was unable to make a follow up appointment there & then, & it's really hard to get through on the phone.

Since the start of Covid I have needed a GP twice - one diagnosed a skin condition online after I emailed a photo of it; the other prescribed CBT after getting a receptionist to call & ask about my symptoms.

Fortunately these are both relatively minor ailments.

Where I live, patients no longer have the option of switching to a different practice. The three surgeries (one excellent, one ok, one diabolical) have merged. Needless to say, the quality of service has settled at the level of the worst of the three, not the best.

The merger was originally dreamed up because we were getting a new health centre as part of a new housing development. It was a bribe planning obligation when the permission to build hundreds of homes was granted. The building hasn't started, I think the site has been sold at least once, maybe more, but the merger of the 3 GP practices has gone ahead regardless.

Now you have to check which of the 3 surgeries your appointment is at, and there are lots of anecdotes of people going to surgery A only to find that their appointment is at surgery B (there's an awful lot of duplicated names among the doctors, even with some quite unusual names).

Last year my daughter had a ear infection
She had a high temp and her ear was leaking it was that bad. We rang the Gp and they said they couldn't see her because of the temp so we had to go to hospital. We got to the hospital and they wouldn't let her in because of the temperature. They did come out to the car park fully gowned up though.
She had no other covid symptoms so it was clearly just her ear!
Previously her ear drum has burst so she needed to be physically Seen.

It's disgusting when hospital staff are seeing patients face to face for outpatient appointments.

The actual facts are that GP surgeries are seeing people face to face - 13 million face to face appointments in Feb 21. But that’s down from the year before (19 million feb 2020). Instead there are loads more phone appointments (10 million vs 3 million previous year).

BUT there is huge variability from surgery to surgery. GP surgeries are independent businesses and have a lot of leeway in how they run themselves.

You should expect a telephone triage before getting an appointment now - that’s something that’s going to be with us forever. But you should expect a competent triage, and you should expect GPs to want to see you for a lot of things.

If you think your GP is not doing a good job then find your local CCG www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/other-services/Clinical%20Commissioning%20Group/LocationSearch/1 and put in a complaint about a specific incident. Copy it to your local Healthwatch.

My GP makes phone calls and will see people in an emergency. However you have to wait at least a week for even a phone call. What are they doing sitting at home all day? It really enrages me. I asked when normal service was going to be resumed , to be told ‘no plans and it will be a long time.’
I had to go in for a blood rest with the nurse last week. Two receptionists sitting chatting loudly about their cold sores and a patient with a mask under his chin sitting in the waiting area...

Our GPS have been seeing patients throughout. My family have all had face to face appointments if its been necessary. Sometimes it hasnt been. My toddler needed some cream for what I knew was impetigo so I was able to email a few pictures to our gp who sent a prescription to the pharmacy. I actually think in the long term theres some things they could just do that for, save appointments. Seems like some surgeries are choosing to do less....

• the wait to get through on the phone is because so many others are also ringing. Same as you can’t always have an appointment as soon as you want, because someone else already has it. GP’s have too many patients now. Higher population, greater medical need but each year there are less GP’s as many are leaving and less new doctors training for the job*

I'm not disputing any of that, my point was I'm not happy about the care for my relative. They are recovering from a stroke, endocarditis, a new heart valve, lung issue they do need to stress about running out of medicine or running the GP every week to try & speak to a GP. Im going to put a complaint in.

I miss the old days when you could book an appointment in advance for something non urgent. Now at our gp you have to call in the morning and someone calls you back, madness.

I have huge respect for the nhs and medical professionals in general but I feel really frustrated at the moment. I tried to get an appointment for dd. Waited 45 mins on phone to book an appointment- got given ‘the next available’ phone consultation in 3 weeks time! I know it’s something that the needs a physical consultation but apparently the system is triage by phone then invitation to physical consultation which I don’t mind in theory but how is a 3 week wait ‘triage’?

It's likely to create more of a two tier system, I think more will switch to private. A neighbour paid privately for an operation last yr as the NHS wait was too long but what about those that can't afford private?

As the wife of a GP who is starting work at 8am and not returning until 8pm often not stopping for breaks, I wish to say that certainly some GPs are doing their best! My Dh's surgery is running AskmyGP where you email for a consultation and they get back to you the same day. It can then be a video consultation, a phone consultation, you can send photographs and if they think that they need to see you they invite you to the surgery the same day. However they are reluctant to see people unless necessary because it puts the staff and surgery at risk as well as the patient themselves. The staff involved in seeing a patient have to have a full change of PPE for every patient they see and wipe down the whole area etc, so it is also quite time consuming and taking them away from dealing with other patients. I am sure that some surgeries are not working as well, but I have to put in a good word for the GPs I know.

Unfortunately GPs are only human as well. I know one who is doing his utmost to avoid seeing anyone face to face as he now has anxiety about it and is petrified of catching covid.

@piratepee

The gp was absolutely rotten when I went into her as well, she barely looked in my ear and was abrupt and stern. Told me next time to just go to a n e instead of wasting their time.

Why is her time more precious than those in A&E?

That was my question to the practise manager. She seen me emerge from the room with a face like thunder and honestly she couldn't have been nicer. I told her I wasnt going to waste a n e time and my own time when it was something that could be delt with by a gp. I was told to ring back the next day and speak to a different dr , who was just as disinterested and finally the 3rd time I rang I spoke to a lovely reg who got me sorted. The gps in my surgery are definitely work shy, they even refuse to set a time to ring and theyve even lied about ringing and not getting through , they continued this lie until I emailed and had to insist on seeing phone records proving that they had rang me. The gp soon backed down and admitted they never rang . It's a shambles.

Mine has been great. There’s an online consulting room where you post your problem/request a nurse appointment etc, then get a telephone appointment the same day or a text with a f2f appointment slot. Photos can be attached (my baby had a skin issue) and I got antibiotics prescribed over the phone which they sent directly to the pharmacy. I’ve also had several F2F appointment since May last year (although all for the children). You can still phone for appointments too. They seem to be keeping this system and I much prefer it.

I don’t know why it’s so inconsistent.

Our surgery won't see anyone.
Unless it's for a covid vaccination weekdays and again at the weekends. They love a bit of overtime 🙄 greedy, self serving asshats.
Despite not doing their job for normal time 🙄

Seems like many GP surgeries are prioritising covid vaccines (£££) and a skeleton service (if that) over responsible primary health care provision. Practices need to be held to account and we need to get much better at complaining.

It obviously varies enormously from practice to practice. We've had a few contacts with our surgery through covid.

Firstly an issue with DD where we phoned, were pointed to the online form, had a call back and she was seen in the practice the same day.

Secondly, DD again, filled in online form, had phone consultation which was very useful and no need to go in.

One massive cock-up over a prescription which was sorted promptly and efficiently.

Flu vaccines back in the autumn which was a well-oiled machine (gazebo in the carpark!).

Lots of phone calls about vaccination and coding on the system which was straightforward.

Covid vaccination which was also a well-oiled machine.

DD has underlying health conditions and I wonder if she's flagged on the system and is more likely to be seen. I need to contact them this week for myself so I'll see if the process is any different.

Oh, and we've had an a&e visit which I think might be the most straightforward/calm we've ever experienced!

Just talking to DH about this the other day. How many vulnerable patients are going to be missed because of not seeing their GP face to face.
I don't want to have a phone consultatation while at work. I'm sure many don't - there are things that I don't want to discuss over the phone. I worry that elderly patients will be reluctant to engage in this manner and avoid seeking treatment.

Totally agree with @Purplewithred
Service does vary massively.
Your GP practice has been instructed by the government/NHSE to do a telephone Triage first. This is National protocol and expected long-term. Why?
Unlike Aldi, hairdressers, schools your GP practice only sees sick people - and usually the elderly and clinically extremely vulnerable. So if F2F was the norm many more deaths would occur from the young man unvaccinated with an infected toe (unknowingly has Covid) passing it to the 86 yr old with cancer.

Lots of people are not getting tested when they have symptoms- we know this as we speak to them. Some even come up to the surgery declaring no symptoms and then in front of the GP they remember their High temp.

I know this happens in A&E, too.
I also know some GP practices are lazy and send patients to 111 after 4.30 when they are contracted to provide care until 6.30pm.

Your GP practice should be doing the following:
Blood tests for chronic disease and GP requested
F2F chronic disease reviews with nurses for highest risk pts (e.g. poorly controlled diabetes)
Smears
Coils
Implants
ECGs
Dressings

A medical report is private work,nit part of NHS work- pay the private doctor whilst we're busy delivering covid vaccines.

To the poster who said we're making money on providing the vaccune- oh how I laughed! Pharmacies make a wonderful profit. GP practices don't as we have to deliver Pfizer, too which is at a MASSIVE loss due to the 15 min wait time. We just about break even across the vaccine types.

Every practice must contractually provide digital method of contacting the practice with symptoms during opening hours. Go to their website, fill in the form and wait for contact. Anything red flagged gets call back same day. You don't need to be F2F with thrush or a water infection or sprained ankle. Totally unnecessary and a WANT rather than a NEED.

well, my experience is dentist deferring NHS appoinents (although recently fine to see privately) no problems seeing GP