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?

It amazes me how many people seem to know what’s happening in GP surgeries nationally, and that no one gets to see an actual GP. I know how my GP surgery is operating, as me and DH have used it a few times over lockdown. When you phone up, the recorded voice tells you the receptionist will triage the call initially to determine if you need a call back, urgent or non urgent face to face appointment.
I called on Thursday, receptionist booked my a non urgent appointment for 2 weeks time but also a next day call back with a specified hour time slot. GP phoned me next day at specified time, asked me to send in a couple of photos and within an hour I’d been referred to a dermatologist, appointment now made for June. He cancelled the face to face appointment.All very efficient use of mine and GPS time.
Everyone I know in my family who has used GPs in the past 12 months have been nothing but pleased with the service.

Ds was on the shielding list for his chest. He started having typical symptoms so I phoned the GP to get his chest listened to and meds prescribed as per his care plan.

GP agreed he needed seeing but decided it wasn’t safe for him to be seen at the practise so we had to go to A and E. not sure how that is any safer!

I think people who are mixing with multiple people with no social distancing all day every day and haven't been prioritised for the vaccine like doctors have feel a bit galled that not seeing people is to keep themselves safe.

In terms of wiping things down, at school we wipe down the toilets and high touch areas multiple times a day ourselves.

I think some of these excuses were acceptable at the beginning but a year later when most things are open and running (and lots of things never closed) it's not great.

It's totally fine at our local practice. I filled out an online form for a condition that my son has, it's not something that I can show the a photo and had an appt on Friday that needed up with a hospital referral.
A few weeks ago my other DS has a rash that I uploaded photos for, they called and we spoke and I was prescribed a cream for and was told give it two weeks if not better we can try something else. I was happy with this.
This not seeing patients is silly and very dangerous.

"At our practice it's a couple of specific nurses running the covid clinics. not gps"
ha ha, yes because you might only see nurses in the covid clinic means GP are not involved with the other jobs that also involves running the Covid vacination clinic ...

@Eyevorbig0ne - GP’s don’t get overtime and they aren’t sitting at home. Last week DH worked at his surgery Monday - Saturday from 8am and got home between 7-8pm.

Have to say
Yes 100 % agree with you on every point
It’s a disgrace

I have seen the doctor twice since covid, seen the nurse once and had my smear test and flu vaccine I actually get brought straight in no waiting times like there use to be.

There was no wait in A&E either when I had an allergic reaction either, quickest I have ever been seen.

Dentists on the otherhand where hell to get an appointment with, I had a horrific infection, with face swelling which eventually ruptured into an open abcess from March until October when I finally got seen.

A&E, 111 and GP wouldnt help due to it being dental and all the dental hospitals and dentists where closed in the lockdown and took ages to reopen with the new protocols - was utterly ridiculous and dangerous.

@Tistheseason17

Interesting that every practice must contractually provide a digital method of contacting the practice during working hours. Mine does not! It is telephone only and half the time the surgery plays a recorded message telling us that ‘all lines are busy; please hang up and try again later’. There’s nothing on the practice website - no email address, no econsult details, just the telephone number and a load of very out of date information about the staff working there. I downloaded the NHS app only to see that my surgery hasn’t opted in to allowing me to contact them via it.

I don’t know why the phone appointments can’t be given a time slot. Trying to catch the phone call when it could be any time is really hard. I’ve now started using the doctor care anywhere app for myself and my family where you book a video appointment at a specific time. Our surgery is open for smears and the nurse that did mine was so lovely that I cried because she actually asked me how I was and it really took me aback that she seemed interested in my health whereas the GPs I’ve battled to speak to over the phone over the past year have shown very little interest. The value of face to face appointments can’t be overlooked.

We have to initially email, then phone for telephone app if gp says it's necessary- I did this and got a telephone appointment for 12:30, the gp didn't call until 2:15 by which time I was at work and couldn't answer, I phoned back to be told there were no more telephone appointments on the system and I would need to start at the beginning again. The appointment is for my dc and reasonably urgent.

I take BP medication. Apparently I'm supposed to have annual check ups to make sure my heart, kidneys etc. are all functioning as they should. In fact, a few years ago they refused my repeat prescription when I didn't make my check up appointment within 3 months of being due as they said it was dangerous.

Haven't had a check up now since February 2019 and no-one seems in the least bit bothered!

I managed to get an appointment for a blood test with the phlebotomist - but obviously that has to be done face to face as even the most skilled nurse can't take blood over the phone.

My GP might be offering face to face appointments but the messaging is very much not to ask. Go to the website - there's a huge COVID pop up in red giving all sorts of pandemic advice. You have to click away from that, then the visible section of hte homepage is all about covid too. You then have to scroll down to the bottom of the page to see any other information about opening hours, clinics etc. If you phone, it's the same. You get a recorded COVID message which you have no option but to listen to before getting through to reception. When you finally get to the surgery, the door is taped off with that black and yellow hazard tape, the surgery is locked, you have to buzz to be let in.

All of those elements are giving patients a DO NOT BOTHER US message which many are choosing to follow.

I sort of feel like a lot of people are going into medicine/becoming GPs because it's a respected profession, but they actually...don't like people?! I am rarely, if ever, physically examined or even made eye contact with by a GP. They prefer to click through the decision tree on their computer to diagnose, like you're picking out optional extras on an IKEA kitchen. So bizarre. Being a GP is going to be 90% asthma/ear infections/drug reviews, so surely all the more reason to be intellectually curious when an unusual case pops up?!

Agree with you, OP. Exactly the same here. Although I had a surprise when I went for my Covid jab. There was my GP, jabbing away. Hello, says I, long time no see. He asked how I was (on-going medical condition) and we had a chat there. Perhaps I'll get a follow up consultation when I go for my next jab (on a Saturday again, so on his weekend pay rate....)

Contractually obliged from 1.4.21 do contact your CCG. This is not acceptable.
If your practice is not providing minimum it should be addressed.

Having the same issues here. Getting pretty frustrated now - I don’t really understand why they are still operating this way. I work in maternity and we have had to open up to partners even, yet GPs still seem to be running under these emergency measures.

A couple of weeks ago I did an e consult and got a text 48 hours later saying a doctor would triage and contact me and not to contact them. 8 days later I eventually called because no one had contacted me - there’s a big long answering machine message saying not to call them and to use the e consult instead, and not to call if you haven’t had a response. Good job I did as it had been missed.

I did eventually get a call but things have now worsened and I need to speak to a doctor again. Can’t complete the e consult as if I state my pain level honestly, the e consult ends and says you need to be seen urgently. So you have to lie, which may affect how they view the consultation. It’s not abnormal for me to have severe pain and doesn’t mean I need to go to A&E but I do need to speak to a doctor!

It’s frustrating that you can’t book a routine appointment in advance even if it’s a telephone one - scrapping over same day phone calls with people who really need to be seen / spoken to right then is just so inefficient.

@MalteserGeezee

I sort of feel like a lot of people are going into medicine/becoming GPs because it's a respected profession, but they actually...don't like people?! I am rarely, if ever, physically examined or even made eye contact with by a GP. They prefer to click through the decision tree on their computer to diagnose, like you're picking out optional extras on an IKEA kitchen. So bizarre. Being a GP is going to be 90% asthma/ear infections/drug reviews, so surely all the more reason to be intellectually curious when an unusual case pops up?!

Totally agree. Or they print stuff off the internet and give it to you instead of talking to you. I hate that. They seem to have lost their ability to diagnose from professional expertise . It’s either refer on, print stuff off the internet or shove a drug at you without having read your case notes or asking many questions. As for an approach that may involve changing lifestyle or looking at non drug therapies, forget it.

There's a lot of patients who are saying "My GP has not been seeing patients during lockdown" when what they actually mean to say is "My GP has not deemed it necessary to see me after triage in a face to face appointment".

And all those who are saying it's blanket form that phone triage is here to stay - it isn't. It will still be surgery / patient dependent.

Our surgery have been amazing and open throughout - they have seen face to face patients, done referrals, done bloods, done asthma checks and done mental health / homelessness annual screenings and smear tests. Yet if you read our local social media you have Mrs Dobbins being told she doesn't need a face to face appointment after a phone and video consult shouting to everyone who will listen that they are closed.

People rarely post about positive experiences when they have them do they?

I always contact my GP via the website and had had my referrals to a consultant that way. Ask My GP.
I always keep the emails short and to the point.
I was rather annoyed, I asked for a referral to mental health because I was having hallucinations again with occasional psychosis. It was a new referral as I've moved here from another part of the country.
Normally that's a fast track situation but when I finally had a consultation after 6 months and the MH team were horrified it had taken so long as I have quite a history, am mainly stable but need to be seen quick if I have a relapse, it turned out the GP had put on the referral "marital troubles with ex husband". I didn't even say that, my email was quite clear it was psychosis and hallucinations and the usual procedure.
i know they are busy but if i make one single mistake on any of my referrals (I am a medical professional) I get flamed by the GPs.

Great that your surgery has been wonderful. Mine hasn’t and many others haven’t.

People shouldn’t be made to feel bad for questioning and complaining about substandard care. I am “lucky” that for most of DS conditions I am now in a position where I can manage them and even say to the dr over the phone I think he needs x,y and z. But sometimes he needs seeing and to refuse to see a vulnerable child but deem A and E safe is completely non sensicle.

for some medical issues a phone call is better, easier to end the call

@igotdemons

I’ve seen my GP face to face a couple of times this year. Completely useless though as all my symptoms just get dismissed! My surgery’s ANP’s are much better IMO. I’m now seeking treatment privately because I’m just not getting anywhere.

Yesterday I received a letter from my surgery, enclosed were two “Steroid Emergency Cards” to support early recognition and treatment of adrenal crisis in adults, which the letter advised me I need to carry one me in case of medical emergency. Erm, I have psoriasis so I use a steroid gel but I’m not at risk of going into adrenal crisis if I don’t use it.. what a shambles! 🙄🤦🏻‍♀️

The NHS is a great institution but sometimes I just don’t understand how they can get things so wrong sometimes.

Wow

I am at risk of adrenal crisis as my adrenal glands don't work and I've never been given a steroid card. I've had to download and print my own 😂😂

@Tistheseason17

Thanks for this info.

YANBU GP’s seem to think they’re special and different . I find it hard to believe that magically they are all vulnerable but the nurses aren’t. Ive seen my dentist and even had a root canal which is pretty invasive

We are moving house soon, not far but it’s a good opportunity for me to switch nurseries. My current one is lame, they are idle at the best of times and the pandemic has allowed them to justify being even more idle. One question for potential new surgeries are do they bother to see people face to face. An interesting question in the face of the government previously talking about more choice for patients. Being blunt but l pay for the NHS (people like to say it’s free but it’s not) and l should have choice. I would be open to opting out, paying less NI and paying the difference to go private. Currently l am paying private for some required procedures, NHS had said they weren’t necessary but they are