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 our docs. They are still seeing patients in person, you can book appointments in advance and on the day as well as booking telephone appointments.

I've been seen in person at the GP after a phone consultation (breast exam, they can't really do that over the phone!). I think they should stick with primarily phone consultations if that's enough to resolve most things but start seeing patients more especially if they need to do physical checks like blood pressure monitoring. DD has eczema and the treatment has been entirely based on photos taken on my phone and my descriptions, maybe after a while they should see her in person?

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 😂😂

@JamesAnderson That just proves my point then, it’s madness! 🤦🏻‍♀️

I agree op and I work in a GPs surgery. They seem to be quite content taking phone calls and seeing very few patients but I find it very inconvenient that I cant call my own surgery and book an appointment in advance for a non urgent issue and instead just let it be and suffer on.

Our GP surgery is awful. You can only telephone in the day, but, if you do get through reception says you will need a telephone triage, OK, that's fine, put me down for that. Sorry all phone triage are full today, try again tomorrow. But it is urgent you say, please take my details, Reception says, oh everyone says that, try again tomorrow. DH ended up blue lighted to hospital and admitted.

Young adult family member has Crohns. Repeated issues with swelling and water retention over the last year but unable to see a GP despite multiple requests.
Escalated alarmingly a few weeks ago and they begged for a face to face appointment but was refused and instead prescribed antibiotics over the phone. Rang 111 after 48 hours of no improvement but was told to go back to GP.
Taken to A&E by frantic parent that evening and initially triaging HCP suggested taking painkillers and speaking to GP in the morning.

Youngster stated they wouldn't leave until someone had at least examined them. Got a reluctant agreement to do so and undressed- suddenly the tone changed.
They've just been discharged after spending 11 nights in hospital. Kidneys were on the point of failure due to malabsorption of nutrients because of the Crohns.
Admitting doctor has told them in no uncertain terms to make a formal complaint, both about the GP practice and the HCP they saw in A&E.

It's terrifying how many people have been and continue to be in this situation.

I've recently changed my own GP because the previous one was so inaccessible. The new one has so far been fab.

@FauxFoxFun

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?

No.

No capacity for online. It's just says 'we have reached our capacity' whenever I try.

No appointments after finally getting through on the phone.

I'd be very happy with triage. I'm not getting that far

GPs have been behind the enormous success of the over 50 vaccination programme. I understand many practices won’t be doing as much ongoing and letting community places pick up (local pharmacies and big hubs), which should hopefully start unlocking the practices.

I used to live in a city and had brilliant access to a GP’s surgery. I could always get an appointment. Now moved to a small town a few miles away and I can’t believe how poor the service is from my new GP. During Covid it has been impossible to get an appointment. I can fill in an online form and get a call back but that is it.

Luckily my needs haven’t been urgent but, had they been, I would have no problem with writing to my MP, the Practice manager and the press about the appalling service being provided.

I truly think everyone who has had an unsatisfactory experience ‘due to Covid restrictions’ should contact their MP, Practice manager and the press. This way, those surgeries which aren’t stepping up and doing their job will be called out and those GPS doing above and beyond are left alone.

It’s disgraceful. Dentists, hairdressers, retail staff , delivery staff, refuse collection teams, hairdressers, teachers, and most of the rest of the country have been, or are back at, work throughout this. They are more at risk as gp’s will have had their vaccines but can’t be arsed to get back to work. There’s no way that they are just dealing with Covid crises’ elsewhere as we all know that’s total bollocks. It’s shameful. I’d be so embarrassed being a gp right now. Everything is moving online. E consults and phone calls, send in a picture of your bump/bruise/lump/dog bite and we might call you back. Don’t turn up cos we will send you away. Don’t phone because we train every morning until 9.30
And close for training at lunch between 12 and 2.30. What the ACTUAL FUCK are they doing? Taking ages to send out repeat prescriptions, not referring anyone for anything. I say this unfortunately as someone with disabilities and chronic severe illnesses that cause me distress pain and depression when left to deal with a wall of resistance when I need help. Doctors at surgeries should be fucking ashamed of themselves. What exactly are they doing? Reception staff are Rottweiler gatekeepers. You have to answer a million questions and then reception staff WHO ARE NOT DOCTORS decide if you are worthy of a phone call. The only thing GP stands for is GETTING PAID. for NOTHING.

I found that having a degree in bioscience and ease of use of the internet that I can frame requests to the doctor via e-consult to get the service that I require. In fact, it's far better than the old system I can get relevant scans, tests, and medication almost at will and because I'm retired and have the nous. How others manage to navigate this threshold though is beyond me.
It can't be long before we have Robo doctors as the first port of call.

I was wondering this as well, I expect they will take some of the good bits from Lockdown surgeries e.g econsult for things that can wait and gradually increase in person appts. Just like anyone WFH at the moment, the return to work isn’t going to be exactly the same situation as it was e.g. probably more of a flexible approach and so they will have to work out going forward. Yesterday, my DD had a UTI, at 4pm I called the surgery, by 5pm I’d taken a sample to them and a GP had called me back with a prescription mailed to our pharmacy, which had it ready when I arrived. We live on the outskirts of a city. I was extremely grateful for that and told them so, however in normal times, if there wasn’t an appt left (not likely at 4pm) then that wouldn’t have happened as all GP’s would have been busy in surgery.

To be fair, some of the changes they have made work for me - I love EConsult and you get a response same or next day. My GP will see you in person too if needed.

The nurses though 😤 No I don’t want to buy my own blood pressure machine just to prove to you that my blood pressure is fine because you’re withholding my prescription, which the doctor was happy for me to have, thank you very much! Did finally manage to get one of them to see me (and lo and behold the blood pressure was fine) but it was a complete waste of everyone’s time.

Even in “absolute lockdown” I was seen, socially distanced but in the surgery.

Perhaps the reception staff don’t think you’re condition is “bad enough” yet 🙄

Our doctors surgery understandably stopped booking in appointments in person at the start of lockdown. Then you were only allowed in the surgery if you had an appointment. They have now stopped answering the phone altogether.

Appointments have to be made online, but getting an appointment for an ongoing or immediate issue is nigh on impossible. It is also one of our local vaccination centres. But despite over 45s being eligible now, They have not even started this age group and have no intention of doing so anytime soon.

I’m starting to think they’ve shut shop!!

Our walk in centre is so busy now as it’s the only way patients can be seen.

My GP Surgery is really bad now. They were always bad before covid to try and get an appointment or speak to someone but now I'm not sure what they're all doing in the building! My friend had her baby in February and her health visitor said if she hadn't been called for her 6 week check up she had to call them, so she did and they said they're not doing 6 week check ups anymore so she asked to see someone anyway because her baby had some issues and she was feeling low in mood and they said she would have to go to A&E instead.

I've been trying to get a GP appointment for months now since Christmas when I broke my jaw. My Dr at hospital sent my GP a letter asking to see me every 3 weeks for a few months to make sure my jaw was healing properly and the receptionists told me the GPs will not be dictated to and they wouldn't see me. When I called the hospital the doctor called my GP Surgery and said a doctor had to see me and they still refused saying I wasn't priority.
I don't know who they're actually seeing! I haven't heard of a single person I know seeing an actual doctor since lockdown started. No phone appointments or virtual, I've never even been able to speak to a nurse. It's open, people who work there go in and out but no one seems to get through the receptionists!

I’m with you, @Saker. My GP practice (North Herts) has been fabulous.
Their eConsult service, whilst very detailed, is brilliant. I will get an immediate message telling me that they have received my form, another message a few hours later telling me the name of the GP it’s been referred to and the time that they will try to telephone me. From start to finish- 48 hours.
I feel very fortunate after reading so many atrocious accounts. I ALWAYS tell my GP how appreciative I am.

@FauxFoxFun

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?

There at some who are undoubtedly like Mrs Dobbins, but there are some who are as people are saying.

My surgery has been great. It’s actually a better system now than their previous system.

DH’s surgery is basically closed. Trying to even get to the point of triage is virtually impossible. Literally the only way to get any contact with them has been to go through 111, who then seem to be able to do something to make them call. Even then it was a “well we have no appointments so...” when dealing with something that ended up going untreated so long that a hospital stay and ambulance ended up being required.

Forgot to add if you do request a callback, half the time this doesn’t happen and you have to start all over again.

Quarantining a letter for 72 hours is absolutely ludicrous. I haven’t needed to use our GP so don’t really know what they’re doing but have heard from friends/family working in A&E and the ambulance service that they’re becoming deluged with things that in normal times would and should have been dealt with by GPs so it certainly seems that many practices have not got their act together to provide an effective service for their patients.

Yanbu our surgery has been closed to face to face appointments for months (there is a table blocking the doors in case you try and enter) and if you are lucky enough to be deemed worthy of seeing someone in person after ringing repeatedly at 8am and then waiting hours for a call back you have to go to their partner surgery in the next town, which isn't helpful if you can't drive. Midwife appointments are in a third town even further away.

There must be so many people who are put off and don't bother trying to get through to the surgery or give up after their hundredth phone call and end up severely ill

I feel the same about our NHS dental practice. They still aren't doing checkups. I have had two emergency appointments but at neither of those would the dentist also carry out anything routine. By comparison, my sister has an NHS dentist and has had two checkups since the end of the first lockdown. Since I was a child it's been drummed in to go to the dentist regularly, they can pick up things not teeth-related, etc, etc. It's almost two years now since I had a proper appointment with my dentist (I usually only need to go annually).

@tilder

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.

1/ GP's no longer need to be at the forefront of vaccination delivery..... 2/ Vaccination centres should be doing all the vaccinating...NOT GP's surgeries.....(but of course if they're being paid extra for vaccinating they will want to hold on to the responsibility...£££££ in their pockets.) 3/ Needy patients are being failed by the "Gatekeeper receptionist system" . Reception staff are NOT trained to triage patients. As a nurse myself I find it offensive to have to explain to an untrained receptionist when I need to see a GP.....and very concerned for those less able to stand up for themselves. Someone should start a petition so that this topic comes to the forefront and Government have to debate this and review the guidelines.

Our healthcare system will end up like the US if we're not careful. Many genuine patients and conditions are being missed due to the online consults and people are already dying as a result of GP's negligence.

For the conditions I have, the new way of working seems a great improvement. I have had to contact the Dr twice during covid. I have done this by sending an email through the portal clearly noting the symptoms, my concerns and what I think the problem may be. I am wfh and have also clearly noted the slots when I can take a call.

The first was acute pain radiating through my buttock and down my left leg. I was contlcerned because 5 years ago I fractured badly my L1 and the top of the vertebrae tips onto the wall of the spinal canal and I have been told that any acute change needs immediate investigation. I was also working from a dining room chair at the time. The Dr called me within 30 minutes and before 9am. Felt it was simple sciatica and neuropathic pain. Prescribed amitryptiline and I got my office chair delivered to home. Perfect - and the amitryptiline helps me sleep.

The second time and stress related is an outbreak of eczema, not responding to 0.5% hydrocortisone. I noted it clearly in an email. Within 24 hours Dr sent a text to say betnovate at pharmacy and hope it's better soon.

During this period dd has had her implant removed, been referred for a tvs and has had some tests re her ibs. All arranged very efficiently through the portal and by email.

Pre covid dealing with any of the above would have taken hours on the phone and weeks waiting for an appointment to achieve the same end. I much prefer this way but caveat that with the fact that I can summarise clearly, etc.

Compare and contrast to dd's mh adhd department at the local mh Trust. Appointments are by phone and for the first there was a window from 9am to 7pm - 10 hours! Additionally dd was expected to weigh herself and take her own blood pressure. She missed the first call twice and panicked so I phoned the clinic to get a message saying it was closed (no information on the website) and to phone the main switchboard. The main switchboard took a message and called a wfh administrator to call me back which they did and explained they were wfh and their phones couldn't be switched. They did get a msg to the mh nurse who phoned back.

Let's bear in mind that dd has previously self harmed by cutting, Over dosing and withholding food so it seems bizarre to me she is now in charge of monitoring her own weight. We have a BP machine but as there was a suggestion to visit the pharmacy for it I fail to understand why it is less safe for the adhd unit to be open than it for the pharmacy.

When I interrogated the website I found some recorded information given by a voice overlaid with pop music. If an mh specialist can tell me how something so chaotically delivered to the neurodivergent can possible be sensible I'd be grateful. The Trust itself provided excuse after excuse and when pressed could only deal with the matter through a formal PALS complaint. It strikes me that a boot up the bum would be more effective.

Our gp has been very good, telephone appointments then seen at a local gp hub if deemed necessary, no problems at all.

Yet on our local nextdoor app people have been moaning away! Yet I've had no problems seeing a gp on the same day, nor have others I know.