To be absolutely fed up with GP surgery

[Feckfeckfeck123]

Dh rang GP surgery this morning for DS at 8am (we have to ring between 8 and 9am). He managed to get through at 8.15, which is a rarity, only to he told there are no appointments left. The -dragon- receptionist claimed even the emergency appointments they allocate for at the end of surgery had been taken. DH explained to her that DS in in alot of discomfort as it hurts him when he wees, I had a look last night the head of his willy also looks swollen. Receptionist told him dismissively there is nothing she can do and to ring the next day or take DS to A&E. I mean, fgs. Like our local A&E isn't already drowning with patients with non-serious, easily treatable ailments. And with a crawling, teething baby I really do not want to be sat there for 3 hours.

DS is 11 and being assessed for ASD. He told me he has been in pain for a few days but it didn't occur to him to tell me earlier, only when he couldn't take it anymore. He was in tears this morning. If it's a urine infection like I suspect I know how painful they can be.

What the hell do I do? I imagine tomorrow will be the same, DH was lucky to even get through at 8.15 as it's always so busy. I did ring later on myself and ask to speak to a doctor or nurse for advice. But apparentiy that is the same as an appointment. They are STILL doing phone consulations and only face to face if absolutely necessary. I thought most, if not all, medical staff had heen vaccinated by now so why haven't the guidelines changed.

I'm so pissed off right now, sorry for the rambling. I can't be the only one with such shit service from their GP surgery? Any advice appreciated.

@ladyfidgetandherhandbag covid isn't the only illness around. You can't sweep the board and say no-one else is allowed in just in case they bring covid and give it to someone. Surgeries have a duty of care to everyone.

ring 111.

Meanwhile sit DS in warm bath and encourage him to wee while sitting in the warm water.

Im sorry your child is in such pain. Personally, Id go to A&E and tell them the surgery had no appointments available. Noone should be left to suffer in pain. The only other thing might be to phone GP near the end of the day, and tell them your child really cannot take the pain anymore. Im just thinking you may be able to get a cancellation, or, if people have not turned up for appointments, you might get one.

Try your pharmacy? When I took my child to the pharmacy for advice they advised it wasn’t something they could help with but what they did was contact the surgery and a dr phoned us back within minutes and arranged a prescription to be sent. Worth a try.

I don't know what's going on but getting a GP appointment is harder and harder.

I needed a standard medication review (they wouldn't reissue my prescription until I'd had one!) so phoned up. The first day I finally got through after 25 minutes in queue- no appointments. Next day after 30 minutes, I finally got an answer to be told all appointments for that day were gone and I'd need to call tomorrow.

I politely insisted I wasn't playing phone lottery on a daily basis and that they could take one of three choices

a) Arrange for doctor to prescribe without a medication review
b) Give me an appointment in the next 2 weeks
c) Not prescribe, let me end up in hospital for a week or so and then deal with the inevitable follow up care that would be required plus the complaint I'd be making about their negligence - never mind the flack they'd probably get from the consultant.

She still resisted so I said that since they appeared to be going with option C, I'd start drafting my complaint as once I was in hospital, I'd not be well enough for a few days to manage it.

Result - transferred to surgery manager who magically found me a telephone appointment a few days later. Why on earth all appointments have to be allocated on the day or not at all escapes me.

Don't get me started on the telephone appointment I got offered for my last smear test

Sympathies OP. Similarly shit support from our GP services over the last 12 months.

Really hope 111 can get him an appointment sorted soon, poor thing.

Oh god I'm sosorry I went off on a totally personal rant.

I think you'll need to either take you DS to A&E or find a walk in centre. Urine infections are utterly miserable especially in children and its so wrong they are resisting seeing him :(

It shouldn't be like this. Covid seems to have become a catch all for poor service :(

I hate the way GP surgeryies make you feel like you're asking for the earth when you want a same day appointment.

It's almost like "Really? you want to be seen today? well I can't help you if you couldn't get through this morning despite ringing constantly while trying to get yourself and your kids ready for work/school you'll just have to keep trying daily until you get through. No matter if your infection takes hold or your abscess bursts or your unexplained bleeding becomes a torrent before then. That's your fault, that is"

Not. good. enough.

Poor boy, he needs seeing by someone urgently, it sounds like an infection under his foreskin which left untreated can lead to inability to wee

Whilst you’re waiting a salty warm bath may help him to wee but get him seen ASAP

I was bleeding during early pregnancy and couldn’t get passed the GP receptionist who told me to go to A&E during a Covid peak. I telephoned the hospital and spoke to an excellent nurse who said use the ‘ask NHS’ app. It asks you a range of questions and if the outcome is ‘clinical opinion needed’ then it logs a call for your GP to call you back that day circumnavigating the receptionist. It’s brilliant. I’ve used it a few times now and told friends about it.

It's simply not good enough IMO, children shouldn't be left in pain without being seen ffs.

Let us know how you get on with the 111 referral to UC, OP.

If it's a bit red at the end it sounds like Balonitis.

Doesn't warrant a&e but needs a same day doctors appointment. Could you try 111 out of hours when surgery closes? Likely they will prescribe something over the phone.

Sorry just seen you've called 111 - that'll teach me!

Not sure why a poster would recommend the pharmacy in this circumstance,there isn't much they can do to help other than advice and give you some paracetamol to help with the pain. He needs to be seen to check if it us a uti needing antibiotics or something else. In the mean time plenty of water and some paracetamol for the pain. Hope he gets soon quickly x

@LadyFidgetAndHerHandbag

I know how frustrating it is not being able to see a GP but they're still closed for a reason. Not to protect themselves but to protect their patients - if a non-symptomatic person goes in they have the potential to infect a lot of people and that's a real risk for people who are elderly, have long term health problems or an underlying condition.

That being said your son should be seen by a medical professional. I would ring 111 and see what they advise and if necessary go to a walk-in centre or the ED. Can one of you or your husband take him to be seen and the other stay with your other child/ren?

There’s absolutely no reason for a GP surgery to be closed. The OP’s child has a minor illness that needs medical attention which should be given by their GP. The receptionist shouldn’t be telling the parents of a poorly child there’s no appointments and to try again tomorrow, a doctor or a nurse practitioner should be doing telephone triage at least.

I hope your son is soon sorted @Feckfeckfeck123

There is no reason at all for the GP to not be seeing patients. My eldest has a history of low weight and I logged an electronic query last year, at the height of covid, when I realised he’d dropped off the chart. I expected a phone call and a referral to a paediatrician if they were concerned, which I didn’t then expect to actually happen for a long time, due to covid. What I got was a phone call and an immediate in person appointment with the GP. My GP has never stopped seeing patients face to face if they’ve felt it necessary, and when I’ve logged non urgent electronic queries with them through the whole covid period I’ve had a phone call back the same day. It sounds like the OP’s surgery simply has too many patients and not enough doctors and is using covid as an excuse.

@Sceptre86 - What I meant was some pharmacists have a good working relationship with the GP surgery. My Neighbour's LO was ill, receptionist said that there were no appointments. She went to speak to the pharmacist who phoned the surgery on her behalf and the surgery offered a same day appointment.

@Sceptre86

Not sure why a poster would recommend the pharmacy in this circumstance,there isn't much they can do to help other than advice and give you some paracetamol to help with the pain. He needs to be seen to check if it us a uti needing antibiotics or something else. In the mean time plenty of water and some paracetamol for the pain. Hope he gets soon quickly x

If you’re referring to me, it’s because the pharmacist contacted my drs surgery and then the dr called me back within minutes as it was a concern they could not help with. Maybe the original poster’s local pharmacy also has an arrangement in place like mine does.

My area has a GP extended service. Has yours got anything similar?

northantsgpalliance.com/services-we-offer/gp-extended-hours/

Sounds like balanitis and needs antibiotics to me, so definitely needs seeing as an urgent patient.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/balanitis/

We are waiting in Urgent Care now and it's not as busy as I imagined. 1 to 2 hour wait. Caught up with the messages, it's terrible that so many people have had to deal with such poor healthcare during Covid. It's unacceptable and heads should roll for all the missed medical problems, including cancers. My youngest is 6 months and had his 6 to 8 week check the other day. It's appalling. He's currently all over the floor and other than putting him in a straitjacket to restrain him there's not alot I can do. So if we all catch covid I'll know why.

DS is slowly sipping from his water bottle as they will need a sample. He hates public toilets (suspected OCD). Could have avoided this of course had we been given a GP appointment.

@fib11235

I was bleeding during early pregnancy and couldn’t get passed the GP receptionist who told me to go to A&E during a Covid peak. I telephoned the hospital and spoke to an excellent nurse who said use the ‘ask NHS’ app. It asks you a range of questions and if the outcome is ‘clinical opinion needed’ then it logs a call for your GP to call you back that day circumnavigating the receptionist. It’s brilliant. I’ve used it a few times now and told friends about it.

Every time on one of these threads someone will recommend something like this or econsult. And every time I get my hopes up, only to find out my GP surgery isn’t signed up to any of it

If there are no appointments then there are no appointments. I know that doesn’t help you, but the gp can’t magic time out of their arse either.

@cottonwoolbrain

I don't know what's going on but getting a GP appointment is harder and harder.

I needed a standard medication review (they wouldn't reissue my prescription until I'd had one!) so phoned up. The first day I finally got through after 25 minutes in queue- no appointments. Next day after 30 minutes, I finally got an answer to be told all appointments for that day were gone and I'd need to call tomorrow.

I politely insisted I wasn't playing phone lottery on a daily basis and that they could take one of three choices

a) Arrange for doctor to prescribe without a medication review
b) Give me an appointment in the next 2 weeks
c) Not prescribe, let me end up in hospital for a week or so and then deal with the inevitable follow up care that would be required plus the complaint I'd be making about their negligence - never mind the flack they'd probably get from the consultant.

She still resisted so I said that since they appeared to be going with option C, I'd start drafting my complaint as once I was in hospital, I'd not be well enough for a few days to manage it.

Result - transferred to surgery manager who magically found me a telephone appointment a few days later. Why on earth all appointments have to be allocated on the day or not at all escapes me.

Don't get me started on the telephone appointment I got offered for my last smear test

You got offered a telephone appointment for a SMEAR TEST?!?!?!

@Feckfeckfeck123

We are waiting in Urgent Care now and it's not as busy as I imagined. 1 to 2 hour wait. Caught up with the messages, it's terrible that so many people have had to deal with such poor healthcare during Covid. It's unacceptable and heads should roll for all the missed medical problems, including cancers. My youngest is 6 months and had his 6 to 8 week check the other day. It's appalling. He's currently all over the floor and other than putting him in a straitjacket to restrain him there's not alot I can do. So if we all catch covid I'll know why.

DS is slowly sipping from his water bottle as they will need a sample. He hates public toilets (suspected OCD). Could have avoided this of course had we been given a GP appointment.

Any update? How is he doing?