Another one unable to access a GP!

[NonsensicalHair]

I know there's been other threads on this topic recently, so just venting! Am frustrated with latest attempt to get a GP appointment. Filled in on online form requesting an appointment (of course you can't make them over the phone these days, let alone in person). It's for a possible eye infection so really just needed a prescription for antibiotic eye drops that I've had before. Received a text back saying I need to go to an optician, please follow this link for a list of participating opticians. The link works, but the list of opticians is blank.

Phone the surgery and am told she (the receptionist) will try to contact the GP and ask for, I don't know, maybe the list to be given to me in a different way. Obviously I asked if it was at all possible to actually speak to someone, but no.

Anyway, off to ring some opticians to see if they deal with minor eye conditions service.

I call that privatisation by the back door if they are sending you to an optician for an eye infection. I did know you can buy the drops directly from the chemist which might even be cheaper than a prescription but if you have to go to the optician for a consultation is this free or is there a payment incurred?
Having said that I have just had a very good experience with my doctor, managed to speak to them really quickly on phoning up and got the meds I needed straight away.

Chloramphenicol antibiotic eye drops have been available OTC for years now. You just go to the pharmacy and ask. Probably cheaper than a prescription as well (if you pay normal rate for prescriptions of course).

@GlutenFreeGingerCake - the Specsavers woman didn't mention a charge, so will ask the optician when they phone me. Heartening to hear you had a successful encounter with your GP!

If it's a straightforward eye infection for which antibiotic eye drops are required, just go the pharmacy; they sell them over the counter.

I call that privatisation by the back door if they are sending you to an optician for an eye infection

You won't pay an appointment fee, they see you as an NHS patient, exactly as your GP would.

Here is some more information about the service for anyone interested:

primaryeyecare.co.uk/services/minor-eye-conditions-service/

Well that's fine but will it stay that way? Or in a couple of years go the way of dentists where it is now really difficult to get an NHS dentist and even then there is a charge unless you are entitled to free treatment.

Our local GP doesn't tend to prescribe chloramphenicol eye drops any more as they don't really speed things up. Bacterial Conjunctivitis usually goes away by itself within about 5 days.

You won't pay an appointment fee, they see you as an NHS patient, exactly as your GP would.

Most NHS patients pay for eye tests. I know many people that don't go to the opticians because they're scared of how much it will cost, even the cost of the eye test is too much if you're on a limited income. If this is supposed to be the norm, then the fact that it exists, and that there is no charge, needs to be better publicised.

You can buy antibiotic eye drops over the counter from a pharmacy.

Our local GP doesn't tend to prescribe chloramphenicol eye drops any more as they don't really speed things up. Bacterial Conjunctivitis usually goes away by itself within about 5 days.

The problem with this is that we're expecting people to diagnose themselves, isn't that what a primary care provider (gp) does?

If we expect people to triage and diagnose themselves you end up in scenarios where people ignore medical issues because they have no training and assume its nothing (and get shamed online for wanting to talk to a Dr about it) and then they end up blind because it turns out they were that 0.1% of patient who had a rare eye condition?

Sorry op, I'm sure you're not going blind, just making a point.

Booked a GP appointment (online) this morning for tomorrow morning, can’t complain in my case. Second time I’ve done it in covid-19 times and it’s been very simple. Bf also registered with GP recently and it’s been seamless.

YABU. Go to the optician or a pharmacy. You don't need a GP appointment for this. No wonder it's difficult to get an appointment if people go to the GP with minor eye infections

Well done Egon that is amazing! You will be most unpopular. I am visiting therapist and you have inspired me to start doing this too

@movintothecountry isn't that what a primary care provider (gp) does?

Primary care is more than just GPs. I agree with a previous poster that there needs to much more publicity about this. There has been a lot of work recently at add other roles to the primary care armoury. Roles such as physiotherapy, dieticians, social prescribing, health and wellbeing coaches as well as the primary eye care service.

Most NHS patients pay for eye tests

But if you have an eye infection you won't be going for an eye test, you'll be going for a triage appointment which don't have a fee. It's an NHS service, unlike eye tests.

I had no clue you could go to the opticians with an eye infection for treatment.

Certainly no clue they'd see you for free! If they prescribe meds is it at normal prescription charge? Or do they tell you what you need and you go back and ask GP for it?

Sorry to hear you had that experience
I had a sore gungy eye
Did an online thing including uploading photo
Got a call back from a nurse same day who sent an electronic prescription over for ointment straight to the pharmacy

Not sure if makes a difference but it was pretty bad and v red even slightly scabby oh the bottom lid (I was on roaccutane which I’m convinced was what led to it)

Update: The optician rang and was very pleasant. He said he would leave a prescription for me at the front desk and I could just take it too Boots over the road. Great, I thought.

Collected prescription only to find it was a private prescription and as I get free prescriptions due to low income, this wasn't a lot of use (there were two items). Added to which, when I went into Boots, they said they didn't deal with such things anyway and they were always telling Specsavers this, but Specsavers still kept sending people over. I would have to find an independent chemist. I couldn't go searching today even if I wanted to as I have an illness that limits energy.

Rang the GP surgery and they said the only thing they could suggest is to bring it to their pharmacy and "they would see" if they could change it to NHS.

So what was the point of signposting me to the optician? They didn't warn me that any prescription wouldn't be NHS. Had they done so I would've saved my energy and made another attempt at an appointment.

I'll now have to book another online appointment but take care not to mention what it's for in the hopes that they do actually call me, when I'll have the chance to explain. I don't relish the prospect of using (wasting) more of their time but there we are.

Just to clarify: another appointment so that what I need can be on an NHS prescription.

Also, according to Specsavers, they don't do prescriptions on the NHS.

Tbh I’ve never known eye things to be paid for by the NHS anyway unless it’s at the level of needing surgery/seeing a hospital ophthalmologist. I’d have presumed you were going to have to pay for the prescription going to a private optician (they’re all private unless it’s at hospital).

Even on an incredibly low income (8k per year) I wasn’t entitled to free optician visits or medication for eye infections, is that a new thing? I know you could be eligible for free work if you were in receipt of certain benefits but not solely for having a low income. Might have changed though since I went through it around 2013.

@ChangePart1 - sorry I didn't make it clear - I'm on ESA which is a means tested benefit, this means my prescriptions are free as long as I stay on it.