To think gps need to unlock the doors/open properly

[Nousernameforme]

Theres an article on the bbc about childrens a&e being overwhelmed by visits that aren't needed. Aibu to think that these people would have taken their children to the gp had they been able to? I know that they say a lot of them wouldn't have needed to see a gp but the viruses right now are horrible, probably due to everyones immune system being protected for a year, so it's harder to tell what needs help and what will get better on it's own.
My youngest has just got over the most awful virus which if it had not turned a corner when it did I would have got him medical assistance and if I can't get it from a gp I would have had to take him to a&e.

Our gp surgery is locked up the phone lines are only for those who have no internet and if you do get through all they do is put a request through on the ask my gp thing. I or members of my family have tried to see the dr for about 9 things this past year and got in once. 4 times we were prescribed antibiotics having not seen a dr.
Can we not have an official unlocking of the gp surgerys now please.

@confused1974

So to the GPs on this thread. It must be abundantly clear that the majority of taxpayers (you know, those people who pay your salary for your very part time hours and who finance your studies) are totally fed up with your attitude.

Luckily as I said thanks to Babylon etc there will be fewer of you milking the system. I wonder what you will do then. Find a job where you need to work normal hours and can't refuse to see your clients (patients) par chance?

Imagine having to work 10 hours a day and you having to contribute to your own pension. Wow I want to see that day...

Have you not read the thread? I ask this because you dont seem to want to engage in a useful debate. You seem to be sticking to your 'all GPs are shit and lazy' POV, which is fine, but this thread has highlighted other issues that you dont seem to want to engage in. You sound so bitter. Im sorry that whatevers happened to you has happened to make you like this.

@confused1974 - my DH is a GP - very much full time. Went to the surgery at 7.30 am yesterday and got home at 8pm.
Has seen patients every day but is leaving the NHS as a GP as we are moving out of the U.K.. The other GP’s in the practice are locums who are returning to their own country. There aren’t any GP’s to take over the practice so it will close (along with many others) and all the patients will have to find a new surgery.

@Letsallscreamatthesistene I've read the entire thread and all the heart breaking stories. There's obviously good and bad but bad should be a minority instead if I start counting the bad experiences outnumber the good ones.

I am bitter because it really shouldn't be like this in a civilised country where we pay so much taxes. But you do protest too much too. What's your problem? Why don't you go back to your surgery now and say "ok let's increase the slots for people to be seen online?" No, I am sure you won't.

So that's it. I need to work now ...

"What precisely do you expect GPs to do about the fact that there aren't enough of us to meet demand?"

Not hide behind unreachable calls, rude receptionists and find excuses about demand. Your demand is less because you have ceased seeing people who need genuine help. Handful of c19s in my area, anyway the advise is not to come into surgery with symptoms, so why aren't you bloody seeing people with other problems?

Completely agree! I’m a childminder and have had so many of the children come down with really nasty colds recently, but a lot of them developed into ear or chest infections and ended up needing antibiotics. If I suspected my own daughter’s might have an ear infection and couldn't get through the the GP you can bet I’d be in A&E too.

It seems to vary a lot around the country but I agree with the sentiment. Much as I would like the option of a phone consultation to remain, to save on travel for some, and because doctors appointments are so short they inevitably run late- at least if I am at home I can be making a cup of tea or reading or not just sat waiting.

Hmm. I can't get an appointment for a blood test for my annual Diabetes check. Every time I phone (and it has to be by phone with a 20 min wait each time), I get told that there are no appointments, so to call back when the next month is on their system.

I also have to do most of the checks myself (BP, weight etc.)

You could ask the Health Secretary to intervene, but he has other things on his mind, no doubt.

I do an admin job in a back office of a gp surgery and can see both sides, it's really frustrating and yes the majority of staff are double vaccinated, but we could still catch Covid and have to isolate, if one or two gp's caught it and 3/4 receptionists then the whole practice would close - just staying open in some form is a massive task at the moment and so so important

@newnortherner111

🤣 yes, I suspect he’s a tad distracted today.

@NotPersephone

To be honest anyone who voted Tory is now enjoying the rewards of their vote - unless rich enough to have private healthcare.

With all due respect, that’s bollocks. It was Blair who destroyed the doctor/patient relationship with the GP contract that ripped up continuity of care and led to a massive imbalance between patients needs and GP’s rights not to bother meeting them.

If we're going "back in time" to excuse the last decade, I'll point out the Tories voted AGAINST the NHS in the first place when Labour proposed it. You know, back in the 1950s.

I’m a junior doctor training to be a GP. I’ve worked both in hospital on a covid ward and in a practice in the last 12 months. I found being in the practice busier than in hospital even working in hospital during the second wave. Unfortunately there is a huge postcode lottery when it comes to access to primary care services and I’m sorry that patients are suffering. I don’t have answers but the problem is complex and the pandemic has compounded issues that already existed. Demand has outstripped supply even before the pandemic. The practice where I work offer both phone and econsult triage. These are screened by a GP to determine the most appropriate action. Every person will hear back within 48 hours about their request with either a call or face to face on the day if needed or an appointment within 2 weeks- time depending on how clinically urgent it is so some within 72 hours, some one week and some two weeks. We are busy- we do not have enough appointments to go around but we also do not have the physical space let alone the time to see anymore patients than we do. Is the system ideal- absolutely not. It doesn’t work for everybody but no system will. Im not saying that all practices are good- far from it, each has its own system, some better than others. The one where I am a patient leaves a lot to be desired sometimes but many GPs (yes not all) are working hard under incredible pressure. Yesterday I started work at 7.30 (my actual start time is 8) and left the practice at 18.30 (my scheduled finish time is 17). When I got home I logged on for another 1 and half to do my admin so read my letters, do referrals etc that I didn’t get to during the day because I was seeing patients- mostly face to face. As I’m a trainee I’m also protected from many of the pressures but it still spills over. Asking us to work more hours wont help- many are already working above their contracted hours as it is. As I said, I don’t have the answers, it is a huge mess but has been even pre-pandemic but saying we are all lazy and hiding away isn’t true.

[quote confused1974]@Letsallscreamatthesistene I've read the entire thread and all the heart breaking stories. There's obviously good and bad but bad should be a minority instead if I start counting the bad experiences outnumber the good ones.

I am bitter because it really shouldn't be like this in a civilised country where we pay so much taxes. But you do protest too much too. What's your problem? Why don't you go back to your surgery now and say "ok let's increase the slots for people to be seen online?" No, I am sure you won't.

So that's it. I need to work now ...
[/quote]
Why wont I go back and propose to increase appointment slots to be seen online? Because theres no funding for the extra staff that we would need to cover those extra appointments. Funding was covered at the start of the thread.

Are people complaining if they feel they have had poor treatment? The cases really need reviewing by a clinician to judge whether appropriate or not. Sometimes people feel that treatment is inadequate but it’s actually clinically appropriate, sometimes you can’t have the ‘ideal’ treatment that you would like, and sometimes there are very valid and worrying poor practices going on.

I have to agree that there are some really nasty bugs going round now.

I am half convinced I have the flu atm. I have so far taken 3 days off and still feel horrendous!

My 100 year old grandparent (who lives independently) phoned their GP to inform them that they felt unwell. They were advised to get a family member to check their BP.

Family member was only available the following day, they checked BP which was very low so immediately phoned the GP, told the receptionist the BP and was told to await a call back. The GP phoned back at 16.00 to say the BP was dangerously low and Grandparent should immediately be taken to A and E.

38 hours after the first call, in which time grandparent could feasibly have passed away.

The system does not work.

As a working parent, I'm unable to access my GP at all as it involves a call at 8am (which usually involves a one hour plus wait on the phone) when I am getting the children ready for school and then to be available all day at any time the GP might phone me to receive a phone call.

Ours is open and limiting the large waiting room to 4 at a time. They have a red/green traffic light at the door so you know if you have to wait outside.

And all this labour/ torys blah blah is bullshit.

There are some absolutely fantastic GPs around me. My partner is with one which will fit you in that afternoon, always pick up the phone, do their utmost. And then there is the one I am unfortunately with. Never picks up the phone, never has an appointment unless its for 3/4 weeks away and doesnt seem like they give to flying fucks about anything.

Thats nought to do with Boris, Blair or whoever. Its literally to do with the people working in those practices.

If all of you gps are busy now, yet much much fewer patients are allowed to visit, and no c19 patients allowed either, How is it so busy then? Is it the queuing system that has been altered? if yes please Call some operations management /schedule optimisation people.

To be honest anyone who voted Tory is now enjoying the rewards of their vote - unless rich enough to have private healthcare

That would be most GP partners and senior doctors then. When voting intentions are surveyed amongst doctors there is consistently a majority Conservative amongst the decision making levels in medicine, even where people self describe as having liberal values. You have to move down to the junior levels to see different patterns.

GPs are running the vaccination programmes also. Can’t be in two places at once. Government needs to fund more time, though it might be impossible even then to find GPs to fill that time. However it must start with proper funding to meet demands of primary care patients health needs and the national vaccination programme.

My GP surgery is crap. Can only book appointments by phone but only rung after 10am. Ring at 10, took 40 attempts before I got through ( all while trying to do my job).
Given a telephone appointment the next day - no checking if that’s ok? I too have a busy job in the public sector.
GPs aren’t the only busy people and they get paid far more than I do. I find the arrogance of Drs pretty annoying.
Had a 2 minute phone consultation the following day to review my HRT , only interested in renewing my current prescription rather than checking if it’s still suitable

I’m not sure doctors do vote Conservative

Do you have evidence?

I do think that people often go to the GP more than they need to. When I moved, I took a gift and card to my GP, and was queuing at the reception desk to hand it over, when my GP came in to the waiting room, so I spoke to him and thanked him for the times he'd taken on my foster children with no question, as well as being responsible for the needs of us and our own four children. His reply was "That's alright, Mrs 81, I've seen you and all your children much less often than I see most people with 2.4 children".

I obviously did take the children to the GP if they needed it, But childhood illnesses such as chickenpox or Rubella? No. Why would I when I knew they may endanger other patients, and the advice would be Calpol and Calamine Lotion. Colds, D&V, etc., don't need a doctor, just fluids etc.. Ear infections, child obviously seriously ill, coughing and struggling to breathe, extremely high temperature and rash, contact the doctor.

This doesn’t say they vote Conservative.

discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10053627/1/Devakumar_The%20political%20views%20of%20doctors%20in%20the%20United%20Kingdom.pdf