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.

Nor here.

www.univadis.co.uk/viewarticle/uk-doctors-are-generally-left-wing-and-liberal-survey-finds-619560

I had a telephone appointment with my GP the other day, 9.15pm he rang me!!! I felt so sorry for him, they are massively over worked at the minute and I'd sooner keep the doors closed to protect the GPs we have left than have even more of them off sick with stress.

This doesn’t say they vote Conservative.

Look at the data and the voting rather than the values. Most doctors at all levels self describe as having liberal values but that doesn't translate into party votes at the decision making levels. Its not that surprising - high earning professionals and business owners as a whole tend to vote Tory, like most affluent middle class voters. They may be pissed off about Brexit but historically that is how voting has gone.

Even at its inception the model planned for the NHS was bastardised at the behest of Consultants and GP practice owners of the more affluent practices with private practices to protect.

Incidentally I'm not saying how doctors should vote, it just interests me that in practice over the last four decades the actual voting practice has skewed in that direction.

I have been trying to book my DD's preschool jabs for three weeks now. I've rung every day, at least once a day, and never got through. It's infuriating.

Sounds like the funding model needs to change. I believe that GP surgeries get paid "per patient". So they get the same money regardless of how often (if at all) they see/speak to a patient. How about the funding is changed to "per appointment" - that way they'll get paid according to how many patients they see/speak to., which would give them a financial incentive to offer more appointments. They're hardly likely to put on more clinics, take on more staff, etc if they get paid the same, are they?

My GP won't book appointments in advance anymore. So it's an 8.30 free for all that coincides with the school run. I had the joy of having to yell on the playground about my smear test and menstrual issues, to justify trying to see the GP who had asked me to book an appointment. And lets not get started on the backlogs, the smear was meant to be fast tracked on a 2 week pathway, but took over a month and I was a lucky one.

Throughout lockdown I started to suffer with bad Earache, Throat pain and pain in my Jaw. I contacted my GP surgery who diagnosed without even seeing me that it was a virus, and to take Paracetamol for it, which I had already tried, but the problem still would not go away. They then advised me to see an emergency dentist, but there were no Dental surgeries open due to lockdown. I was in so much pain that a few days later I rang the out of hours service, who prescribed Antibiotics without seeing me, but they gave me the Number of the Emergency duty dentist, who I visited a few days later. She removed a wisdom tooth from my lower jaw, causing further pain and swelling that took almost 4 weeks to heal, but the Earache, Jaw pain, and throat problems remained, and I could only swallow soft food and fluids. My daughter also noticed that my voice had changed somewhat, and speech was difficult for me due to the amount of swelling in my mouth that also included the right side of my Tongue. She rang the Doctors on my Behalf, and spoke to a paramedic who was on duty there. Again more Antibiotics, but only a low strength 250mg 5 day course, I normally get 500mg for 7 days due to being diabetic. Still no improvement, so DD rang the surgery again and put in a formal complaint to the Practice Manager, with all the dates, times, history, and a copy to be forwarded to PALS outlining my plight. I was finally given a face to face GP appointment with my own Doctor, only to turn up on the day, to be seen by a Nurse Practitioner, who again tried to tell me that I was suffering from a virus, and Back to the Paracetamol plenty of fluids and this time mouthwash regime!
When I refused to move unless l was seen by the GP, and that my case was now a matter for Pals, who had already been informed of my plight, she immediately offered to refere me to the Ear Nose and Throat specialist department at my local Hospital under the 14 day urgent referal scheme.
I now have an Appointment for next week, almost 7 months since the first symptoms of this Problem started. My Daughter is taking me to the Appointment, I do feel rather scared of the outcome, I have deteriorated physically over the last few months, tasks and pleasures around the home that I once enjoyed have now become a chore that I struggle to complete, and I'm starting to need paid help to get by with the day to day chores to keep the place decent.

"Sounds like the funding model needs to change. I believe that GP surgeries get paid "per patient". So they get the same money regardless of how often (if at all) they see/speak to a patient. How about the funding is changed to "per appointment" - that way they'll get paid according to how many patients they see/speak to"

Agree with the need to change funding model, but this solution might cause an unintended effect of them fobbing patients off in 5 mins rather than the 10.

But where is the evidence that they vote like that? If they are left leaning or liberal why will they vote Conservative?

@Mossymossy

"Sounds like the funding model needs to change. I believe that GP surgeries get paid "per patient". So they get the same money regardless of how often (if at all) they see/speak to a patient. How about the funding is changed to "per appointment" - that way they'll get paid according to how many patients they see/speak to"

Agree with the need to change funding model, but this solution might cause an unintended effect of them fobbing patients off in 5 mins rather than the 10.

If GPs are funded per patient then it would also be in their interest to make appts 5 mins, because then you see twice as many patients.

Fitting a patient into 10mins and all the admin surrounding said patient is hard enough anyway.

My gp surgery is open for business, but unfortunately, due to a shortage of gp's anything non urgent has to wait. They are 3 doctors short. Last year, one went on maternity leave, one died if Covid and one is still off due to long Covid. They've tried their best to get replacements but at present the 3 that are left are drowning in work. I saw my gp yesterday, she looked ill!

But where is the evidence that they vote like that? If they are left leaning or liberal why will they vote Conservative?

Some of its in the raw data under that study, some of it from long term voting trends showing a pattern consistent with other high paid professionals and business owners.

Plenty of liberals (small L) vote Conservative. In some respects in recent years individual civil liberties have had a louder voice from the libertarians on the right than the those on the left.

And whilst the NHS was opposed by some doctors that was 70 years ago.

I think times have moved on since then. I live in Sheffield Hallam, highest proportion of professionals and graduates outside London. Loads of doctors live here. Probably the majority in Sheffield. And it was a Labour hold at the last election and at the local elections.

I grew up round here before moving away. It turned from Tory in the 80’s to Lib Dem. and then to Labour in 2017.Huge amount doctors, lecturers, solicitors. Massive fuck off house worth 2ikn with Vote Labour outside.

I think doctors were Conservative, but have shifted.

Don't forget also that that study was in the wake of Brexit which was overwhelmingly opposed by doctors. It doesn't reflect historic patterns.

I think doctors were Conservative, but have shifted

I think there has been some shift but mostly at the junior levels and in the wake of Brexit. The Brexit effect may wane. I'll believe its persisting as doctors move up the rankings when I see it.

The lead partner in my practice is on the local Conservative committee, at least one of the others works with him on campaigns and the regional hospital which dominates in their constituency and employs thousands of health professionals and allied is a rock solid safe Tory seat - I swear they could stand up a three legged donkey with a blue rosette.

As a remainer lefty I've always found it interesting.

There’s 5 doctors on my road, 2 are consultants. They voted Labour. DD’s friend’s dad is a consultant he voted Labour.

Living in a tourist area our GPS had to take on so many European patients friends surgery went from 7k to 12k they've all gone now. I do wonder how long before that filters down. Our hotels restaurants cannot get them back

I wish GPs would stop being busy doing triage screening on the phone/email, leave covid vaccinations to other suitably qualified staff or volunteers, put on appropriate PPE (like A&E staff/dentists do) and use the time saved to see their patients who want to be seen.
Current situation is protecting a small number of GPs and massively increasing clinical risk and risk of infection for enormous numbers of patients crowding into understaffed A&E departments.

If someone chooses to lie, then they're free to do that. People need to take responsibility for themselves

You do know that fear and denial will result in people filling in forms incorrectly not just lying? And then there are the people who are less literate who don't understand the nuances of the (often byzantine) forms. The people for whom English is not the mother tongue. Those in coercive /abusive situations whose forms are controlled. Those who have nowhere to make or take a private phone call or have the kit and skills to do online forms and calls.

These are the people who are mostly losing out with lack of f2f appointments. They same people who already lose out health wise a great deal of the time - the weak, the poor and the vulnerable.

The other issue is that although GP’s may see a child face to face, a lot of them have no idea how to manage normal childhood illnesses. I work in paediatrics on an acute ward and we get referrals from GP’s throughout the day to see patients and they end up being with us for a hour or so, then are discharged home. They didn’t need to even be in hospital in the first place, if only the GP’s were able to reassure and manage these illnesses.
Also, GP’s referring children to hospital to be seen further feeds the anxieties of parents that their child is seriously unwell when in reality this isn’t the case in majority of cases.

Of course there will always be a small percentage who are actually seriously unwell, and do need to be in hospital.

We would rather see any child who is unwell even if it is to just reassure and discharge however it doesn’t lead to a good patient experience if parents have to trek to the GP, then to the nearest hospital all to be told something that the GP could have told them.

We are super busy at the minute, I have never known such a full ward all the time during the summer months. It will only get worse and this is where GPs need to have their service available and be able to actually make an assessment of a child’s condition because for every bed taken up by a ‘well’ (doesn’t need to be in hospital) child another child needs that bed who is seriously unwell.

Tbf our GP has been seeing patients all the way through. In some ways the current service is better. No making appointments, sitting in a crowded waiting room for a medication review. Tick boxes online, GP phones if needed and then sees you if necessary. It used to be a complete pain trying to make an appointment within the month, wait 45 minutes in the waiting room for the GP to ask pretty perfunctory questions to then action another 6 months of prescriptions. I hope that such services stay in place when things get back to "more normal"

@3rdwave

I wish GPs would stop being busy doing triage screening on the phone/email, leave covid vaccinations to other suitably qualified staff or volunteers, put on appropriate PPE (like A&E staff/dentists do) and use the time saved to see their patients who want to be seen. Current situation is protecting a small number of GPs and massively increasing clinical risk and risk of infection for enormous numbers of patients crowding into understaffed A&E departments.

Our gps have no choice they have to jab in Wales

My GP has been open throughout for young children - DS has been seen every time I’ve called apart from once when it was clearly his eczema and that could be assessed by a picture. I cannot fault the service we’ve received, theyve taken no chances with his health at all and I’m saddened that other people haven’t had this experience

There’s 5 doctors on my road, 2 are consultants. They voted Labour. DD’s friend’s dad is a consultant he voted Labour.

The doctors and other medics in my family mostly vote left. They all are surrounded by colleagues who tell them they are mad due to taxation (personal and business - both affect senior levels). As NotPersephone says - once they have serious skin in the game voting patterns change even if the liberal values don't.