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.

If you're feeling bad with something online whilst you're smuggled up in bed is preferable to getting dressed struggling to surgery sitting in waiting room generously sharing your bug IMO

Mine opened their doors again last week. Back to normal. They were also excellent during all the lockdowns, no problem seeing one if necessary.

@Bellasblankexpression

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

Same with my grandkids they've been so good

My friends in the nhs from consultants down to gps nurses all vote labour

@RedToothBrush I just wanted to let you know I agree with every word of your post. You have summed up the whole situation perfectly.

For ours, they have the receptionist screening all patients, and they have zero interpersonal skills. I called to see if I could get an appointment for my DD who had hurt her arm (turned out she’d dislocated it) and they said “we can’t give you an appointment. You have to go to A&E and go soon because if you leave it too long she’ll get disfigured”. I gave up trying and took her to a private paediatrician instead who relocated (?) it, referred her to an orthopedist and it was all fine.

I find that if you get past the horrific receptionist, our GPs are really lovely and helpful and more than happy to do appointments.

The NHS has done a fantastic job through the pandemic at hospitals, GP's however have been shoddy.

I must have a medical for work purposes, my surgery has refused to book an appointment for this despite my telling the receptionist that I need a in date medical to work. no medical = no work = no money.

Due to my location the approved doctor for the optional medical needed is almost a 250 mile round trip, he is only available 1 day a week and is booked for 2 months.

In my view given that almost 60% of people are vaccined GP surgery's should now be operating as usual, Dentists are operating for check upsets so what makes a doctor so special

Midwives too please. In my area, the midwives aren’t allowed to come to your house, but the health visitors are. Unbelievably stupid, when midwives look after you when you’re at your most physically vulnerable and leaving the house is a genuine challenge. Whereas by the time you’re onto the health visitors, you’re more sorted. The antenatal and postnatal care is a shambles.

Our GP surgery has been open throughout covid with F2F access if required. They have been amazing.
Dh is a GP at a different practice and has been seeing patients F2F as well. He works 13 hour days, 5 days a week. He's had 5 days off since March 2020 and was held a knife point for his medical bag a few months ago. He earns £60K before tax. He's leaving being general practice to go into higher education in September as he's had enough.

@Absy

For ours, they have the receptionist screening all patients, and they have zero interpersonal skills. I called to see if I could get an appointment for my DD who had hurt her arm (turned out she’d dislocated it) and they said “we can’t give you an appointment. You have to go to A&E and go soon because if you leave it too long she’ll get disfigured”. I gave up trying and took her to a private paediatrician instead who relocated (?) it, referred her to an orthopedist and it was all fine.

I find that if you get past the horrific receptionist, our GPs are really lovely and helpful and more than happy to do appointments.

If you believe that then insist on receptionist name tell them you will be taking this up the food chain GP, practice manager, health board

@C8H10N4O2

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.

CHOOSES to lie. Not coerced into lying. Not misunderstanding. Not computer illiterate. Not those with poor reading/writing skills. It was in respoce to someone saying they could have lies if they wanted to, presumable because they've assumed that GPs are able to lie detect when f2f.

@peachgreen 😳. I had 4 missed calls and a letter to book my ds in for his injections , called today and have an appointment on Tuesday .
It really is dependent on where you live the services being offered !

@dreamingbohemian

But *@sparemonitor* funding has gone down for every GP, correct? So why do some have practices have online appointment systems and some do not?

It's clear from reading all the problems people are having that a huge amount of the frustration and complaints has to do with actually getting through to the GPs, being able to set up appointments. So addressing this major issue would go a long way toward reducing that. I don't see this as a patient want instead of a need, it's about managing demand effectively.

So if everyone has funding cuts, is it just personal preference that some GPs do online appointments and some don't?

Different practices have different pressurss. For example I work in an area that is notorious for crime and we find it very difficult to recruit GPs. Leafy rural areas have differing challenges.

@narkyspirit

The NHS has done a fantastic job through the pandemic at hospitals, GP's however have been shoddy.

I must have a medical for work purposes, my surgery has refused to book an appointment for this despite my telling the receptionist that I need a in date medical to work. no medical = no work = no money.

Due to my location the approved doctor for the optional medical needed is almost a 250 mile round trip, he is only available 1 day a week and is booked for 2 months.

In my view given that almost 60% of people are vaccined GP surgery's should now be operating as usual, Dentists are operating for check upsets so what makes a doctor so special

Work medicals are not an NHS service so your GP can choose to offer it privately or decline and you find a private GP or occupational health dr to do it

@Enwi

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.

Ear infections usually resolve in 48 to 72 hours without antibiotics. We only need to see kids who are drowsy or have a very high temp eg over 40.

It was in respoce to someone saying they could have lies if they wanted to, presumable because they've assumed that GPs are able to lie detect when f2f

I was interpreting "choosing" in a less directed way than you - choices are not always free.

Oh I'd never assume that doctors of any stripe have decent communication skills - variability is huge. However there is not even an opportunity to assess the patient's situation when they are filling in a form in another building rather than sat there with the doctor in privacy and both sides able to adjust questions and answers appropriately.

@MapleMay11

every GP bashing post like this pushes another GP towards leaving the profession.

Maybe they need to take accountability and consider why people are unhappy with the service they are providing. Primary care is largely shambolic in the UK and needs a complete overhaul.

Maybe the politicians of all colours who have systematically defunded the NHS over the last 20 years need to take that accountability.

I do agree with your point about an 'official' opening or standard across the board as reading this thread it seems like a postcode lottery.

My GP is open and has been for ages, we still do telephone triage but I have taken my baby in several times and also been a couple of times myself when a face to face has been required. So i'm very surprised to read this isn't the case across the board.

I can see why people would get frustrated and start using services like A&E if they feel it's their only choice. Perhaps the areas where the high numbers of people presenting to A&E are, should look to the care available in the community as it may be that that's the cause.

But @sparemonitor my very accessible GP is not in a 'leafy rural area' we're in inner SE London. Another GP down the road, drawing on the same community, is impossible to get through to. According to the NHS website they have similar patient numbers.

It's not right that my GP offers online appointments and e consult and has helpful receptionists and another one just down the road is nearly impossible to get through to. This is why people are upset, there is no obvious reason for it.

@dreamingbohemian

But *@sparemonitor* my very accessible GP is not in a 'leafy rural area' we're in inner SE London. Another GP down the road, drawing on the same community, is impossible to get through to. According to the NHS website they have similar patient numbers.

It's not right that my GP offers online appointments and e consult and has helpful receptionists and another one just down the road is nearly impossible to get through to. This is why people are upset, there is no obvious reason for it.

various possibilities:

1. other GP cannot recruit for some reason and yours can. that could be due to issues such as variation in funding (it can vary by a surprising amount between 2 practices in the same area), not having such a nice building to work in, parking is harder etc. It's also a vicious cycle that an underdoctored practice will get the reputation as a difficult place to work and find it harder to recruit.

2. variation in area - for example we look after four large nursing homes which are a massive amount of work well out of proportion for the funding we get. I know a practice less than a mile away that has no nursing homes in its area.

3. the worse practice has been harder hit by covid and still has staff off sick which they can't replace

4. the GPs at the worse practice are lazy and can't be bothered.

I am not denying that there are a small number of practices where (4) applies. but 1-3 are much more common.

What we need is our patients to be better educated as to what we can help with. The days of just asking for an appointment with no triage have long gone and they're not coming back.

On a daily basis we get people saying:

They've cut their finger and need to see a doctor. No, you need minor injuries.

Had a sore throat for the past 24 hours and need to see a doctor. No, you need to go to a pharmacy for OTC remedies and to monitor. Come back if it persists past the recommended times.

Got a bad knee/shoulder/leg/arm. Pain relief requests are fine but GPs cannot cure these, referral to appropriate services can be done online by the patient without GP involvement.

I am proud that the surgery I work at has been seeing patients who need it face to face throughout the pandemic and we are doing now able to continue routine appointments such as healthchecks, bloods, spirometry etc.

GPs are open, they always have been. They are still providing care: it’s just that they won’t see you in person if the risk is higher of covid transmission than it is of you not being seen.

The amount of people on this thread who seem to be saying that GPs, who work ridiculous hours with ridiculous workloads and chronic underfunding, are being deliberately cruel and choosing to leave deserving patients to writhe in agony…it’s staggering. Why would that be your first assumption as to why services aren’t running smoothly?? “Oh there’s a pandemic on and the NHS hasn’t had any money in years but things are crap because doctors are mean”?

Someone upthread is complaining that they didn’t get a face to face appointment for a UTI - why would one need to see a GP in person for that? A telephone appointment and distanced collection/drop-off of samples is perfectly appropriate if the person can make it to the surgery! It might not be CONVENIENT, but convenience is hardly the priority when there’s a pandemic on.

NB: not a GP or HCP, just really disappointed and appalled at people’s willingness to blame hard working individuals for systemic problems.

Seriously though if a GP cannot take constructive criticism such as the need to resolve appointments issues and the reception staff are gatekeepers to the degree that they leave the profession i don't particularly want them treating me I have a long term health condition many doctors realise I'm my own medical expert and if I say I need a blood test something is wrong they book it in some like to argue the toss with me "why" do I "feel" i need a blood test im not due yet "why" do i "feel" that a blood test will "help me" im fucking needle phobic if im requesting a blood test I need one I never EVER want one 🤣 personally I don't care about online appointments I just need a TIME not "today" or "within 48 hours" I write my notes and reel them off its simple just give me a time

Oh thanks @sparemonitor that's really interesting!
That actually explains a lot pre-covid as well. Thanks for laying all that out.

@Screenburn

GPs are open, they always have been. They are still providing care: it’s just that they won’t see you in person if the risk is higher of covid transmission than it is of you not being seen.

The amount of people on this thread who seem to be saying that GPs, who work ridiculous hours with ridiculous workloads and chronic underfunding, are being deliberately cruel and choosing to leave deserving patients to writhe in agony…it’s staggering. Why would that be your first assumption as to why services aren’t running smoothly?? “Oh there’s a pandemic on and the NHS hasn’t had any money in years but things are crap because doctors are mean”?

Someone upthread is complaining that they didn’t get a face to face appointment for a UTI - why would one need to see a GP in person for that? A telephone appointment and distanced collection/drop-off of samples is perfectly appropriate if the person can make it to the surgery! It might not be CONVENIENT, but convenience is hardly the priority when there’s a pandemic on.

NB: not a GP or HCP, just really disappointed and appalled at people’s willingness to blame hard working individuals for systemic problems.

The pandemic has been around for over a year time to adapt clunky emergency procedures for streamlined services time slots for phone calls common sense for testing uti etc drop boxes two boxes by the entrance one in one out some doctors doing calls all day others in person etc