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.

I just can't work out why people find it so hard to understand that there is a fucking mountain of seriously unwell people who have been waiting for ever for health care. In the meantime, GPs are patching and managing. They have been absolute rocks , in my opinion. We hear in the news that doctors' early retirement has trebled. They are facing the third year of a pandemic. And there was a shortage of GPs to start with.

What is it that is so hard to work out???

I don’t think anyone is disputing that GPs are really busy, I get that but what doesn’t help is the ridiculous systems they have in place to get an appointment. If you work or have school runs to do in the morning you can forget. The only people who have time to ring ( it took me 40 redials late week to get through) are the retired and the unemployed.

The last time that I had a sinus infection as needed antibiotics i used Lloyds pharmacy online service. Had a GP call me within half an hour of registering and had antibiotics ready to collect the next day. Cost me £30 in all but no stress or inconvenience

It's so obvious to me that some of these debates are about warming up the NHS to (continued) privatisation. And I'm sorry to say that many of the biggest complainers will have the most to lose, if that happens.

Say, 30-odd years x £30k = just shy of £1 million per GP.

I am not an actuary, but those are the figures DH’s IFA quotes to him on a self employed pension pot of £1.4 million.

I've been really supportive of our GP practise through all this as they seemed to be doing their best.

However, they have a system whereby the Dr can only do a certain amount of call backs per day - which in some ways is understandable, but today was the 9th day in a row (excluding Saturday and Sunday) that I tried to get a call back appointment because I've found a lump in my breast. Every time i've explained to the receptionist why I need an appointment and been told to call tomorrow.

If I don't get anywhere on Monday I'm going to have to go down and kick up a fuss.

I can't even complain to the practise manager because she's on maternity leave and no-one is replying to emails.

I don’t think this is a new problem. I know it’s good to be safe but if you ring 111 or call the gp for any issues, especially temperatures and rashes in toddlers and babies they are quick to send you straight to hospital. Happened to us twice and both times we didn’t actually need any treatment - hand foot and mouth and chicken pox, which for some reason a gp couldn’t diagnose

@OverByYer I agree, I don’t understand that system either. I work part time so sometimes I’m ‘lucky’ and can ring them, but on a work day I have no hope as I start work at 7.30 and finish at half 5.

They have been running them as businesses for a few years now, rather than for the good of their patients. This just fell into their laps. Like dentists.

@NotPersephone

We hear in the news that doctors' early retirement has trebled.

I think you’ll find that’s more to do with taxation of their pension than anything else. I’m also sure the same would happen in any other profession where the pension was so astonishingly good that early retirement became affordable. It is t, for most people.

DH has not retired now, is on the “old” scheme and will get a little short of 50% of his salary for life from age 65. His current NHS salary is £130k. Yes it’s slightly less generous for new joiners, but it’s not rocket science to see where the money is going.

It’s not slightly less generous it’s much less generous and is no longer a final salary scheme. The contribution rates have shot up. I presumed it was the same as other public sector but teachers and civil servants both still have a better pension scheme. It’s not rocket science that if you want someone with the responsibility and training of a doctor then you need to pay them in line with that. The pension is part of their salary package and there are no bonuses or private health care etc which you’d get else where. It would be nice for the tax payer to pay them minimum wage but totally unrealistic

I work in a Gp surgery as a practice nurse and we have never closed, have been open all the way through this pandemic. I know some have,but don't think the media help matters.

@sparemonitor

We are open. I've seen patients face to face every working day of the pandemic. We have also been underfunded for the last 20 years and the gap between supply and demand is showing. Blame successive governments for year on year real terms funding cuts, because every GP bashing post like this pushes another GP towards leaving the profession.

me too. And we are not protecting OURSELVES by limiting the numbers in the waiting room we are protecting the person who cant have the jab or their Grandparents or the kid with immune deficiency. FFS we have 10x as many phone calls / month that 18 months ago. TEN TIMES and what sector can possible provide a 10 fold increase in access with no extra funding ?

@NotPersephone

We hear in the news that doctors' early retirement has trebled.

I think you’ll find that’s more to do with taxation of their pension than anything else. I’m also sure the same would happen in any other profession where the pension was so astonishingly good that early retirement became affordable. It is t, for most people.

DH has not retired now, is on the “old” scheme and will get a little short of 50% of his salary for life from age 65. His current NHS salary is £130k. Yes it’s slightly less generous for new joiners, but it’s not rocket science to see where the money is going.

A bit more being about twice as generous as the current scheme once you factor in the payments on the new scheme being almost twice as much.

@Beanybob your experience is very typical of how mine have been. We are like a 3rd world country being almost beaten with sticks to dare ask for a gp by moronic receptionists. It's like I haven't actually paid x%of my income to sustain these receptionist *rseholes and just asking it as a favour.

@notanotherusernameidea most people aren't idiots and they don't put themselves through the demeaning process of calling the receptionist 75 times just for sniffles. What GPs, NHS need to understand is that there's a problem and it needs to be solved. And how about some compassion and manners training for the receptionists?

@JustLyra

I've been really supportive of our GP practise through all this as they seemed to be doing their best.

However, they have a system whereby the Dr can only do a certain amount of call backs per day - which in some ways is understandable, but today was the 9th day in a row (excluding Saturday and Sunday) that I tried to get a call back appointment because I've found a lump in my breast. Every time i've explained to the receptionist why I need an appointment and been told to call tomorrow.

If I don't get anywhere on Monday I'm going to have to go down and kick up a fuss.

I can't even complain to the practise manager because she's on maternity leave and no-one is replying to emails.

As a GP I agree that is poor. If someone said to one of our receptionists they they had a breast lump and there were no appts left the receptionist would tell one of us and we'd fit you in.

As a GP I agree that is poor. If someone said to one of our receptionists they they had a breast lump and there were no appts left the receptionist would tell one of us and we'd fit you in.

I’ve told them every time as well, and explained that I’ve called so many times. Today I even explained that I’m so concerned because of a family history of it (my maternal grandmother, her sister and her mother both had breast cancer, all under under 45. If my mother had as well then I’d have had genetic screening, but my mother died of drug and alcohol related issues young).

I’m very much against the demonisation of receptionists, but the one on the phones this week will kill someone one day, I’m convinced of it.

Seriously don't understand the mentality of posters who say - well my gp has been open all the way through, like they can't actually get to grips with the fact the other people's experience has been diabolical? Are these people telling lies? Does the fact that your gp is wonderful offset all the shit ones? Does underfunding and cut services mean we can't complain, and just have to stoically put up with services that we pay for not being available to us?
Do any posters on here spare a thought for the elderly, the frail, the vulnerable, the people on benefits who never have credit of their phone to phone a gp? This service is being denied to those people and it's a disgrace.
I can't understand how this isn't being discussed on every news programme and newspaper, but people seem to just shrug their shoulders and think we should be grateful

I caught BBC lunchtime news by mistake and they were plugging their too many little kids at A&E story.

I was quite worried by this article. There are always posts on here from people who are too scared to rock up at a&e. We probably tick the box of ‘fever attendance at A&e.

My 1yo was hitting over 41 with Calpol and v distressed. 111 sent me straight down and we were seen immediately and straight up to the ward and they were concerned at how high my little one was spiking despite medication. She was fine but needed monitoring and checking by a paediatrician.

The article talks about mild fevers but doesn’t say what that means. I also thought it was a bit off to talk about kids turning up with RSV as if they was unnecessary. Paediatric wards are full of babies with bronchiolitis in winter (including one of mine one year). When mine was admitted the whole ward was full of babies with breathing issues. I don’t think parents were rocking up for the fun of it.

There are some really useful resources that give the signs to look for and could be usefully given out to new parents.

Exactly.

I do see it from both sides. I was a GP receptionist and so many people do come in when they don't need to. The worst offenders are the elderly and SAHMs (sorry).

But some GPs are rubbish and all of these MN threads show the issues that are just not acceptable.

And I do get annoyed at public sector people who threaten to flounce. Teachers and GPs do it a lot on MN and it's annoying. If you don't want to do the work then hand your notice in - don't try and guilt taxpayers into accepting shite.

I say this as a public sector worker myself. There are lazy and incompetent people in all walks of life - I've certainly met some shit civil servants and I give them a chance to improve and then I will go through the process to sack them. No one on the public payroll should be lazy - it's offensive to all taxpayers to take the mick when we're paid from taxation.

I would have defended our go practice to the hilt prior to Covid. Sadly, our experience since March last year has not been good. Dh had a condition which was on the original CV list. When he experienced problems with his health it proved impossible to see a gp and he ended up at a&e, where he was told he was lucky not to have gone into a coma. DC has a couple of health issues, also on the CV list. When he experienced problems after his first covid vacionation, he tried for 4 days to get a go appointment, only to be told each day that all appointments were gone, try again tomorrow. Ended up at a& e in desperation and was in hospital for three weeks, with a further three weeks off work. Again, DC needed to see a gp to get antibiotics for an infection and the same story again. Ended up in a&e. My opinion of our gp practice has definitely changed for the worst.

Have you all been under a rock? As regulars on MN (shut it, I recognise some names), all your questions have been answered. Repeatedly. Is this GP bashing your fun on a Friday night?