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.

[quote LadyWithLapdog]@RedToothBrush don’t be aggressive.[/quote]
Don't be patronising and put people down by saying they are doing something they are not.

This is the issue.

Telling them again and again and again and again to sit down and shut up. Until eventually they shut up and stop saying it.

Mainly cos they've fucked off to A&E cos they've got nowhere with the tone deaf.

Everyone should be being bloody assertive, because its the only goddam way you have a chance of getting health care in many cases.

I think Red toothbrush has explained it to you very eloquently lady with lapdog, some people cannot get access to a GP because of the systems in place.

Good night & carry on.

I have very severe anxiety relating to doctors. To the point that I can't speak. DH has had to come with me and help me. I'd go into appointments with stuff written down and trying to be well prepared to manage the issue so I could actually give answers to questions one way or another.

This is all on my records and has been going on for years. Some of the GPs have been great about it and really helped over the years.

Some years ago I had the situation where I needed to get access to mental health support. The trouble was it was only via a telephone assessment. They didn't do it any otherway.

How EXACTLY does that work for someone whose anxiety issues result in them going mute?

It was a complete nightmare, which involved DH having to beat down various doors about the absoluete ridiculousness of this and how there were cases where the beaucracy was actually detrimental and harmful to some because it failed to recognise that only having one route to treatment wasn't accessible to all, precisely because of the health issues that individual had.

Even the GP was like this is ridicilous.

But the service wasn't fit for purpose and didn't have staff with the flexibility and common sense to recognise the issue.

So I have a huge amount of sympathy about not fit for purpose NHS beaucracy.

Its like being stuck in a kafkaesque nightmare against the system where someone just tells you no.

The conversation on this thread has just done the same thing and has gone along the lines in effect of saying:

Can I get an appointment please?
No. Try again next week.
But I really need to see a doctor
No. There are no appointments.
But this is the third week I've tried.
Sorry, call again next week.
But I'm really concerned, I have a lump and a family history...
Sorry, there are no appointments. Stop timewasting. And stop bashing hard working doctors.

Can I make an appointment for my whooping cough vaccination?
No. You can do that by telephone.
But.....????!!!!!
Stop bashing hard working doctors. They are doing thousands of telephone appointments for 80 hours a week.
But if they just gave me an appointment they wouldn't have to be on the phone as well as giving me my vaccination.
Don't be so ungrateful, get with the times.

Thats the tone deafness of it condensed into a neat paragraph to sum up the insanity of it.

This is how its coming across to people stuck in the nightmare and needing a doctor

When faced with this, or the option of just going to A&E and waiting for hours but knowing that you will get a result and see a doctor eventually why do you think people are just overwhelming A&E when the GP would be more appropriate.

Its hardly rocket science to work this out.

The smearing of people desparate for access to healthcare, isn't helping anyone.

See on on the next thread-probably after a few of you have name changed, and with new stories.,

We have been open throughout the whole pandemic. We're seeing a lot more F2f appointments and never stopped seeing patients. Some things were stopped at the beginning while we set up plans and safe zones in the surgery but everything resumed as normal. We haven't ever been this busy. I agree there are some surgeries who haven't done a lot and are using COVID as an excuse. But people have to remember surgeries, admin workers, Gp's & nurses are also having to go the the vaccination hubs morning till night so the appointments are obviously going to smaller. But we are at full capacity and seeing/speaking to over 100 patients a day.

@wherewildflowersgrow

See on on the next thread-probably after a few of you have name changed, and with new stories.,

Its all in our heads and everyone is an unreasonable fuckwit.

And should see the logic in systems that don't cater for humans.

Message understood.

System collaspe is the goal

Yes. It's awful.

My friend's boyfriend died age 23 of an ear infection. It spread to his brain- mastoiditis

They tried multiple times to get seen but just got fobbed off with phone consultations and 111

Told to take painkillers.

By the time she rang the Ambulance for him it was far too late.

Any one of those days trying to get seen, if he had got to being examined by a doctor he would have got the care needed.

This is something that kills people in the 3rd world, where there's no medical care. It's so terrible

Also we locked the surgery doors at the beginning as people just walk in saying they think they have COVID or showing signs of COVID. Luckily this didn't happen to us but If the doors were open and anyone walked in and then turns out they had COVID the whole surgery would be shut and all staff to isolate. Which would cause even more of a bashing as patients wouldn't be getting anything. Gp surgeries are never going to win or get it right. They always end up upsetting some one what ever they do.

@MissLucyEyelesbarrow

GP here. We have been delivering 30% more patient contacts than pre-Covid, over 60% of which are face to face. So we are at near pre-Covid levels of F2F consultations, but are doing a lot more telephone and email consultations than before on top of that.

Workings days are 12 hours+ without a moment's rest. I'm also an A&E doctor. General practice is more intense. I occasionally get a break in A&E. Never in GP.

My reception staff are sworn at and abused every day.

We can't retain staff. 1 new receptionist left after a week because she couldn't take it. Two of our neighbouring practices are handing back their contracts and giving up.

There are not enough GPs or general practice staff.

Constant bile directed at us in the media and social media is the final straw. My team have worked so hard throughout Covid. And you all hate us. Perhaps we shouldn't care, but we did not go into medicine to do a shit job We cannot do our job properly because we have too much demand and not enough staff. No one wants to do the job because who wants to work a 12 hour day with constant abuse?

This. From a point of view of a junior doctor who has considered training to be a GP but decided I can't think of anything worse. Why are the actual GPs getting the bullshit over this rather than the govt policy/health and social care set up???

@Intercity225

But what do you mean by an ‘official unlocking’? If demand outstrips supply, you still won’t get the appointment you want?

I don’t want to go for a smear test - the NHS wrote to me about it! It took me 3 years to pluck up the courage to go last time. Having to wait 35 - 55 minutes in a telephone queue, while I listen 14 times to the Covid message, which I have heard about 30 times already, is not going to make me want to go either! I do not understand why when I am fully vaccinated and the receptionists are, I can’t go in and make an appointment in person - Covid is going to be endemic, and we have to live with it! Pharmacies have been open throughout Covid - why are their lives less precious than those of GP receptionists; and its the same doctors’ patients standing in the pharmacy queue?

What has receptionists lives being better got to do with it? You do realise receptionists have no say what so ever on if the doors are locked or open? Literally do not make up any of the rules

@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.

How is that individual GPs fault? They are clinicians not politicians or health care service planners. The problem is not with the GP. Why should they take responsibility for a nationwide crisis caused by underfunding?

@Nousernameforme

I'm not bashing gps I'm saying that right now it seems that a majority of them aren't doing very much and patients would benefit from them all opening up properly. Perhaps the overstretched gps need to have a word with those who aren't instead of having a go at the people who have a valid complaint.

Where is your evidence that the majority of GPs aren't doing very much? In fact there is ample evidence they are doing more than ever before.

@confused1974

Lots of GPs don't see patients in person on the NHS but they do see them privately. I have already complained and named and shamed all those I could find.

And sorry "this bashing will get GPs to leave the profession?" (To quote a previous poster) You know what? Just go please as soon as you can. And no, I won't clap for you or thank you for your "services"

She didn't ask you to clap 🤣 I'm sure she will be heartbroken that you won't be "clapping" considering most NHS staff didn't want the claps, it was pointless.

@TroysMammy

What's needed is a fly on the wall programme of what really goes on in a GP surgery not the gentle having a chat with the GP about ailments but the front and back office of Reception, the frustrations of trying to get a patient needing be referred to hospital as an immediate but not life threatening case, the admin, blood tests, telephone queries etc etc. It will never happen though because of patient confidentiality.

I would absolutely love this to happen! If only people knew!

@RedToothBrush - thank you for your eloquent post I agree with absolutely everything you say. Not sure why there are some people on here who refuse to see there is a massive problem

@RedToothBrush you are so right. And to the poster who said there will be another thread with posters name changing and bashing GPs. You're wrong. I will report with my own username on that one too. Most GPs are literally sitting on their arse and doing nothing while the VULNERABLE suffer and die. Should I have a problem I would go straight to A&E (made the mistake of waiting for a call back last year for my daughter, then she had to spend 10 days in hospital). And I'm not a time waster. I honestly wanted to offer to volunteer at my GP as receptionist to show them what good customer service is. I wonder if they would accept. I am not afraid of seeing other humans I might even open the door and let people in (shock horror). I have written to my MP about this scandal. I exhort everyone to do that.

How do you know that MOST GP’s are doing nothing? DH is a GP and through his network we know many GP’s (many more than you do). These GP’s have all been open throughout the pandemic for as near normal service as NHS England would approve as well as running a vaccination programme. They have seen more patients not less and now work more even more hours than previously (never less than a 10 hour day).
If your GP is rubbish (and every profession has good and bad), complain but don’t lump everyone together.

@wherewildflowersgrow

See on on the next thread-probably after a few of you have name changed, and with new stories.,

I haven't name changed but I have many many stories pre pandemic and during the pandemic of incompetent behaviour mostly from reception but occasionally a doctor will wade in too

in the supermarkets near me , Morrisons, Marks and Spencer food hall, the Co-op and Lidl, all the Broccoli is yellow.

Sorry wrong thread !!

Re GP bashing

Have people realised that the government (and GPS for that matter) are bashing people needing care whilst people who need care are bashing GPs who are too lazy/not opening doors etc….?

Have you noticed how. our politicians have managed to ensure we are fighting with each other rather point fingers at the REAL issue?
It’s not new and pre dates covid by years.
But how amazing that there is no discussion on the nhs and its future. No discussion on the failings (structural and. policy based) or the fantastic acheivement (the people in the nhs and how resourceful they are - see covid).

But let’s carry on attacking each other. It leaves the door open for politicians to do as they please- and very likely not what we want…
And let’s remember that it’s. the fault of users for not knowing If what they have is serious or not or not being able to do what suits GP/management/government

@wherewildflowersgrow
I’m rarely on those. threads but I namechange all. the time for my. own privacy. Many people do the same. Nothing to do with wanting to hide to bash people.

But it’s. interesting to see you think people do and have given such motives to people.

@OverByYer

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

And a practice gets funded around £120 per year for each patient registered with them. Now you see why GP is struggling.

What system would you put in place @OverByYer? your proposed system has to have capacity for emergency and routine things, make sure that those who shout loudest don't overwhelm those who are quieter/older/less tech savvy who may be sicker, has to be able to triage urgent vs routine and has to cope with the demand outstripping supply by at least two to one.

There is a huge demand by students to study medicine at university. Often students with really high grades fail to get offered a place. Why aren’t we investing more in training our own home-grown doctors and nurses if they want to do the job?