30 minutes to negotiate with the GP receptionist for a phone appointment

[Gakatsbsk]

Hi,

I am an nhs nurse, and so I realise this is not all GP receptionists but I have just spent 30 minutes speaking to a GP receptionist to try and negotiate a GP over the phone appointment.

It seemed to me like I was wading through excuse after excuse, in a hospital none of these excuses would wash.

The first excuse was that despite registering five weeks ago they didn’t have my medical records (I’ve moved between UK nations) and ‘there was no possible way’ to determine what previous medications I was on, my suggestion that they could be confirmed with me, the patient was of course completely ridiculous and I could be maliciously seeking meds (which are non opioid, non addictive and not remotely interesting to any one).

The second excuse was that I couldn’t have a GP appointment because I’d not had a GP appointment there yet and ✨ covid ✨. In secondary care we haven’t been able to use covid as a reason to not see any new patients, and of course how can I have had an appointment without having an appointment.

The third excuse was an altered replay of the first one, that doctor won’t be able to prepare for your consultation without your medical records. Doctors do this day in day out.

The fourth excuse was a lecture about how busy the nhs is, how covid is surging at our local hospital and how there’s so many covid patients in critical care. At this point I told her I work as a staff nurse in critical care at said hospital, and that this conversation was dragging on and could I please be given a GP appointment, or ANP appointment, or do I need to register elsewhere. At this point I was granted a phone appointment (anytime until 8pm so don’t go anywhere was the warning).

I do realise our colleagues in primary care are stretched, as we in secondary care are but this was ridiculous and it saddens me that vulnerable people probably miss out on health services because of attitudes like this. If I spoke to anyone on the phone in my job role the way she did, I’d end up facing disciplinary action if the other party complained.

Is it just me being completely unreasonable ?

Many thanks

I am so sorry that you are having this experience. Just wanted to say that not all GP surgeries have been like this. Mine has been incredibly responsive this past year - and I've required a lot of engagement due to investigations for a possible chronic illness. Just today I submitted an econsult due to new symptoms and received a text that I have an appointment booked for Friday morning. This system absolutely can work, but there has to be the will to implement it and make it work. I've actually found the GP much easier to access this past year. I get a call back or appointment booked within 24 hours, whereas in the past it could be weeks before anyone would engage.

Our surgery used to work so well, you rang before 10 and you could get put on a list for sit and wait clinic and you knew you'd be seen. Appts could be made and you could ask for nurse appts too and there are about 10 fantastic nurses at the clinic so it's definitely not a second best option.

Then the surgery took on another surgery, sit and wait clinic finished and it went into 'special measures'- people left in droves and now no other surgeries are taking patients on. Now you get put on a list for the GP to ring you, they usually ring just before end of clinic and it's too late to travel there and so they suggest you ring at 8am the next day instead and you start the process again. It's appalling.

And I'm SO envious of people being able to email their GPs photos of rashes etc, were meant to be able to log on....it never works though.

Twinkie similar for us. Almost everything my son has had to have I have had to pay for as the NHS does not provide things that work for full time working families (rather than those with loads of time on their hands). this is one reason I would prefer a 20% reduction in income tax (what is spent no the NHS) and be allowed to opt out of it entirely. They could also let us set against what we spend either on a private doctor the dental NHS charges you have to pay against tax bills.

The good news is that the NHS staff are getting their pay rise although no where near what they should get.

Saw this on Twitter-

The basic annual salary of a Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons is £81,932,

The Royal College of Nursing have estimated that the average annual salary of an NHS Nurse is £33,384

Difference of £48,548

Shouldn’t our nurses be earning the top figure instead…..

I had a bad fall just after Christmas - was in absolute agony - still am. Have now talked to maybe 11 GPs - all of whom said it was a soft tissue injury until one of them sent me for an xray and it was discovered I had two fractures. Wish I had just gone to A and E but Covid was rife and I was persuaded not to. I am still dealing with the aftermath as I struggled trying to work from home for many months until I had a complete flip out with the pain. Had symptoms recently with with back but different ones - went straight to A and E and got amazing care. If they can see patients why can't the GPs?