To think that people don't realise...

[OhNoHelloSnow]

That there's way more healthcare professionals who can help them other than just the "GP or A and E NOW " options?

Seen so many threads recently where people haven't been able to get an appointment with a GP so think A and E is the only option left but are unwilling to try GP Nurses, Nurses Practitioners, Pharmacists, Rapid Response Care Teams (where available and if applicable), Self Referrals to services like Podiatry, or Physio, or IAPT (where applicable), 111, Out of Hours Hub GPs etc.

Just feeling like this all contributes to our over stretched GPs and A and E departments at the moment.

DS slammed his finger in the door the other week. Online NHS advice said to put it on ice but not to go to A&E unless an obvious complex fracture. Sent him to school the next day and the school nurse sent him home, saying it needed an x-ray. Luckily DH brought him home via the pharmacist, who strapped it up, sold us some ibuprofen chewies, and said A&E only necessary if there was numbness. The finger has now completely healed. Pharmacists are brilliant and are always my first port of call - if they say it needs A&E, it definitely does.

@userxxuser

My GP has changed its messaging to say basically don't contact with any problems with your eyes, teeth or feet. OK, sure some problems can be dealt with by opticians and dentists, but these areas are also key areas for cancer, infections requiring prescription medication, emergent diabetes etc. So even more life-threatening conditions going undiagnosed and untreated.... Just do your job GP. You are highly trained and highly paid.

True but opticians, dentists and podiatrists are all trained to look out for concerning signs and would refer them on appropriately. In fact, they’re probably better placed to spot early signs in their particular area than most GPs.

@OhNoHelloSnow how do you access GP Nurses, Nurses Practitioners and Rapid Response Care Teams?
Because I have no clue.
If I need assistance I'd call the reception of my doctors practice.

111 just delays the inevitable in my experience, only time I have called them they have called an ambulance and sent us to the hospital we don’t like.
Pharmacists have no autonomy. One wouldn’t help me with steri trips on my kid( wasn’t sure how to use). They normally say go to gp/a&e in my experience.

I clicked YABU.

Every single time I've been to the chemist, for anything, they've told me they are not sure and to go and see the doctor. Skin complaints, topical infections, rashes when I'm otherwise well. It's not the same pharmacists each time, its that they can't prescribe even simple things like topical antibiotic creams for minor infections.

When I've phoned 111 for urgent matters they have always erred on the side of caution (rightly) and sent me to emergency out of hours/ a and e

If the nhs wants people to self refer for some things, they should signpost it somewhere obvious. I'm a pretty clued up user, I normally know who to contact and what I think is wrong with me and its normally correct but I didnt know that you could self refer for anything. Most referral letters come from the GP so it's not surprising people use them as a first port of call

“Pharmacists have no autonomy” they do. Really they do.

They are independent regulated healthcare professionals. The pharmacy students shared our lectures at medical school.

If your pharmacist is rubbish then you need a new pharmacist. It’s not your GPs fault that the pharmacist is rubbish (unless it’s a dispensing practice but then there wouldn’t be a pharmacist). Just as it’s not the GPs fault that there are long waits for dentists or not enough nhs dentist.

I agree that 111 can be useless, there are no nhs dentists to be found and Pharmacists can be hit and miss. GPs can’t help with any of this. Im a GP trainee (so a GP junior doctor) and my FIL is a GP. I don’t have an NHS dentist and can’t get treatment for my toothache, I’ve spent ages on the phone to 111 when I had an throat infection on a bank holiday and not been able to persuade my local pharmacist to give me steroid cream for my kids eczema leaving her with bleeding skin, I haven’t blamed my GP for any of this because it’s nothing to do with them (and I get no benefit from being in the system myself as you can’t treat yourself or a relative) GPs are people who get sick and have sick relatives too, we know the system is broken and a bit shit to navigate, it’s even more annoying when you know what needs to be done but aren’t able to do it yourself legally! Imagine being a car mechanic but not being allowed to work on your own car or a hairdresser not being able to cut your own hair! - write you your Mp and don’t vote for this lot again

I agree about 111 being a bit useless. They either tell you to go to A&E where you have to start again from the beginning anyway, or tell you to go to the gp. Occasionally will get you an out of hours appointment.
I think people think they should go to A&E for things that aren't emergency because it's called Accident and Emergency. So take that literally. It should be like it is in the US and called the Emergency Room.

Aside from the pharmacy, which is a good option when appropriate, nearly all the other services you mention are only accessible (round here anyway) via - the GP practice.

I can’t get an appointment with ANYONE at the moment. I don’t care about getting a F2F one with the GP 90% of the time, the actual problem is you can’t get anything, with anybody at the practice, at any time - not 3 weeks in advance, not at all.

The ONLY way you can get an appointment is by ringing at 8 and hoping you can get through. They took the online appointments offline during COVID and they haven’t come back.

I don’t blame the doctors but the system is screwed. Govt trying to bully GPs into giving more F2F appointments will make it worse, not better.

I have not heard from my optician in 2 years. Im well due for a check up but they just seem to have forgotten about me. My dentist was good enough to deal with an emergency toothache during Lockdown back in March. I was told I was going on a waiting list for checkup/hygienist. I am still waiting. Regarding pharmacies, in my area they all shut at 6pm. Two in my area, one has complaints about the pharmacist so people avoid it. The one I use, the staff are all stressed to the max. I am now averaging a 10 day wait for repeat prescriptions. This in itself has a knock on effect as I now have to order mine earlier to allow for the time getting it made up. As for speaking to a pharmacist, if we all did this at my one, I think prescriptions would never get done. I knew a pharmacist once, she stuck it about 4-5 years and is now in a different profession altogether. What does that tell you?

So can a pharmacist give you a prescription that is NOT written by a GP?

Gothickhouse - if you know you’re due for a check-up with the optician, just book it. I received invitation for my glasses and, separately, for contact lenses (same place!).

So can a pharmacist give you a prescription that is NOT written by a GP

I don't think so. I asked my pharmacist to do this because I couldn't get a gp appointment. They said no, they couldn't and advised me to ask for a telephone gp appointment to explain my symptoms and they can send a prescription directly to the pharmacy for me to collect.

@Drumshambo

I spent twenty minutes trying to get through to our surgery yesterday. When the receptionist finally picked up the phone, and I got to make a routine appointment, it was for three weeks time. It was, a phone appointment, which necessitated that I had to wait in all day, as they won't give a time!! How are they getting away with this?

My current surgery, and the one before that, only allow you to make same day appointments. This was pre-Covid. They don’t let you make an appointment in advance for a non-urgent matter, as you “might forget”. To make a same day appointment you have to be one of the lucky few who manage to get your call answered as you phone at exactly 8.30am.