Waited in hospital since 10pm to see out of hours gp. It's now 2am. Do I give up and go home?

[GrrrlPwr]

There's 5 people ahead of me in the queue. Receptionist has no idea how long they will all take.

Do I go home and plead my GP for an appointment tomorrow?

Feel so stupid to have waited so long and to go home. But I ache so much. I need to go to bed

Depends what’s wrong really.

What are your symptoms?

Really bad tonsillitis that needs antibiotics

That's shit op

Services are stretched and horrendous at the minute.

Some shocking stuff going on.

For the government to say hospitals aren't currently under severe stress is ludicrous.

4 babies waiting to be seen, so of course they get priority. No issue with that.
My whole body aches

I would go home. I don’t know where you live, but in Wales we have a scheme where pharmacists can prescribe antibiotics.

I think you should stay. It's appalling for you but realistically how happy will you be at home and you'll be feeling much better in two days if you stay now versus potentially getting much worse and waiting another 24 hours at least. That's not advisable.

Bless you, that’s miserable. I think I’d try and wait tbh. If you could get a dose of ABx inside you before then going to bed you’d benefit in the morning.

Have you taken any meds for it? Do you have access to painkillers?

I only have strepsils. Have been drinking water.
Told the receptionist I was going home as I might collapse.
And now it turns out there is a doctor for triage
But of course no signs nothing.
And that's after I stood in a q for 35 earlier mins as security guard told me the wrong Q

This is appalling

I'd try and stay if you possibly can. If you're unsuccessful with your GP in the morning you might find yourself back there... So sorry for you, this is rubbish.

I waited from 1-8pm with my three week old today, it’s shocking. I hope you get seen soon and are tucked up in bed ASAP OP

It’s awful but I’d wait. This is probably something that won’t get better by itself and you’ll feel so much better if you can just get one dose into you.

So glad I live in a different place to the UK.
System is fucked.
Where I live you can go online and choose an appointment to see any available gp as far as you choose to travel, usually that day, often zero cost. We have out of hours gp service that will come to you so you wait at home. Again usually no cost.

UK system is screwed

@FrangipanFlower

I waited from 1-8pm with my three week old today, it’s shocking. I hope you get seen soon and are tucked up in bed ASAP OP

You are joking!

I'd just put the whole UK in a centralised system rather than these catchment areas that gp surgeries have. People could just log online and locate appointments.
Opening hours past 430pm would help.
The sooner the nhs is restructured the better.

You can ask for paracetamol &/or ibuprofen while you're waiting, hopefully, you've been seen or are at least moving up the queue

I gave up
I'm in bed
I feel like shit
The processing of patients was shocking. Went from 5 in front to 10 in front. And I got told off when triage Dr refused to see me.

I'll have to go private tomorrow. God knows how much antibiotics actually cost.

Never ever going to an 'urgent treatment center' again

I'm on zero hours so this is a costly time off work

Thanks for the advice everyone. I just couldn't sit any more on a hard chair feeling like I was going to pass out

Don't you have a GP you are registered with? They can give you an appointment today?
Also are you sure It’s bacterial? Tonsillitis can be viral which won't respond to antibiotics.

I had a brutal bout of tonsillitis in May, I had a callback from a doctor via 111 and had antibiotics delivered to a pharmacy of my choosing that day. Could you try something like that?

Sorry to hear of your long wait. If it's any consolation ... I've just checked the local hospital ER waiting time www.wrh.on.ca/EmergencyWaitTimes and it's showing 41 people waiting, with a projected wait time of 5+ hours.

It must be miserable.

You could do the online nhs 111 and get somebody to call you back.

@Brittanyspringer

You could do the online nhs 111 and get somebody to call you back.

I’m guessing that’s how she ended up at out of hours.

@CuteAndFluff

I'd just put the whole UK in a centralised system rather than these catchment areas that gp surgeries have. People could just log online and locate appointments. Opening hours past 430pm would help. The sooner the nhs is restructured the better.

but that would need a centralised computer system for patient records. didn't the nhs waste millions a few years ago on planning that, and eventually have to give up as more and more money was being wasted, with no actual computer system in sight. apparently the firms that took the contract hadn't realised how complicated it would be... oh, i was wrong; just checked. it was in fact 10 billion that was wasted. www.theguardian.com/society/2013/sep/18/nhs-records-system-10bn