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

Why hadn't you taken painkillers?

It isn't always tonsillitis so antibiotics may not be the solution.
My daughter recently had all the signs including big spots on tonsils, felt very unwell etc, but did not have a temperature. I think temp usually indicates an infection?

I’d never dream of going to A&E for tonsillitis, I don’t consider it to be a life-threatening emergency

Neither did the OP, she went to the out of hours GP service. These are often also at hospitals.

@Valenciaoranges

It isn't always tonsillitis so antibiotics may not be the solution. My daughter recently had all the signs including big spots on tonsils, felt very unwell etc, but did not have a temperature. I think temp usually indicates an infection?

That’s why you see a GP… to assess whether it’s bacterial and needs antibiotics or not.

@Pippi1970

I'm not sure why the concept of a European system is so terrifying. My sister in Denmark pays to see a GP - 20 or something. Those on very low incomes don't pay. Anything after 100 a year is free. Great health service. Seems really sensible.

I think this kind of model would work well here. I looked at the German healthcare model and that seems to work well. The NHS is not working and needs to be changed, not simply more money thrown at it. The model has to change.

Trouble is that in a lot of GP surgeries, all the appts have gone by 9.30, and you're just told to phone back "tomorrow at 8am". That's the real problem - GP surgeries being inflexible, not offering online booking, only booking appts for the same day, etc.

This is what our surgery is like. Even by 8.30 all the days appointments are likely to have gone, and you can't book in advance. There is literally no choice but to constantly call at 8.10am when appointments open.
I imagine it's just as shitty for the receptionists to have 500 people call all at the same time (and a number of them being frustrated when they can't get through or get an appointment) but they don't seem to have devised or found a better system!

Germans do pay a lot from what I can gather.

@endofagain

It is really shocking that the service is so different in various parts of the country. If one NHS trust can organise an efficient blood test service with a simple online system, why can't they all do it? The difference between GP practices in my area is huge. Is it just incompetence? Poor organisation? Maybe there are some places NHS staff just don't want to work. It sounds as if a private GP consult online might be a good option. Amoxycillin costs around £4 for a 7 day course. I am so sorry OP tonsillitis is so painful.

That's a very good question, @endofagain.

I suspect that the GP shortage will vary widely in severity between areas. I know that the city near me has lost far more GPs, proportionately speaking, than the neighbouring CCG area which is a mix of rural villages and quite affluent small towns.

The city GP practices face a vastly different range of problems from those in the more rural area. There's a lot more poverty, drug and alcohol dependency, mental health issues, homelessness, substandard housing and domestic abuse in the city. Life expectancy for men is 4.5 years lower in the city. Anecdotally, I'm told that there are GP practices in the city that have security guards on the door when the surgery is open because of violence and abuse (and this was pre-Covid). They don't even have security at the pubs and bars where I live!

I know where I'd prefer to work if I was a GP, nurse or medical admin.

Was it a walk in centre, or where you supposed to phone to be triaged first?

I used to work in an urgent care centre - patients had to phone and were then given a f2f appt if needed, following telephone triage by the GP. Some would just turn up hoping to be seen, and sometimes be annoyed when they had to wait their turn, as the call back time was maybe 3-4 hours.

Hope you are feeling better soon

*were

@HesterShaw1

Germans do pay a lot from what I can gather.

There's public and private healthcare insurance from what I remember, public is 14.6% of an employees gross salary, half paid by the employer. Everyone must have some form of health insurance by law. It seems to work very well. If on unemployment benefits you pay nothing.

Where I live there are a couple of good practices and a really terrible one. The distance between them is about a ten minute walk. I don't know if it is the practice manager, the partners? It can't be the CCG because it is the same one.
I have advised friends and neighbours to change surgeries if they possibly can, because the care at this particular surgery is so poor.

@DGFB

I’d never dream of going to A&E for tonsillitis, I don’t consider it to be a life-threatening emergency. At 10pm I’d phone 111

she DIDNT GO TO A&E

Tonsillitis is a good example of hugely painful condition which can take you down for days. Every few years I go down with a bout and it is hugely debilitating. I feel for you OP. An NHS needs to be able to deal with matters like this which are not life threatening, but important non the less.

How are you feeling today @GrrrlPwr? I do hope you’ve managed to at least speak to someone.

Have just been reading about it. DP is German and his dad has had a lot of health issues the last couple of years. The care he's received sounds very good, on the whole.

I say "sounds" because DP hasn't been able to see them in person for two years, but that's by the by :(

Don’t forget we also pay a lot for the NHS… via our taxes. It isn’t free. It’s just free at the point of use.

[quote user1497207191]@LakieLady

Ime, first thing in the morning is the worst time to try and get through. My surgery switchboard opens at 8 or 8.30 (can't recall which), and you'll be waiting an hour to speak to anyone if you ring then. It's as though everyone's trying to get through first thing. I find that if I can leave it until 9.30 - 10, there's only 3 or 4 people in front and I get through pretty quickly.

Trouble is that in a lot of GP surgeries, all the appts have gone by 9.30, and you're just told to phone back "tomorrow at 8am". That's the real problem - GP surgeries being inflexible, not offering online booking, only booking appts for the same day, etc.[/quote]
Yes, I'm a bit mystified as to how my surgery is always able to give me a same-day telephone appointment. But they do!

I once got the telephone call after 7pm though, maybe they just stay there till they've worked through the list.

@ThePoisonousMushroom

Don’t forget we also pay a lot for the NHS… via our taxes. It isn’t free. It’s just free at the point of use.

Exactly, and the free at the point of use is why "some" NHS staff treat their patients badly with the attitude of "it's free so you should think yourselves lucky" however bad the service they provide.

There's also very little "real" competition between providers despite Blair/Brown who massively increased the "competition" aspect to try to improve service. It simply doesn't work when in reality, for a lot of services, there is no competition at all. It's like the railways where different companies were supposed to improve services by competition which is a failure in real life because for a lot of services, there simply wasn't any competition.

Ah OP that sounds dreadful. I hope you get sorted soon.

she DIDNT GO TO A&E

Is this the new "cancel the cheque"?

@HesterShaw1

This is dreadful.

I know this was the plan all along but it really is time for the NHS to be dismantled. It's completely dysfunctional.

I've a feeling the government are relying on the electorate thinking that.

If you're in England and you've had tonsillitis previously and were prescribed antibiotics Dr should be able to give you prescription over the phone. This was my experience anyway. You were wise to go home, you'd have been there for hours as it's low on the ME list

@CloseYourEyesAndSee

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.

This. ^ Tonsillitis needs antibiotics. Call your GP, and ask for anti biotics.

Sorry you ae really poorly. Hope you feel well soon @GrrrlPwr

@endofagain we had similar, everyone decamped to the ‘good’ surgery who are now overwhelmed with new patients and the service has declined rapidly.