GP Appointments

[PaperBlinds]

ARGH.

Daughter has what is clearly a bad ear infection and possibly chest infection and is really suffering. Came home in quite a state after two weeks of university.

We can't get her seen by a Dr here because she registered with campus medical centre. 111 have recommended she is seen in person. Our Drs (with whom she has been registered for 10 years) won't see her, because she is no longer on their books.

We tried to get her chest seen to (advice on NHS website is to get a persitant cough checked after three weeks - she has had it 8) before she went to college. Our Drs would only do phone call, refused to see her in person and told her to wait three months. She now has infected sinuses, cough is worse and ears are infected and leaking and very painful. She has history of childhood ent issues, but been largely okay since adenoids, tonsils removed and grommits put in when she was small. She has had historically a small amount of hearing loss and I am worried this is now at risk again if left.

We have been told to go to A&E but this seems like utter madness to me. A waste of time for A&E staff and a delay potentially for people with serious emergencies and several hours of waiting, when there are four Drs (on the phone) and two nurses in our family surgery round the corner from our house.

Also kids at university are home for weeks. - how do they get seen if they are ill in the holidays? Do you always have to go to A&E?

AIBU to want a GP service that actually sees their patients? We are so supportive, always of the NHS, but the struggle to be seen is exhausting and hopeless. God knows how people are coping who don't have advocates and are really ill.

(and yes she should have gone to the Medical centre at college, but she has only been there two weeks and is just getting to grips with how everything works and they have a different but complex system for not seeing anyone, which I couldn't work out remotely. She also lost confidence when told just to put up with it for three months by our surgery on the phone call).

ARGH ARGH ARGH.

There's no such thing where I am.
And she should be able to register as a temporary patient for any GP covering where she is staying.

You have the right to been seen by a GP as an emergency patient.

Our GP told DH this when he was struggling to get an appointment and working away but would be home later that day before our surgery shut. They said tough you can’t be seen today.

DH asked if they had any emergency appointments left, they said yes and he rocked up there and demanded to be seen. He was v poorly.

just go to the GP and don’t move until she’s seen.

That’s strange about the campus gp. If she went 3 times during it’s advertised opening hours and it was closed every time she should put in a complaint about that. Also I wouldn’t be happy to be registered at a practice with no phone number. Probably a good idea for her to consider changing to another practice near the university as it’s not practical to have to travel across the country every time she is ill and definitely feedback to the practice that the online booking is not user friendly

I don't think that's how it works. Well it might not be where you are but most places in England have a walk-in centre or Urgent Treatment Centre

Really? "Most places"?
😂😂

Yeah...I don't see the issue here with my comment. Its easy to find one www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/other-services/Walk-in%20centre/LocationSearch/663

Yes there's a website, that's great, but it doesn't make them "everywhere" or accessible to everyone. Up thread as I stated "a total of 10 minor injury clinics (including one in the Isles of Scilly) and 1 urgent treatment centre. Oh and 1 A&E". For an entire county. If you don't drive, you've no chance of accessing any urgent care in many areas of the county. Its the same all over the country. If you live in a city, it's probably easier but they are not "everywhere".

So our "walk in" is A&E apparently and Urgent Care is sort of urgent care but where A&E refer you to outpatients and you see a GP for things that need to be seen in person. Seems all the language has changed (and the meanings of words) and i am clearly just stupid for not knowing.

So many people in the system today should have been seen at local GP. Confused, bewildered waiting in queue after queue and baffled by it all. I am amazed by how temperate and patient people were.

i still really don't understand what GPs are for nowadays.

it really shouldn't be this hard.

@GetOffTheRoof I am not a fan of you’re tone. We all know the NHS is under pressure and there is simply not enough facilities within the country that we all know to be true. However, stating you can't access these services is not so true. There is always ways to get to one of these services, such as a bus, taxi, or friend to drive you perhaps? The options are endless. Equally, you can go and see a pharmacist who maybe able to help. It is the same as if you needed a shop just because you can't drive doesn't mean you can't get there either. As frustrating you reply's are I will no longer be replying to you on this matter, you clearly have an issue on this topic or perhaps something else.

Take care,
Peace out @GetOffTheRoof 😗

@Hobbitfeet32 an 18year old making a complaint to a service provider in first weeks of term away from home for the first time? Okay.

we were pleased that she had registered at all and taken responsibility for herself, but it has resulted in being let down on all sides. She isn't stupid, and she is learning fast right now. But you know next week the rules may have changed.

What happened to your DD though OP? Was she seen?
I have to say this is why I'm never leaving London. So far I haven't experienced any of these difficulties. Yes, a longer wait for 111 or walk in, but generally responsive once there. And GP is still good.
Hope your DD got meds and feels better very soon.

You know I really dont understand what's going on with GPs now. Our surgery DOES NOT offer emergency appointments at all. If you need to be seen urgently then you need to go to Urgent Care and thats that. You also can't call to book an appointment, you have to do one of those eConsult forms and then you will get a call back at some point within the next 2 days. No idea of when, and if you miss it you need to start again. I mean you could be in a meeting, driving, on the toilet, whatever. Tough luck!
I keep reading that 'GP's are seeing more patients than ever' sorry but I call bullshit on that. Unless the population of patients have tripled over the last 3 years that just can't be the case. My surgery has the same number of doctors as it had pre-pandemic. You know when it was actually possible to see them if you needed to.

I keep reading that 'GP's are seeing more patients than ever' sorry but I call bullshit on that. Unless the population of patients have tripled over the last 3 years that just can't be the case. My surgery has the same number of doctors as it had pre-pandemic.

There is a massive disparity with GP services per area. I know at the practice I used to work at they see or speak with a patient every 10 minutes with short periods for lunch/admin/meetings. It was a large practice though of at least 10 GPs plus ANPs and paramedic practitioners. The patient list was over 24,000. I can well believe they are consulting with more patients than ever-just not face to face.

How though if you can't get a same day appointment ever and it's pretty much impossible for anyone who works to book a future appointment either? I mean who wants to have to discuss medical stuff in the office? It's not like you can head outside at a particular time if you don't know what that time is.

Her uni doctors sound rubbish, my uni doctor was so rubbish. I ended up re-registering back at my old one as I got an appointment quicker that way. Could you re-register her back home and make an appointment straight away. In my surgery any infections are seen that day.

It’s horrendous what’s happening now in a lot of areas, and it’s a total postcode lottery. I do wish posters would stop assuming that everyone can access a walk in centre, the nearest one to us was 20 miles away and it’s closed down!!
I hope your dd is ok OP.

I’m starting to feel like we have third world healthcare. Thanks Tory voters 😡

Obviously, many people can get appointments. Same day or booked ahead. Varies practice to practice and area to area from what I gather from Mumsnet.

I can only speak for the practice I worked at: 100s of appointment are available in a given week (think 13 GP/ANP/Paramedic Practictioners working 8-6 seeing/speaking a patient roughly every 10 minutes with short periods blocked for meeting/admin/referrals/lunch/training) Appointments get booked up FAST both over the telephone and online. The back office at the practice I worked had a mini call centre and the phones would not stop ringing.

I agree with you, Missy. All areas should have access to urgent care/walk in centres but don't.They are essential and take the pressure off A&E and GP services.

I've just checked, my closest urgent care unit is a 33 minute drive away, in a different county. And that's at this time of night - I know the road and in rush hour that's more like an hour's drive.

Thankfully our GP is pretty good, and we have a separate children's A&E which makes the experience a lot easier.

I tried the ”urgent care” finder website linked above. Put in my postcode and pressed search. It says sorry, there are no urgent care options within 50 miles of my postcode. I live in a city centre. This is baffling - no wonder people can’t make head nor tail of how they’re supposed to access NHS healthcare.

I still don't understand why she couldn't go to her uni GP, or couldn't still go now. If she needs a referral to a consultant it will all be in her uni city/town so probably best to be seen there.

Is she not missing lectures etc. by being at home?

Your daughter's ears are weeping, her breathing is affecting and she's in pain.

With all due respect, what the hell are you waiting for. Get her to A&E.

Thanks, @YukoandHiro after 4.5 hrs she was seen (for approx 5 mins) Dr was fine and talked about managing otis media infection sensibly and gave her drops and antibioitics (or "the poison" as he called them!). She is relieved (which makes her feel better obviously - so much of care is surely about being seen and heard and being given some time?) and we have prescription and actions to follow up. This is all I wanted, medical advice and something to sort the imediate issue of pain and infection.

A&E was odd and grim. Had to help a couple of older people, one alone and bleeding from the head, while son was miles back in the queue for the queue . Staff were fine, but irritated by 111 telling us wrong place to go, and stoical about basically running a GP service and full on emergency care in one grotty space. And Urgent Treatment was for A&E people who didn't need urgent treatment, but what I consider a normal GP appointment.

Also, we are in London. I am beginning to suspect our GP is actually pretty bad now, as others even locally seem to have a better response and contact.

Thanks @Catabogus - I feel like the booking system/rules may have changed yet again, if we have to try in the future. I can't keep up with the goal posts constantly changing. But thanks for challenign the "just go to a walk in clinic" brigade.

And yes @Cotswoldmama we will possibly try and get her back on list here. - though a)lists are closed and b) they haven't exactly been helpful.

I just want to say again this is not about the staff and people of the NHS - it is about the mad, awful systems that are being adopted for so called efficiencies. And in particular the GP set up since COVID.

@LivingMyBestLie do you want to read the thread or shall I just pop back there now?

Bless her. Hope she starts to feel better soon.