For several years, since long before Covid, it has been become increasingly difficult to book appointments at my surgery and nigh impossible to see my designated GP. With increasing age I have developed a number of conditions which symptoms confuse diagnoses.
Now the only way to see a GP face to face is to have it approved by telephone triage. So the usual scenario is a minimum of 30 minutes on the phone to request a triage phone call. Then one waits for the call back. ( must be difficult for patients working in a shop, office etc). If a prescription is necessary it is often “sight unseen” and no follow up.
Appointments are only granted for urgent conditions by triage. What would formerly have been a “routine” appointment to review conditions and medications or for non acute conditions have to wait ( currently) 2 months.
The surgery is short of nurses so clinics are no longer being held.
The surgery website does not provide any way to communicate with it for any advice.
No wonder patients are presenting with serious conditions in an advanced state because they were not able to get early adequate care.
Not my surgery — but friend’s back pain was referred by phone triage to physio treatment. Physiotherapist declined to treat and thought it was something more serious and it was diagnosed several weeks later as advanced cancer.
It is damned scared.