To be utterly fed up at the Doctors Surgery System?

[PinkFishies]

I’ve been trying to get in touch with my GP (NHS in England) due to having abnormal bleeding for a week now.

(I suspect I have Endo or PCOS or some other condition relating to gynea, but that’s another story)

We can’t book appointments in advance, we have to call the surgery on the day when phone lines open at 8:30am.

I work 8-4 Monday to Friday on a busy reception so it’s almost impossible to be free. Luckily today the reception was covered so I took myself to a quiet room to begin calling at 8:30.

I rang 131 times. I was met with the engaged tone every time. On my 132nd attempt after 40 minutes of trying I was put into a call queue. After 10/15 minutes of waiting the receptionist answered and told me “Unfortunately all slots are now fully booked. You will have to try again tomorrow morning”.

I just burst into tears. My issue isn’t something I can go to a walk in centre for. Or ring 111. I wouldn’t dare go to A&E but I can imagine a lot of people will do for certain things because seeing a GP is near impossible.

There is no point changing surgeries. All our surgeries in the local area sit under the same umbrella and all have the same system.

The system is utterly broken. I can’t see it getting any better. Nobody has the answers. Don’t have the money to go private. I really wish I did.

Is it something called the livi app

Online service?

YANBU

It is barely credible.

There should be an online booking system. It takes credi card details when you book. If people don’t turn up they are charged £25. If they do turn up all good.

The NHS is out of control. I am sick of it. People need to start paying for wasted appointments.

GPS in my area are realistically none existent. I submitted my email request for an appointment as per their system. They triaged it and replied saying they agreed I needed to see a doctor but there were no appointments they could offer me and to try again another time🤷‍♀️

I know I have a UTI. I have had hundreds in my lifetime, I have had surgery to excise the endo out of my urethra that causes the reflux of urine back up the tube and the UTI's to develop, I have been seen by specialist gynae urologists who explained exactly what happens. I also know it will grow as ecoli in the lab and it will be resistant to trimethroprim and I need cefalexin or the spill back will enter my kidney and I will get a kidney infection.

Am I allowed to take my urine sample in to be dipped and sent off to the lab and get a prophylaxis course of cefalexin this morning like I did for 8 years pre covid? I am not. I have to wait until the GP calls me in the next 24 hours whilst getting more and more ill and people at work (who are NHS health researchers and public health specialists) telling me I look terrible on zoom meetings Jobs fucked mate!

Don't book in to see the nurse for a problem she can't deal with. Just because the GP isn't available doesn't mean she is suddenly skilled to deal with something she's not trained for. Completely unfair.
That's why clinics run late, patients are kept waiting and nurses get no lunch break.
And partly the reason they are leaving or retiring early in nearly as many numbers as the doctors.

Practice nurse.

OP. The system is broken. I think you need to complain, despite this giving the already overworked GP staff more work to do.
But it's unacceptable, and the more people that voice this, then things will have to change. Or at least, put more pressure on the government to find solutions

What I would do is write a letter to the practice manager ( on paper) complaining, and detailing everything you have written in your OP. Politely state that the system doesn't work for you, and you would appreciate if someone could get in contact at a specific time to arrange your required appointment.

I would also take this to your MP

www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/gps/using-an-online-form-to-contact-your-gp-surgery/

You should be able to use that form and they have to get back to you with an appointment if you need one.

I don't understand how surgeries can get away with offering no way to get a problem triaged unless you get through on the phone. E-consult is a thing, why can't they implement it? I think it should be a mandatory part of the contract with GPs/surgeries!

I think you should write to your MP about this and complain to your GP/the Care Quality Commission. I don't really know how it all works, but maybe the local CCG too?

www.cqc.org.uk/contact-us/how-complain/complain-about-gp-dentist-or-eye-care

I am so angry on your behalf!

I've changed GP recently as mine was so bad. Did e consult this morning and was told to call to make an appointment. Phoned up and was told an appointment had been made. There's a few surgeries within this surgery group and I'm not being seen at my new surgery.

My practice nurse deals with exactly the problems OP is describing. Perhaps all

Patient. With endo issues who deals with the nurse.

Everyone. Of all ages?
Or would children, those on benefits and the elderly be exempt, leaving the same poor sods in the middle penalised.
Most of my non attenders are the over 65's.

Can you try online GP like Livi? My DH used it recently and said it was great

It's very scary and it's creating a 2 tier system; anyone with money is forced to go private or try to get meds via the online pharmacy. This is all deliberate. The Tories don't want to fund the NHS. Remember this next time you vote.

I would also take this to your MP

My MP is Ed Miliband! He’s as useful as a chocolate fireguard 😂😂

But in all seriousness, thank you all for the solidarity and the useful comments and suggestions. Will try all avenues, online GPS and take all onboard and contact practice manager and maybe even PALS. Something has to change. We need our voices heard.

So sorry to read that most of you also have these issues too.

Most of my non attenders are the over 65's

Then they are NINE TIMES more likely to be able to afford it than people in their 30s @cptartapp

In order to be compassionate, the NHS must first be functioning. And it is too much to keep asking working people to pay for other people’s missed appointments.

Same system where I am, except you can do an e-consult. When I did one quite recently I was told a GP would call. Phone appointments are a nightmare for me because I’m hearing impaired, but that’s all they offer. Stayed glued to the phone all day with my assistive device set up. GP didn’t call. Went into the surgery a couple of days later to say what had happened. Tinkly laugh from the receptionist when I said the call never came. Told me to phone in the morning at 8.30 to ask for another appointment because you can’t ask for appointments in person. You call at 8.30 like hundreds of other people, stay on hold forever and finally get through to be told there are no appointments left and to try again tomorrow.
Meanwhile the practice is boasting that they are doing more consultations than ever because of this wonderful new system.
Instead of health problems getting nipped in the bud, people will just become more and more ill because they can’t get seen. So the NHS will be dealing with more severe illness. Surely this is the opposite of what we should be doing?

I really sympathise. I feel so grateful we don't have this rubbish system here. We can ring any time for appointments. My husband rang yesterday actually for something non urgent and had been booked a face to face appointment for Monday. We are so lucky compared to most, it seems. I would be complaining as hard as possible through all official channels about this nonsense.

I completely agree.
People would accept 22 year old student Jo being charged. But suggest charging 82 year old George and there would be outrage!

I’m not sure if it will work for your surgery and circumstances but I happen to work very close to my GP surgery and if I actually go into the surgery (I go on my lunch between 12-1pm) and speak to a receptionist, they generally are able to find an appointment. So that’s what I do every time now.

Suspect someone will realise and decide I can no longer do that at some point. This is quite a large practice so not sure if that makes a difference either.

Ours won’t do that any more. They send you away and tell you to phone in the morning.

I tried ringing my surgery for 3 days at 8am to get my daughter an appointment after she was sent home from school with a temperature and earache. When I did manage to get through each time after half an hour, no slots are left. By this time she’s deteriorated, has a fever and is in excruciating pain bleeding from her ear throughout the day. She’s 6. I ask what should I do and the receptionist told me to go to a&e. Although nasty, this was not a&e worthy. I said I’d ring 111 to be met with ‘but that will force us to see you.’ Which gladly for us, it did.
Her middle ear had ruptured. Can’t fault the care we received when actually through the door and she now has antibiotics. I’m frustrated that it just shouldn’t have got to that stage.

Around here you just pop into the pharmacy and they will test your urine and prescribe you ABs. If for any reason the pharmacy can't i.e. pregnant you can just drop a sample off at GP surgery they test it and send it off and prescribe ABs. You don't need an appointment at all for this. Hopefully same where you are. Please try it! I hate UTIs!

Same rubbish system for me. Last time I needed an appointment was because they had got in touch with me requesting that I make an appointment, a discussion about a hospital referral they had made for me some months earlier. After several days of not being able to get through, spoke to a receptionist, told her I couldn't sit on the phone at 8am for an hour every day due to work and getting kids to school, and so what were my options. She advised A&E, which is obviously an inappropriate and pointless recommendation.

I now feel my mental health declining due to the stress of the condition involved in the hospital referral mentioned above, but the thought of the frustration in dealing with this system is enough to put me off even trying to get help. I think it would actually make me worse. So I'll ignore it until I either get better or significantly worse.

At my drs you ring from 8 to get a appointment for a week later. Much better because at least if you don't get through /in you haven't book time yet. Emergency appointments are triaged on the day. Hope Mine doesn't change.