To be really annoyed with GP in light of strep A concerns?

[PeppermintChoc]

My sons pre-school has had several instances of Scarlett fever. He came down with a rash, white things and temp, complained of a sore throat. I would usually just have thought it’s viral but after calling pre-school they said don’t forget about SF and encouraged me to see the GP. They’ve had some really poorly children and staff.

Rang GP and he didn’t want to see him. Had a phone appt. He actually said “don’t worry about Scarlett fever it’s really rare” I said he’d been in contact with it and that didn’t change his mind.

My son was fine, fortunately, but reading about all these really poorly children and can’t help but worry that if one of mine does come down with something it’s luck of the draw as to whether they’ll see them. Conversely on another occasion he had tonsillitis and the only reason the GP (diff GP) picked it up was because he examined him. GP was surprised he wasn’t more poorly as his tonsils were awful and covered in pus.

I’m terrified at the state of our NHS. I am always reluctant to call “just in case” but I wish we could - really we should be able to be seen just to put our minds at rest. I’d rather pay £50-100 and feel happier my children aren’t seriously unwell than wait until they get really poorly just to justify going.

I agree with you OP. Whether he needed to be seen or not, scarlet fever being rare was hardly relevant when he’d literally been in contact with it.

No matter the details of your case, it’s right to question medical care. It is particularly inadequate at the moment and there have always been and still are many doctors who make the wrong call and give poor advice. Many doctors are not as intelligent, informed or dedicated as we’d like to think, and combine that with the pressures and inadequacy of the NHS….you have a perfect storm of incompetence,

The NHS is not able to cope with all the inevitably ensuing ‘just in
case’ appointments. Waiting times are through the roof and people can’t get basic surgery.

You can pay to see a private Doctor is this if what you want.

YABU to think the GP should so what you want, just to reassure you, even though he was actually right.

The reason he had to wait until his tonsils were bad is because he had to wait until he actually needed antibiotics. Most sore throats clear up by themselves and antibiotics should not be given.

Would you have said the same for me who’s tonsillitis became quinsy? That’s the problem - we as lay people won’t know the defining moment.

Yeah but.. cancer gets picked up at those reassurance appointments. I have thyroid cancer. It took multiple “reassurance” appointments, and more than one doctor and nurse scolding me for wasting their time and then officially recording “health anxiety” on my records before they realised that the “big lymph nodes” I kept complaining I could feel were now a visible goiter. People don’t just go from zero to stage 3 cancer, that’s just the stage we catch it at if we refuse to see them earlier.

I think now we are able to have telephone appointments and send photos to the GP, it's a good thing. That said, we are usually asked if we're happy with a phone appointment or would prefer face to face. However, a few times when previously they wouldn't have been able to fit us in, we've been able to send photos of a rash or area of concern, and the GP has been able to diagnose/confirm it's nothing to worry about without us waiting until the next day to be seen.
With contagious illnesses like scarlet fever, I would rather the GP did a phone/send in photos appointment rather than bring someone in to potentially spread it to others.

I have to be honest. I think there is a lack of basic knowledge these days amongst younger adults. I know it is not always possible with every illness, but I do know the difference between a sore throat, and when to seek medical help. Most sore throats do not need a GP. Quinsy is far more than just a sore throat.

OP is not being unreasonable anti biotics should be given for scarlett fever, even if it is mild, that has been the advise for several years I think. But there are private GPs you can access for children if you can afford it, not sure how it would work the NHS providing private care to those that could afford it, I wouldn't be comfortable with that.

But you aren't paying £50 - £100

Sooo many private GP appointments available for "reassurance" but GPS need to prioritise based on how sick people actually are

Have you actually tried going private?

I actually do have health insurance - taken out due to a history of serious illness in the family. There is no such thing as private emergency care in the UK - only NHS A&E. If you are at a private hospital and it goes wrong you will be blue lighted to the NHS. For an urgent illness - stroke, heart attack, sepsis - it’s NHS. For cancer you can go private but are seriously advised to go NHS. You might be able to get a private GP appointment but unless you’re very lucky or in a big city it will be phone or online. And whilst you can skip the queue and go private for other conditions for that you need a referral to a consultant.. which means a GP and frequently the NHS. Twice I’ve had doctors refuse referrals because I was fine or “had health anxiety” for stuff that actually wasn’t fine at all. One is about to have a complaint logged by PALS for exactly that

This is my experience of private care. I’ve used it to see consultants but I think the use of it for GP’s is relatively new. I did find recently that I could self refer (because I was self funding) which as far as I know is a relatively recent thing. But that does require you to be quite confident as to what the problem is.

Did the gp ask for a description of the rash? My DD had scarlet fever in May and our gp diagnosed over the phone after I listed her symptoms and sent him a picture of the rash. I'd be annoyed at being brushed off with known contact. I'm glad your son is fine.

Agree that the idea private can replaces NHS care is bonkers.
What private firms want to do is buy up NHS hospitals and services cheap and then make us all pay more for them. No private form can begin to replicate the services the NHS provides across the country unless on this kind of arrangement.

You say you'd rather pay for piece of mind, well, you can do exactly that! Sign up with a private GP and face to face appointments are far easier to schedule.

I cannot believe the replies on this thread! The state of this country and so many people are just willing to lie down and accept scraps in a race to the bottom. No, it is not good enough. The child should have been seen and prescribed antibiotics. With this current outbreak of strep A they are actually giving prophylactic antibiotics to try and stop spread (for example giving antibiotics to teachers and pupils in schools where there have been cases). This GP has clearly not gotten the memo.

Those of you who blindly trust doctors need to shake yourselves a bit. When I was a teenager I had appendicitis and my mum took me to the drs who diagnosed "period pain". The next day my parents, who had utter faith in the dr, went out and left me home alone even though by this time I had said to them "I think I have appendicitis". I ended up taking myself to a&e because I was so sure. Yes it was fine in the end but only because I didn't blindly trust some dr and it wasn't all that fine as by the time I had surgery it was too far gone for laprascopic and needed an open approach which was obviously less than ideal for everyone (me because of the longer recovery time and scarring and the surgeon and other staff because of how much longer the whole thing took).

We use private healthcare as we're not in the UK and the paediatrician we see always says "if you're concerned then I'm concerned". Sad that the UK can't manage this approach.

My son had scarlet fever about 8 years ago. The main worry was how hot he was and nothing would shift his temperature. We went to the walk in centre and they said they’d hold off on antibiotics as they didn’t like to give them too early. They saw him two more times and on day 5 gave him anti biotics. I wonder why the advice has changed so much.

I’ve more or less given up on my GP. To make an appointment I have to first of all book a telephone consultation via an app, which often doesn’t work, so the GP can decide if I actually need to be seen.

Once the phone consultation is over I then need to schedule the face to face appointment separately. It can take a minimum of a week to get this.

There are often ugly scenes in the surgery itself as patients are treated appallingly by the awful Receptionists who are dismissive and rude towards anyone who cannot use the dreaded app. This includes elderly and vulnerable people who often plead for help.

When I woke up with crippling pain recently I accessed the private health care I fortunately get through work and was seen within a couple of hours. What a depressing state of affairs.

OP you are right to be concerned. My NHS GP failed to pick up scarlet fever when my youngest son had it about 8 years ago. Said it was a viral rash. I wasn’t convinced so paid for a second opinion. Private GP picked it up straight away (I didn’t tell them what I suspected). Good job that I questioned the GP and had the means to pay for a second opinion as DS2 was quite poorly and private GP said he would need to be admitted if he didn’t improve in 24 hours.

I think you’re being reasonable i recently had a very ill 2 year old who gp wouldn’t see but just prescribed antibiotics over phone i would have liked some reassurance but gp kept saying i know what’s wrong with him. But with all these scares i would have liked my baby checked. He started to get really poorly even though he was on antibiotics and i ended up running around taking him walk in centre to be told they are overwhelmed and can’t see him then a&e telling me its a 14hour wait. All that could have been avoided for 5mins of gp time to see him 😔

@PeppermintChoc I don’t think you do appreciate the enormity of the pressureI the NHS is under. The media have helped to create anxiety at a time when the NHS is on its knees. We have approx 45000 GP’s expected to offer sterling medical care to over 68 million people. I look at those figures and wonder how the hell we actually believe this isn’t an issue that needs some focus. They can’t feasibly provide a service to give a check over every person that feels remotely unwell to allay peoples anxiety. They don’t have the staff. So people pile into A&E. Our A&E patient numbers have doubled and yet we still believe they should just deal with it. Lack of medical staff and an increase in use for ‘just in case’ reasons further compound it. So many contributing factors, DH is an ex military nurse and he’s looking to leave because he feels his ability to do his job is hampered and finds giving excellent patient care more demanding and soul destroying than working in battle situations. Says it all really.

My son was sent home by out of hours gp and then sent home the following day by the hospital and ended up with his appendix rupturing at home and being really unwell so I always doubt them now 🙈 If he's unwell I take the doctors opinion as their best guess at that time and always go back if I think they're wrong. They are only human and its not worth my sons life going off their guesses.

They told me he had an 'abdominal migraine' 🙄

But the OP wasn’t asking for an appointment for reassurance. She wanted an appointment because her child almost certainly had a notifiable disease and the recommended treatment requires a doctor to prescribe to prevent the complications that used to mean SF had a 20% fatality rate.

The U.K. healthcare system is no longer fit for purpose due to this government but we should be able to treat children who need it.

I get it - I can see it and as I’ve said upthread have family in the NHS, incl a&e nurses who tell me how bad it is.

But that doesn’t make it ok. People dying isn’t ok. I’m not saying any of this is any individuals fault - but clearly something is wrong. Despite enormous pressures I’d like to keep my children well and healthy. I acknowledge there might be a need to pay for that, acknowledging the system is broken is one thing but we shouldn’t just accept it.

it’s getting to the stage where I am doubtful that an ambulance would actually be available in a genuine emergency.

Some utterly bizarre responses here.

Of course a child symptomatic of scarlet fever who’s been in contact with a known case should be seen face to face. Parents on the whole don’t have a clue what’s serious and what’s not, amd scarlet fever should be treated with antibiotics.

More parents going to GP amd out of hours will avoid extra pressure at A&E. Scarlet fever should be seen by GP/OoH not A&E (unless they are severely ill)