To wonder what my GP Surgery is actually doing?

[bloodymosquito]

Since Covid my surgery has been very evasive about booking appointments, but now they say they will only talk to emergencies. Isn't that what A&E is for? I have a very ill family member with cancer and needs help but apparently it isn't classed as an emergency

Everybody is most scathing about Dr Google - but at least, you have to concede, he/she is always available for a consultation....

@DrBlackbird We found MacMillan a waste of time as well. And the same with the hospice, it was for those with pain that could not be managed by usual means. Or a children's hospice. Maggie's were hreat though at practical advice around things like benefits, carers support, etc. District nurses though are the only ones who actually nurse.

@ILoveeCakes I used the word "bashing" because most threads about GPs end up that way. I made the point that the OP was not GP bashing, to differentiate it from many others. I'm baffled at what your problem is.

This is awful. I am so sorry that this is happening to you.

Our surgery sent everyone a letter saying that they are critically overwhelmed. It seems that several GPs retired during covid and they are struggling to recruit. They are simultaneously dealing with a huge increase of patients presenting with health anxiety, mental health issues, health complications that went untreated during covid and care that would normally be done at hospital such as changing dressings.

And then our hospital declared an emergency and said to only present at A&E with life threatening issues as they too were overwhelmed.

And my nephew called an ambulance for BIL in a genuine emergency last week and was told that, as he was breathing, they would not be able to attend for hours - my nephew drove him to hospital on a provisional licence.

So if you are ill you can't see a GP, attend A&E or call an ambulance. Something will have to change. It must be awful to work within the NHS under these conditions right now, whilst also coming under heavy criticism from the public. I hope you get the help you need and deserve for your dad.

Can you call macmillan/practice manager for a meeting/111 to see if they can get an appointment? I'm so sorry I hope he improves.

This is absolutely horrendous. I'm so sorry. I really hope you manage to get some help.

I also cannot understand people who are still stood at the altar of the NHS. It is not a religion. It should not be exempt from criticism. The fact it has been exempt and protected from any 'bashing' is why it's got into the state it is in. And I work for it!!!

GPS are seeing patients and are always available to consult. Since covid telephone consults with f2f if need be have become more efficient and norm. Just because patients aren’t seen if you walk into a waiting room it does not mean that GPS are having coffee/twiddling their thumbs/essentially doing nothing.
there are more females in GPS but they are also entitled to family working balance like every other woman right?
id like to see some people try and work in an environment where patients are demanding to be seen right now and cover all their 20 problems in the short appointment time. On top of prescriptions, blood results and hospital letters. Coupled with general lack of respect, no wonder so many people are leaving the profession.

GP’s need to be directly manger by NHS rather than a private business paid for by NHS. It would be more integrated and efficient.

The OP's father is dying. They are unable to see a GP, no matter what you are saying. Have some compassion.

OP have you tried ringing the gp yourself? I ask because we are in a similar position (my dad is dying but not yet end of life) and my mum couldn't get a gp appointment for him. When I rang as his daughter and expressed my concern we had a home visit within hours. Not sure exactly what made the difference I think I was more assertive and clear that he did constitute an emergency. Your dad's situation is an emergency too.

On a separate note there are huge and ragged gaps in "care in the community" and these are down to NHS trusts as well as GPS.

Everyone in the NHS is working oh so very very hard.....
That's what we're meant to say isn't it?

GPs get money from the NHS. But they are run as private businesses.

I just checked our surgery and they have also turned off the econsult for the time being due to being so busy. Q worrying.

@bloodymosquito that is awful. My DM died in the summer of terminal cancer and the GP managed everything in the last two weeks when she started to lose mental capacity. I hope they will respond to you.

I have a chest infection and got a same day appointment which is how it should be- one fewer person clogging up the walk-in centre.

At this rate GP practices won't exist anymore.
Everything is such an effort and hard work.

With due respect @nellyelloe the problems in the nhs are due to chronic underfunding not a lack of constructive criticism. All the criticism in the world is going to magic up enough staff to make the system work.

twitter.com/AdeleGroyer/status/1597222406330122240

Very helpful Twitter thread with statistics about PCNs, GP surgeries, and the # of appts. per 1000 population, the different performance of some surgeries and some underlying reasons.

The October statistics are drawn from

digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/appointments-in-general-practice/october-2022 and

digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/general-and-personal-medical-services

PS: Currently up-to-date and truly alarming thread by Shaun Lintern about the desperate pressures faced by NHS services and GP surgeries at present. Updated an hour ago and it's wretched.

twitter.com/ShaunLintern/status/1608438646637723648?

During second lockdown, my FIL was finally admitted on his 3rd visit to the local A&E. He was scanned and diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. There was nothing they could do so they discharged him to die at home...with covid. He died ten days later. I won't detail here what we went through but suffice to say there was no support from the surgery. Covid massively complicated things, a syringe driver was fitted but noone came to administer the drugs until the last day and so the family cared for him day and night all whilst having covid as well. It was a very surreal and traumatic time. As we understood it, neither the hospital or the GP felt responsible for him as he had been discharged home with the necessary meds and it was the district nurses and Macmillan nurses who 'took over' on reviewing the care plan and the meds. They were just too stretched and loathe to attend a covid positive home. I guess I'm saying that the GP was the least able to help us at the latter stages and we did not try to engage them beyond the first couple of attempts.

OP have you tried ringing the gp yourself? I ask because we are in a similar position (my dad is dying but not yet end of life) and my mum couldn't get a gp appointment for him. When I rang as his daughter and expressed my concern we had a home visit within hours. Not sure exactly what made the difference I think I was more assertive and clear that he did constitute an emergency. Your dad's situation is an emergency too.

How did it ever come to this - that you have to find a less vulnerable, younger, more determined person to battle to get you essential access to basic healthcare - as if it were a case of a specialist hard-nosed agent using their clout and professional guile to strike a lucrative business deal on your behalf?

I totally agree, the whole system is f*cked. I'm genuinely scared about it all. But people who refuse to allow the NHS to be spoken badly about infuriate me. It's not a god to be worshiped. It's broken and people are dying because of it

I'm at the other extreme. Had 2 calls from a number which didn;t accept incoming calls, but was one of the old surgery numbers from before they standardised their switchboard. ( 3 practises merged) , finally got hold of them after the third call and discovered they wanted to book a routine check for my thyroid etc. Asked me to do a week's blood pressure measurements and urine sample. Pharmacist rang to discuss results and to discuss whether I needed anti hypertensive medication and organised script. Haven't taken them yet as BP returned to normal. This evening I had a text asking me to make an appointment to discuss my blood pressure results with a GP- along with don't worry.

Trouble is that since they "centralised" their appointment set up, its difficult to get to speak to anyone. and the "branch" surgery receptionists can only make appointments for phelbotomy and nurse led clinics.
When I get to see a clinician, they are very good, but the admin is a nightmare. Twice I phoned about the missed calls and there was no record of a call to me, and no one appears to know that I have spoken to the pharmacist.

In Ireland, we are experiencing the same and there are a few factors. As others have mentioned, there simply aren't enough GPs. If one retires or moves to another surgery, there is nobody to replace them. Then you have the increase in numbers. We have Ukrainian families in the area so the number of patients per surgery has increased. And then you have patients having children which is also increasing the number of patients, while the number of GPs decreases! Most GPs here aren't taking on new patients, so if you move location you are fairly fucked!

Email the surgery and head the email with the subject line : name of practice and failure in duty of care to (patient name dob) then copy your MP

He was discharged by palliative care but I'm urging my mum to contact Macmillans, I have heard that they are fantastic but I would expect more the GPs

GPs are nothing more than a health practitioner
Heard so many stories of people who go to their drs and they said they researched advice on google WTF
Also know of a gentleman who tried and tried to get a DRS appointment and told not an emergency until he sent a pic of his foot and leg to surgery , was rushed to hospital had to have it amputated- had DR saw him his leg would have been saved 😡

Oh my lord, that's terrible

Is your surgery one that has gone into "strep A only" mode?

do you have any contact with Macmillan nurses or the hospice?

really I think it's given his oncologist should at least give advice on what should be done at this stage.

mum has had progress with writing to the practice manager at her surgery when the doctors were seemingly unavailable.