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

Also, is it worth posting on the ".Life limiting illness" board, they might know who to contact?

@Notsureofname2 your post was fine. I’m sure you have huge compassion for OP.
The care that OP’s father is receiving is inadequate .

But …. Everything in your post was true and needed saying in response to some comments on this thread. Most GPs I know are on their knees . Let’s not slate the ones who seem calm and collected still.

God this is so scary, I'm so sorry your family are going through this OP.

All the suggestions of complaining to the practice manager/pals, contacting Macmillan/hospices, etc are all great but fuck me, people really shouldn't have to be fighting so hard just to speak to a GP - especially someone with terminal cancer.

We all need to demand better, this is really not ok - sick of all the excuses!

I don't even get the same advise from a GP these days.
One week told you may be able to stop a medication in 6 months, next time you may need to take it for thr rest of your life.
Or you don't need blood pressure meds, next time oh yes how do you feel about take Blood Pressure meds.

Contacting Macmillans, CRUK, or the specialist organisation for his condition (e.g., Lymphoma Action, Prostate Cancer UK, Kidney Cancer UK) seems very sensible.

Is it worth going through your father's electronic healthcare record via the GP to check what the wording of any hospital/discharge letters is? It might help the conversation with various support organisations to have this information to hand.

Good luck, OP. It's a very hard time for you and anyone in a similar position to your parents.

@Sarahcoggles I did not mean to doctor bash, I have a great respect for doctors, I just don't understand the protocol at this surgery.

It was incredibly hard getting appointments even before Covid. If you did get an appointment, it wasn't with a doctor, but a paramedic or a pharmacist and you would then have to wait even longer to see a doctor for a prescriptions. Since Covid we are told not to contact unless it is an emergency

Call them and say it is an emergency. It is, if he can’t keep food down.

Sounds as though your Mum can’t actually care for him. How do you take over as his designated carer?

Those 3 days that they are working are often 3 days of seeing patients. They also need to do god knows how many referrals, chase up test results, liaise with consultants, specialist nurses, other agencies such as DWP who request reports, insurance companies who request info from patients GPs, work clearances for jobs such as HGV drivers, offshore workers...the list is endless.

I think O.p has already told them.

he needs a home visit IMHO.

Can you email them and ask advice ie who to contact for non emergency issues that still require medical assistance?

I have no idea what to ring my doctor for anymore.Is it worth ringing at opening hoping i dont get line is busy and then maybe if i am lucky i get your 78 in the queue .Dont get me wrong i appreciate the NHS ,i owe them my life.I was born blue, cord wrapped round my neck i was very lucky .And years of physio therapy helped me thrive

But now i am grown they cant seem to find my history of my disability ,i cant get help for it.When i get ill or have a minor concern or question when do i ring

Why is it bashing when people are finding them in situations where they cant access basic help!!?
My doctors operates a stupid online form system you need to fill in. My elderly father who has dementia wouldnt be able to do that- so what happens then? .not to mention our surgery has just had a full report which has deemed it inadequate. Wth.
This is entirely whats wrong in this country. People frightened of saying what they think for fear of offending anyone.
Im sorry you and your family are going through this OP. I hope you get the help you need x

@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll

Thank you. You put it better than I would have in an emotional state

Mine I just starting to get back on track, it is an 8:30.am call for same day urgent appointments and call at 5pm when routine appointments open for a week ahead. Doctors and hcps can also put in their own appointments if they want you back in, so it is a huge improvement and I bet it has been a hard pull to get it there

Absolutely this

This is terrible OP.
If I were you I’d ring the GP surgery in the morning and explain that your dad has been discharged by the palliative team and demand that he be referred. it may be that the hospital hasn’t informed the surgery, or they have and his record has not been updated, so they may be unaware.
Also ring the Pals service linked to the hospital and explain that your dad is stuck in between services.

They’re under staffed and under resourced. GP’s have suffered PTSD/MH concerns, are sick of working long hours, frustrated at not being able to actually help people and cannot fill voids. The population is continuing to age, adding extra pressures, the government is adding extra responsibility to contracts and the wages they receive are decreasing. No one wants to be a GP these days unfortunately.

I am slowly reading through all the responses after a bad dad with my dad and I am grateful for the posts but also disheartened. I have had my own health problems and I was treated fantastically by the NHS

It’s not a race for the bottom is it? We can keep standards and expectations rather than just throwing out obstacles and excuses such as “ gps on their knees” “ leaving in droves “ to shut people up and make them grateful for scraps.

People are allowed to complain without it being called "bashing".

Not on MN, apparently!! Elderly women with cancer can be denied a basic level of care and no-one's supposed to raise a murmur....

Not sure why individual instances of poor 'care' can't be discussed, or why people denied care aren't allowed to ask others for advice, without some people taking it incredibly personally. I don't think, as adults, we can be seriously expected to believe every GP, or every manager of every GP surgery somehow possess super-human levels of infallibility, but some get very touchy if there's any complaint. We're supposed to put up and shut up.

I would go back to palliative care. Be insistent they see him and make clear GP are refusing to see. If pal care refuse (which I don't think they will) ask PALS to contact them.

@bloodymosquito Just wondering if your Dad had a specialist cancer nurse when he was under hospital care. They maybe able to help if none of the usual channels are helpful/responsive. You should be able to contact them via the hospital switchboard. I'm so sorry you are going through this. I really do hope you can get some help for him.

But the standards aren’t low. No Gp goes to work trying to work to a low standard, but there is honestly only so much that a human being can safely manage. And with limited numbers of colleagues. Surely you wouldn’t want a completely exhausted human being making life-changing decisions? It’s happening in Gp and hospitals. Ageing population, more Co-morbidities and also people calling for help without sometimes trying to manage eg paracetamol/Calpol due to lack of support.
I hope OP gets the help they need.

I just feel for those vulnerable people out there who have no family or support network to fight their corner. Those poor people who ring up at 8am every day, until they give up because theres no appointments left etc. What happens to them?

Im not saying its every GP surgery- far from it.

But basically this country is on its arse and something needs to be done.

100% this!!