Why do you like your GP ?

[Aquarius1234]

Over the last several months I've read a mixture of positive and negative threads on here about GPs.
I wonder about those that really like their current GP.
Why is your GP Lovely? Do you even know them well enough to say those words?

My GP seems OK but I may not see them again for another 6 months or a year. So I can't exactly give an opinion.

Because when I moved to another village and asked for him to recommend another surgery as I didn't want to choose one that wouldn't be good enough to see my DS1 if needed he just sighed and said he wasn't sure he could and said so long as I don't mind the drive we could stay registered with him. I was delighted!

But other than he has always been personable, gone above and beyond for his patients and just in general a bit of a hero running a practice on his own with supporting locums as he simply cannot fill the GP position despite worldwide advertising apparently.

The surgery responded well to how they managed during Covid and I've had zero issues getting same day face to face appointments in the last year if needed.

50/ 50 so far

My GP's are excellent. They understand my condition and work with me to help me manage it. They listen to me and are really helpful.

What do you mean how did i know?

snd she’s not my friend. My post reads we have mutual friends

I love mine. I can see him the same day or next day, he listens and never rushes us.

Unsurprisingly he’s a private GP and we pay every time we see him. 😅

NHS, we can’t even get through on the phone.

Our GP surgery is great. They don't see much of us, but we can always get help when we need it.

I don't actually know who my individual GP is.

The GP practice I’m registered at is excellent and my named GP is wonderful, the best GP I’ve ever had (I’m mid-50s). I generally don’t mind which GP I see if I need an appointment at short notice, but i always see my regular GP for my long term health condition and for HRT. I really value that consistency of care and she is so supportive and really listens.

The practice itself is rated outstanding by the CQC - I’ve not had any of the issues with getting appointments etc that I’ve heard about here and feel very lucky!

He looks after me very well indeed, in fact the whole practice is very well run and supportive with an in-house pharmacy open until 10pm and a small hospital right next door which does bloods, x-rays, scans and minor injuries plus an out of hours doctor available on Sunday mornings.
The Health Centre has two sites and if I want to see my own doctor on a day when he's at the other site which is further away, the staff always accommodate that request or arrange a phone appointment.

My named GP is fantastic. Absolutely lovely man who has looked after me during a recent illness. He literally saw me almost every other day for four weeks, moving his diary around to fit me in. Referred me to hospital clinics, consulted with specialists and arranged all the tests they needed in advance so that when I got there the results were in.

He is an absolutely lovely guy, fantastic interpersonal skills. I feel like he’s solved the issue without all the hospital clinics to be honest.

All the doctors at my surgery I’ve seen are great. I had a serious acute illness a couple of years ago and the person I saw then was the same. Came to my house within ten minutes and phoned an ambulance/sent me to hospital.

I don’t go to the doctor very often, it always seems to be a massive issue when I do.

I don't technically have a regular GP = individual family doctor, either.
That said, there is one GP (currently working locum) who I have had several good interactions with over the years, who sometimes pops up at our surgery.

She just seems very kind & genuinely wanting best for her patients.

I don't have complaints about the others, but none seemed as sharp nor have I seen them more than once in 18 years.

I don't know my GP personally, but that doesn't bother me. What I love is our current GP practice.

I live in a very rural location so GP surgeries are joined together, we have three different surgeries which actually happen to cross county boundaries as they are several villages apart.

They have a system whereby I can email them about any problem and receive a reply, it saves me time going to a surgery and saves them time listening to endless 'unwell' stories which could be fixed without an appointment.

I can order medication online and the surgery in my village also dispenses medicines, I just go up to collect it when it arrives without having to take a prescription to a chemist in the nearest town. This is a fantastic service.

Anything which needs further investigation is always arranged.....for instance, I emailed about knee pain and they immediately arranged an X-Ray at the nearest hospital and it turns out I have some early arthritis starting in that knee.

When I wanted something more extensive (a recent gynae issue) they also arranged that and then the hospital department took over. As it was a bigger problem I got to choose the hospital from a number of large ones in the vicinity (there are three, one in each county, all about 30 miles in each direction)... I just chose the one I liked best and which was the better option to travel to. Personally I think such a service is bloody marvellous, and on the NHS it's all free. Can't fault it.

We don’t get to choose who we see anymore, so I can’t say if I like them or not.
‘Our surgery now has a system where you fill in an online form instead of ringing for an appointment. It is triaged and you are contacted within 3 working days. In reality we have been contacted same day and next day. It’s a brilliant system.

I like mine because he sorted me out when I was very ill! But generally he’s quite cheery and a solid doctor. The practice seems generally good - the receptionists are helpful, and the nurses friendly and good. The GPs have moved to phone appointments, but that works fine for me - however I know some older patients at the same surgery who find that difficult.

I've had a scary few years with diagnosis and lots of tests. Ive always been able to call and get seen if something alarming has cropped up.
If it's not urgent I know it's about 10 days to wait for a phone appointment. That's fine too.
As for the gps I rarely see the same one but they have all been excellent and very thorough. Even when I wish they'd say 'it's nothing to worry about ' they send me off for a scan to be sure as they seem to read all the past info carefully.
Even so, I hope I need them less in 2023!

They do what I ask. I have some rare conditions. I have learnt and researched for a long time about said conditions. I work out what I think is appropriate treatment/investigations/referrals, take the relevant research and evidence and specifically ask for what I want. They recognise that in those instances I know more than they do and they follow my lead. I am yet to have asked for anything unnecessary or irrelevant.

Mine listens and treats you like an equal. She acts. I’ve had GPs before that dismissed you before you’d even finished explaining what the problem was (I used to go very infrequently so that wasn’t why!)

I have been with my GP for 20+ years. I rarely go now, but DS was born prematurely and we had a few scares in his first year. She always took me seriously and never made me feel daft for checking something out. Over the years she has remained interested in both me (I'm a HCP) and my DS and I feel there is real empathy and care.
But actually every doctor at the surgery has been fantastic, the receptionists will try and fit you in if it is urgent, they use a combination of telephone and in person appointments so you can choose.
It pains me that often GP's get such a negative press. Most are exceptionally hard working and try very hard to do their best.

Sounds like lots of people still get face to face appointments easily.

70% of all appointments are F2F.

I'm happy to have a phone or video consultation and then if their advice doesn't work or they deem a F2F, thats fine.

e.g i had a growing skin rash, he diagnosed a skin infection and via video asked me to draw a line around it & monitor its spread, in the meantime, he draw up a prescription, i collected a few hours later - responded to treatment and no need to see him.

On another occasion, after the phone call, they asked to come in and see him that day, referred to a consultant.

Our family GP is just fantastic, he is to the point and very professional so I don't know him on a personal level to say if he's lovely as such but he's a bloody excellent GP.

-Always a same day appointment regardless of urgency either telephone or face to face (my choice)

-I always select that I don't mind who deals with my enquiry on the online system yet it's always our GP that contacts me even if it's something a nurse might usually deal with

-If regarding DS always calls me back within a few minutes or so of putting in my enquiry to discuss/ ease any concerns/ arrange appointment if necessary

-Always takes time to discuss and explain things properly and has never made me feel dismissed as a first time mum

-Our surgery pharmacy usually dispenses same day prescriptions after 2pm but he has pushed prescriptions through much earlier for me if I've got plans for the day

-Recently contacted him worried about an abnormal mole, he just called me and told me to just pop over to the practice (2 minutes away) without an appointment and he would take a quick look for me

The whole practice is just run really well and all the staff are wonderful. I've been registered with a few different surgeries over the years so am well aware how incredibly lucky we are at the moment with our GP.

Love ours, they practice what they preach and are all about healthy living and disease prevention.
They are also very into general wellbeing, so are as likely to prescribe a non medical intervention.
They listen, I think they might have all done motivational interviewing courses!

I changed gp 2 years ago, I didn't have high expectations as my old gp was crap lol.

My new gp is amazing though, there's a few doctors there but the receptionists always try to get me in with the same 2, the receptionists are really nice and friendly (at my old doctors they acted like bouncers hahah),
But the 2 doctors I do see are just mega helpful.
It just feels like they have time for me, they don't rush me in appointments, they put a lot of effort in with my kids (making sure they're comfy etc, they always try to make my baby laugh and stuff) and they just seem really easy to speak to.

My old doctor, didn't seem to take me seriously, usually the doctor wasn't there so I'd get a random doctor, there wasn't any sort of comfort there I guess??

But my new ones are fab, if I ring up and need to see them but In struggling to get in, they get the actual doctor to ring me as soon as possible and they sort things for me really quickly.

With the doctors individually I guess a lot of it boils down to who they are as a person? Same with any other job
Like supermarket employees, some are super helpful and nice to speak to, some of them act like you've just punched them if you ask where the ketchup is. My old doctor just seemed like they couldn't be bothered lol. My new doctors must love their job

my gp has been away for some time, so I don't always see the same person (I did last year when it was a single recurring issue over a few months) - but the advantage of a largish practice is that I always get a sane day appointment - sometimes the next day if I contact them after 3pm.

I adore my GP. I had to see him fairly regularly over a 6 month period at one point and we got to know each other very well. He knows what I’m like and will give no nonsense advice. He’s thorough and friendly, and will always ask about my children. Just an all round nice guy