to expect my GP receptionist to not block me from seeking treatment?

[GoldenCagedBird]

Been dealing with a thrombosed, prolapsed pile since Saturday. It’s my first one, never had one before nor a history of poo problems. Came on very quickly. (I have been moaning about it on another thread in chat-
sorry for the constant threads about my bumhole)

In agony. Can’t walk properly. Can’t parent properly. Can’t sit. Breastfeeding, holding my baby, pushing my pram- all hurt and put pressure on the area. The pile has just got more and more blue and angry. I constantly feel it pulsing.

Spoke to a doctor on Monday who prescribed me the prescription-only steroid cream, painkillers and other stuff to ward off any constipation. Strict instructions to call back if the pile doesn’t seem to be improving in 48 hours.

It’s been over 48 hours. The strong painkillers manage the pain, but I can still ‘feel it’ pulsing and need to stay topped up with alarms. No shrinkage, if anything it’s gotten bigger (plum sized)

I called back today and this was how the exchange went.

Me- ‘Good morning, just calling the doctor back. My name is xyz abc. Date of birth- 11th novembuary 2003. I was prescribed some steroid treatment for a severe pile and was told call back in 48 hours if it hasn’t improved’.

GPR- ‘Hello there, we are only doing acute illnesses and emergencies today so you will need to call back tomorrow. Goodby-‘

me interjecting- ‘I have a blue, pulsating pile protruding from my anus the size of a plum, I can barely walk, I’m struggling to look after my child, I’m in constant pain without the naproxen, the doctor told me to call back if the steroids prescribed hadn’t improved the situation.’

GPR deep audible sigh - ‘I’ll put you on the list for the doctor to call you. Bye.’

Is this a common exchange now? I’m in quite good health and haven’t had to call the GP in a while. My first appointment on Monday, the receptionist at least asked what was wrong and triaged me accordingly.

I completely get that gate keeping needs to be done as they are so stretched, but it just felt really mean and unhelpful.

@babsanderson I understand the underlying causes but this has been going on for a very long time, pre-Brexit when I still lived in England as well. I also think that the statement 'people go to the Dr for minor issues' is also an issue - people in the UK are actively advised against going to the doctor's and it's seen as a badge of honour not to see a doctor unless a limb is falling off - and as a result, you see people asking for medical advice on forums like this one. To give you an example, my kid's paediatrician in Canada was appalled when I didn't bring in my then 3 year old so for an appointment sooner when he had a fever of 39C for 3 days. Turns out he had the flu and needed urgent treatment. He told me that we should never hesitate to book an appointment - worst case we'll be told it's a minor issue and sent home. Also, sore throats are always tested for strep - at walk-ins or doctor's offices. Anyway, I'm ranting because it makes me sad to see and I still have family in England. I also still stand by the expression 'beg' because more often that not you have to convince a receptionist to give you an appointment, by sharing sensitive medical information and asking multiple times.

Last week I was met with a gatekeeper receptionist - A long-waited for doctor's appointment (face to face, having already had a telephone appointment with them) was cancelled on the day as the doctor was off sick, and I had a text message to say call the surgery. Which I did, and was questioned in some detail about why I needed the appointment in the first place - it was for my 11 year old who has been complaining of coccyx pain that hasn't improved. When I told the receptionist why, I was met with a monologue about 'we don't really do face to face appointments for things like this' and she didn't want to rebook for a different doctor. I had to really push for it and it left me furious - if a doctor has decided a face to face appointment is needed for a patient, what fucking right has a receptionist to try and prevent it?

I hope you feel better soon OP. Receptionists like this are real and giant pain.

@SiennaSienna Are things better in Canada then? Just curious how different countries compare.

OP didn’t go to A&E, ffs, nor is she saying it’s life threatening. She’s asking for an appointment to speak to her General Practitioner, as instructed, because the treatment she’s been prescribed hasn’t worked within the timeframe advised. It’s hardly entitled behaviour.

My doctors surgery are useless, all they have done since covid is make me a ‘prescribed medicine’ drug addict, dishing them out without question. Not one review at all in that time!

Wishing you all the best OP, I hope someone somewhere can do something for you.

It's impossible to get though on the phone to mine now. I did their online form and wrote dowm my symptoms. I got a message back saying we won't see you, check your symptoms on the NHS symptom checker. The symptom checker says I need to speak to GP. I did another online form telling them that and they said they won't see me, it's emergencies only for the foreseeable future. I've given up.

This is what I hate about doctors surgeries now. A receptionist is just that, a receptionist. I don't like having to divulge my health problems with a non health professional, who then gets to decide how important my health problem is, with their non doctorate training, and assess whether I need help or not (to be seen by a doctor or just a call or whatever).

Triage nurse is a different story. Give me one of those any day!

Our gp’s receptionists only give out appointments if you tell them why you need to see a doctor.
Then they decide if in their non medical opinion it warrants seeing a dictor

Not that when you see the doctor you actually get anywhere to a diagnosis

I have taken to booking a 111 doctor as at least you don’t have to waste upteen appointments where nothing gets done and then you end up in A&E because all your skin is falling off your face because a doctor told you that you couldn’t possibly be allergic to hyaluronic acid.

Turns out it took my skin off during the allergy test Not that my GP surgery think you can test for allergies. My daughter wanted to book her own but was told firstly that there was no such thing and secondly after she said that I had a patch test and that was what she wanted.
Dd was told I made it up about having an allergy test and I wasn’t to be believed.
When Dd said she had seen all the stuff attached to my back they insisted it was fake and I had made the patch test up myself.

I also have had enough with GP receptionists at my health centre. It’s just ridiculous, most are trying to get you off the phone as quick as possible. OP you have my full sympathy. Hope things improve soon.

Why is it hell, unless they make it so ?

Since Autumn I've been getting frequent text message before 8am from my GP surgery saying that they are overwhelmed, understaffed, have very few appointments available and can only deal with emergencies.

I imagine it must be pretty hellish being a receptionist in that surgery, having to tell people that they can't get an appointment.

I've had mostly bad experiences with GP receptionists who are almost always (in my experience) dragons with little empathy or people-skills, but right now I think they are trying to do the impossible and I really feel for them.

20th December 8am. Rang the surgery because my partner who has a vascular ulcers on his leg woke up in agony and when I checked under the dressing, the skin was angry and the wound was weeping - dressed two days earlier by district nurses who, at that point, were coming once a week and were fantastic. He has ischaemic heart disease, has lost a leg due to the same vascular problems causing the ulcer I was reporting as worse, and is diabetic which doesn’t help. She told me there were no more appointments left and that ‘if I was worried’ I should ring 111. Which I did. They were useless. After referring on to the triage nurse they decided that my partner should ring the local pharmacy who could prescribe appropriate antibiotics until I could get an appointment with my GP. Thank God I didn’t. I got him to A&E at our local hospital and they checked his records and got a vascular consultant down. He was admitted immediately and put on IV antibiotics for two days, then discharged into the care of daily district nurses to make sure the wound wasn’t showing signs of gangrene. I have absolutely no faith in GPs for a number of reasons and this experience just reinforced it.

Hyaluronic acid ? As in face cream ? Why did you end up with your ‘face falling off’ when you could have done a patch test on the back of your hand ?

Did you phone when the surgery opened, or late in the day? Obviously bookable appointments will have gone by late in the day. We get tired of the people who play the system, can't be bothered to call at 8 when the surgery opens, and then demand an appointment, always saying it's urgent. I'm not saying that is you, but there are a lot of people do this.

@dollytot That's a good question. It's not a perfect system over here and each province is different although healthcare is free. The conservative led provinces are unfortunately trying to run down the public system by not spending federal healthcare Dollars in order to bring in private alternatives (they are spending on unnecessary highways instead of healthcare staff but I digress) My experience (admittedly in a wealthy, middle class part of Ontario) has been fantastic - GP appointments are same day or in the same week, specialist referrals as necessary. Walk-in clinics for out of hours appointments and open access to paediatric hospitals for kids emergencies and general care. Waiting times for non-urgent care can be long however. Ideally, I'd love to see a French or German system with parallel public and private options, which would bring down general waiting times. Unfortunately, I foresee American style privatisation instead thanks to our Conservatives and their American healthcare lobbyists.

Because so many people were doing this we have recently been told to only let people have a triaged appointment if they are really pushing for it/sounds really urgent.

oops I meant 'waiting times for non urgent specialist care can be long'

before the pandemic I had to make a follow-up apointment in person after seeing another medical professional. Handed over my letter to the receptionist at the GP. She glanced down, back up at me, and in the most patronising voice "um, WHY do you need this appointment?" like I'd asked her for a fucking kidney. It was an upsetting thing (not life threatening but had been something ongoing for a long time), and I couldn't help myself, I just came out with, "um, why don't you READ the letter?"

I get appointments but I have to fight and argue. I am articulate and unintimidated by doctors. This gave me the confidence to question a registrar who ignored a potentially life threatening condition.
I am aware every single time this happens that my local area is full of far less assertive privileged and fluent English speakers than myself. They haven't a hope of navigating this system.

OP, you are NBU.

I am prescribed a extremely common medication, but for an off-label indication (ie for a slightly niche medical reason). Every single time I contact my surgery to renew my prescription, the reception staff triage me into the wrong prescribing route, no matter how carefully I explain.

I frequently end up having to have multiple appointments just to get a single prescription renewal because I invariably get sent to see the wrong clinician. This wastes my time and the clinician's time, and often means I end up missing doses because I can't get the right appointment before I run out.

Im sorry you didn’t get the result you wanted!

I do think GP receptionists can be a little curt at times, but you never know who they’ve dealt with that morning. They could have had patients yelling at them, or an influx of non urgent stuff and people demanding to be seen.

Ar our GP practice EVERYTHING is phone triaged. Emergencies are same day, and routine appointments are usually 2-3 weeks away.

After the phone call, when I’ve needed to be seen, they’ve called me in the same day.

I think that’s just the post covid world we live in.

Sympathy btw - I had a thrombosed pile too, although it was grape sized. Very blue and pretty painful, although not unbearable. It did shrink back after treatment but it took a week!

I love it if you have any sort of illness with sudden onset during the day after 8am you are screwed.

My son has issues with his breathing when he gets a cough, he's still not diagnosed with Asthma due to his age, he's 4. He's been to hosptal around 5 times with breathing difficulties (gasping and turning blue, not a little wheeze). He came home from school and I realised he was unwell and his inhaler was very empty, I rang the doctors at 3.30pm to say he had a cough come on and his breathing was wheezy, once he lies down to sleep he'll need his inhaler as a matter of urgency and its empty. I was told no appointments, I said I don't want one, I just want another prescription to pick an inhaler up. No. You've just changed doctors and there's no repeat prescription on the record so the doctor can't without an appointment. OK can I wait at the end of the surgery as he'll not be able to breathe later. No. OK what do you suggest? Go to A+E. He doesnt need A+E right now, are you proposing I wait until its an emergency and he can't breathe rather than trying to squeeze us in and getting an inhaler to prevent a trip to a+e. Well yes... so would you like the appointment tomorrow or shall I cancel. Well I need an appointment or we'll never be able to get an inhaler! (I'll add my husband had already rang up before me and been met with the same reply and I told him he clearly didn't explain the urgency, he said he did and they said no 🤣, he was right!)

I ended up going to my parent's house and getting a spare inhaler my dad has (same inhaler). Good job i did he did need it in the night several times. When I saw the gp the next day for the appointment I told him about my exchange with the receptionist, he was horrified and told me there's always space at the end of the day for emergencies like this. He said I want you to book another appointment for 2 weeks time and take spirometry measurements twice a day. I said well it'll be 6 weeks time when we see you as I can't book anything sooner according to your receptionist, as by magic he said "I see, ok I will book you an appointment now for 2 weeks time", and booked one for us.

Everyone is treated like a time waster at the moment. I haven't visited the doctors for myself since 2015, I only make appointments when it's something serious, I hate the attitude you are met with. I will be changing doctors, my old GPS had a wonderful online system where the doctor read your online requests, no receptionist in the way, an amazing service. I had mastitis just after giving birth 18 months ago, I messaged that I was v unwell (in bed and couldnt lift my head ill) and knew it was mastitis (3rd child), gp rang within 30min and offered an appointment that day (I didn't want it, just a prescription, first time having antibiotics as an adult ill add!). If I rang my new GPS I'd have had to beg for an appointment using their shitty telephone system and hope they felt my raging infection warranted an appointment, according to their years of intense training 🤣.

GP receptionists must not, can not and should not triage patients. The GP surgeries know this. Complain in writing OP.
On another note, I had this after my first-the pain! I remember the home midwife had a look and felt so sorry for me. Anyway, GP said you need proctosedyl ointment AND the suppositories to kick it. They worked pretty quickly. Hope you get sorted.

My surgery you ring for an in the day appointment either at 8am or 2pm.