To be appalled by this new system at the GPS

[Comedycook]

Haven't had to go for a while but my DC needs to see a doctor. We used to call up in the morning to get a same day appointment or we could book in advance.. usually a two week wait. Called up this morning and told next available appointment is over a 4 week wait. I asked what happens if you need to someone more urgently. Was told that what happens is a paramedic will phone you and triage you over the phone. They then decide if you need to see a doctor. Wtf. I hate this stupid country.

There are so many conditions whereby you don't need urgent care but you also can't wait a month for help. Also, what about work and school. How do you know if you are going to be granted access to a doctor that day after your phone call from the paramedic? Do you keep your DC off school, do you take the day off work just in case they can see you?

As for myself I have several minor health niggles and in all honesty, it's not worth even trying to see a doctor so I just live with it. However, I obviously wouldn't do that when it comes to my DC.

To be fair, I felt sorry for the receptionist. No wonder so many people just turn up at A&E.

There aren't enough GP's, and due to this phone triage works to reduce the number of people taking up GP appointments who don't completely need them. Do the phone triage, and if your child needs to be seen, they will be seen.

Similar system in place at our GP's makes sense. More things end up being "urgent" than I expected though.

I can foresee a whole new standard system in the future where you get online consults with doctors for a fee.

A phone triage system makes perfect sense means face to face appointments can be saved for where they are needed and with the right person

Seems like a great system. You have a medically trained professional instead of a receptionist who can allocate urgent appointments appropriately to ensure they go to those who need them. If it can't wait a month they will get you an appointment.

What is it you don't think is fair about this?

Phone triage works well, or completing an econsult. I got a face to face appointment within 24 hours because it was deemed appropriate. On another occasion I submitted photos, a doctor called me and then prescribed. I didn't see him face to face but I didn't need to.

You say you felt sorry for the receptionist. I hope you weren't rude to her. She's only doing the job she's been asked to do.

Well, there ARE lots of times when people don't need to see a doctor, to be fair, so a triage system sounds very sensible. Any GP will tell you that too many of their appointments are taken up by people who really shouldn't be there.

And why would you feel sorry for the receptionist unless you were a complete cow to them? In which case that is entirely on you whether you agree with the system or not. They won't have made the decision to change the system will they

Are you joking? It’s not a great system. It’s an embarrassment and a disgrace. The country is falling apart.

Since when is it the role of a paramedic to step into the role of a GP? That’s misuse of them, surely. We have GP call back.

Seems very sensible to me, my GP does this via a form on the website first. So much can be sorted via phone or message.

Because I was trying to understand this new system so I had lots of questions for her. I wasn't rude...I was surprised and shocked.

I know OP it’s a crap system and not fit for purpose.
Of course there aren’t enough GP’s because they retired en masse due to the pension threshold or they’re so highly paid they only work part time. Who can blame them?

It's not a great system. What if a parent needs to work? How do they know if the paramedic will say they can see a doctor or not? Do they chance it and go to work and dash home if there's an appointment or do they lose a day's work and stay at home so they can be available to get to the doctor's.

My doctor surgery have had a message about not taking calls about non urgent matters. This has been the case for over a year. I am waiting to book a smear. Every few weeks I call, hear no non urgent calls, to try again another day. I call the next day, same so I leave it. Like a said. It's been a year. There's got to be appointments but I've no idea how anyone gets seen.

We know the system is not fit for purpose, but I don't know what you're complaining about - just go for the triage, what's the problem?

Well if the child is well enough to go to childcare/school and the parent ok to go to work then I would assume there isn’t goinb to be an urgent need to see a doctor that day!

If you think it's a good system you must have Stockholm syndrome.

I bet if you told someone from any developed country that in the UK, you can't routinely take your child to see a doctor, they'd be horrified.

We are not wealthy but we're reasonably comfortable...DH just said worse comes to the worse, we will have to see a gp privately and suck up the cost. I feel like this is exactly what they want. We already pay for private speech therapy because the NHS discharged us.

Since people started demanding urgent appointments with the GP because they've woken up with a sore throat and a bit of a cough.

It's a disgraceful system. I understand that it helps to stop "time wasters" booking a face to face consultation with a GP but it's at the detriment of most other people. I also am not able to sit at my phone ringing 20+ times to get through and then if I do get through, have my phone on me at all times to answer a call from the GP at some point that day. They refuse to ring back a second time if you miss it.

Well same day appointments are for urgent things not convenience unfortunately. If its urgent assume you will get an appointment and plan accordingly.

@Zippetydooda or they work part time (which is about 35hrs in 3 days) because they want a better work life balance, have children that need childcare or the stress of the job is overwhelming and need to ensure they don’t burn out.

This

We've had this system at our surgery for years, although not with a paramedic (that does seem odd) you get a call back from the duty doctor at some point that day and they decide if they need to see you/you need to see a practice nurse/they might just do a prescription over the phone etc.
Works brilliantly in my opinion and they've seen my girls within hours at the surgery if it's been necessary.

Well if the child is well enough to go to childcare/school and the parent ok to go to work then I would assume there isn’t goinb to be an urgent need to see a doctor that day!

I can think of numerous ailments and illnesses whereby my DC could go to school but wouldn't want to wait a month to be seen. A while ago my DC had an ongoing problem with constipation. Not necessarily urgent but they need to be seen sooner than a month away and they don't need a day off school.