Getting cross with doctor’s surgery

[Airspice]

I’m seething over a situation and don’t know if i am being unreasonable feeling like this.

My 16 year old daughter has always had bad blackheads as a teen. In the last couple of months actual bad spots have developed and her skin looks red and she’s obviously very self conscious of it, we’ve had a fair amount of tears.

After trying several things, diet change, skin care options etc, today I decided something needed to be done. She has her Year 11 prom in June and is distraught at the thought of going with her spots as they are now.

With our docs we have to fill out a lengthy online form, with photos etc, and if we get that form in early enough on a day my doctor is actually working (she works part time 3 days a week) we might be lucky enough to get a call.

8.30 I’m furious filling out this form hoping to be one of todays ‘lucky ones’
2pm I get a phone call from the patient coordinator, a doctor has deemed this not medically urgent’ and so an appointment with my doctor is available on 4th April. Today is 7th March. So in FOUR weeks time.

As if that isn’t bad enough, that’s in the school Easter holidays and we are abroad! When I explain this the PC says ‘well you’ll have to fill out the form again when you get back’!!!! What, and then potentially wait ANOTHER four weeks?!

So then I said that this was too long to wait and we were more than happy to see another (ANY!) doctor. Oh no that’s not allowed unless it’s ‘medically urgent’. I said ‘well to my 16 year old daughter this IS urgent!

Nope, not urgent and tough shit basically. He says I can email and complain. So I do.

My points were:

1. Appalling that the first appointment available wasn’t for another 4 weeks.
2. It’s wrong that because my doctor works part time the wait is even longer. Not that I think she shouldn’t be part time, of course I don’t think that, but if she is part time another doctor should also be available to us if necessary.
3. No wonder mental health is through the roof when a self conscious teenage girl, who currently hates herself because of the issue, is being ‘left’ like this.
4. The whole ‘whoever fills out the online form from 8.30 in the quickest time, might get a call back’ way of making appointments is a pile of shite.
5. The whole system is crap.

And just purely coincidental, whilst furiously trying to fill in this form this morning, my work colleague who lives in a different area, also needed to see a doctor ‘non urgently’ today, so rang her doctors at 8.30 and got an appointment at 2pm today!!!!

WTAF??!! Where do we turn now?!

So…..

AIBU - doctors have enough on their plates without me ranting and putting in a complaint.
AINBU - the whole thing is an absolute mess and I have every right to be fucked off.

Thanks for this, we’ll try it!

I think four weeks is a decent time

Can we self prescribe?

Exactly @waterlellon I’m watching her self esteem and wellbeing diminish day by day!

Sorry OP, I think 4 weeks for acne is actually quite quick considering it’s such a non-urgent issue

If it was the same surgery it might be worth complaining about your mother's treatment. When you resubmit your appointment request explain your concern for your daughter's mental wellbeing.

I didn’t say it was urgent, I said it was urgent to her. The simple fact is no-one should have to wait weeks just for a quick visit and a prescription.

OP do you know a pharmacist can advise on this, you don’t actually need a GP?

YABU I had terrible acne from 13 into my late teens, early 20s - it never actually bothered me except for my Mother's continual blathering on about it and dragging me to the doctors etc which made me more miserable than the acne.

That sounds crap tbh. They could at least refer you to a dermatologist. Maybe look online see if you can self refer?

Poor poor service, does a gp need to physically see her, thought this was whole point to e consults and sending in photos. An antibiotic cream would be first port of call surely or a course of lymecyline

Someone does still prescribe but you just need to request what you want, fill in a symptoms form and might have to send pics. You would need to look into what you wanted.

FWIW last year I had to wait more than 4 weeks for an appointment for anxiety that was so severe I was being sick every day. It’s a postcode lottery though because I’ve since moved and can get an appointment the same week!

Tell them it's a mental health crisis. They'll have to see you that day.

I wouldn't even say it's an illness...

As awful as acne is for your daughter (and I do know because I had it horrifically as a teen), and as much as it may be an urgent medical issue for her. It's not actually an urgent medical issue in the NHS eyes.

If you're desperate to get her seen, maybe try a private GP appointment. They seem to average out at about £60 for a 15-30 minute appointment.

If her self esteem is tanking, there are plenty of online resources you can access to work on self love with her.

The problem isn't just lack of funding. It's the general rules and approach. No point having an e-consult if you switch it off after an hour.

And then making people go to a doctor for OTC products. My mum has thrush due to taking antibiotics, but she is too old to buy Canesten over the counter. Her GP insists on using e-consult and you can't get a prescription without using it. It is switched off at 4pm (which isn't even that bad, as some switch off once "full" which could be 8.30am).

How is she meant to get the medication she needs?

Answer: by lying and telling a different pharmacist that she is buying it for a (younger) neighbour who's working and can't get to the pharmacy herself.

What sort of system is that? If GPs are overworked, why not have a nurse/paramedic practitioner dealing with this sort of thing? Some have prescribing powers.

The OP's dd should be able to get a nurse's appointment at the very least. And those saying it's not urgent - it is urgent if it causes psychological problems and I also think that under 18s should be prioritised.

If you're desperate to get her seen, maybe try a private GP appointment. They seem to average out at about £60 for a 15-30 minute appointment

Where my mum lives they cost £120 and there is a three week wait, which indicates how desperate people are getting.

They even say that the suicide rates and mental health issues of people on isotretinoin can't always be separated from that of people with severe acne. It's not one pimple or two. If it's bad cystic or acne that scars or is painful or covers a large area it can have a HUGE impact

Acne is a complex issue and I doubt that even with an appointment now, it would be resolved before the prom. Different treatments react differently for many people. If you know that your surgery is slow then you should have been on top of this a lot more quickly. In the mean time can you look in to seeing a private dermatologist? I think that that would be the only way you would be seen and treated in such a short timescale. My DC saw a dermatologist on the NHS but only after a year of trying g.p. prescribed treatments. They have a pathway to work through so that they aren't giving people treatment that is too harsh for them.

We were very fortunate as our surgery were happy to prescribe Lymecycline. I wish I'd taken DC sooner. I think they saw it as a quick win. Not sure if it can be prescribed by an online doctor? We saw an improvement within a few weeks (though were warned it could take up to 6 months)

Read only today that the use of benzoyl peroxide (Acnecide) is being questioned now. Potentially harmful. I need to read more.

Although OP you are lucky to be offered an appointment at all. 4 weeks isn't actually that bad. But I totally understand that you are mad about it, and it should be considered to be terrible. It's an indication of how bad things have got that people think that you are being even remotely unreasonable.

My mum was told that the GPs are chocker with appointments for people with diabetes etc. Well why isn't there a clinic for them with a nurse, so the GPs can deal with other stuff? Many surgeries do have (or had) different clinics for different needs.

You may find this helpful OP: https://www.changingfaces.org.uk/advice-guidance/condition-specific-information/acne/#:~:text=who%20has%20acne-,What%20acne%20support%20can%20we%20offer%3F,counselling%20and%20wellbeing%20support%20service.

SIL is a dermatologist and the waiting times are awful. Skin cancers are being prioritised.

Seems to be the way it's going now. It's hard to see a doctor.😥

Take her to a good beautician that can have a look at her face properly with a wood lamp and assign her appropriate products to use on her face. Monthly facials.

What can the doctor do?