To think GP surgeries shouldn’t be closed over Easter weekend? [Title edited by MNHQ]

[Albertslittletie]

AIBU unreasonable to think there’s no reason for Gp surgeries to be closed for four days over Easter weekend? They aren’t even closed for this long over Christmas.
Why does this happen? I don’t work in the NHS but I don’t understand why most other services seem to run apart from a GP surgery, doesn’t this just force people towards A and E?

Probably because we’re all burnt out and need a break.
Oh yes and because we aren’t contracted to! Do you go to work on days you aren’t paid to?

Oh, forgot to say YABU

They are exhausted and they need a break.

Why should anyone have 4 days off then? There's loads of people who get the long weekend. And loads that don't. Should we just take it off everyone? Weekends too, fuck them!

There are plenty of emergency/urgent services available for the 2 extra days that are needed. Same as what is available every single weekend.

If Christmas Day falls on a Saturday and Boxing Day on the Sunday normal working days are Friday then Wednesday due to the two BH Mon and Tues
So yes you are being massively unreasonable it's been like that forever - that's why there is out of hours cover

Shop workers don't get double pay for working on bank holidays.

This is like the shop thread the other day. Let people have a fucking break. Let them be. Let them close their store and have the day off or have the day with staff doing bits behind the scenes in peace. Let GPs spend time with their families. Just leave people alone.

I say this as someone who used to work all weekends and bank holidays and Christmas’s etc etc, it’s shit. Just fucking let people take a damned break.

Stupid stupid Post honestly

Rishi- is that you?

If you're a small business, which most GP surgeries are, it's difficult to cover for holidays. Much easier if you have more staff and more flexibility.

They'd closed anyway over the weekend so it's only the Monday and Friday they have off and there'll be an out of hours service for emergency appointments. They deserve a break as much as anyone!

GPs aren't contracted for out of hours due to the govt changing their contract

I’m so glad you are getting the support you need ❤️

I understand that - I guess my question is:
1: why is this logic applied to GPs and not other healthcare and support workers who continue to work and
2: what is the reason that there aren’t enough staff to cover the holiday (which lots have answered).

I am, and the GP put that in place. I've just had to move practice as my old one is oversubscribed and the care not as good, but I still don't begrudge them a holiday. Do you not know anyone who works in the NHS, and just how knackered they are , all the time?

GP surgeries are not part of the NHS as such. They are private business that hold contracts with the NHS and therefore will do what is outlined in the contract. If there is no provision for bank holiday working in the contract, why should they work for free?
My practice used to hold a bank holiday and Sunday contract as an additional service, and uptake on these days was minimal.

I’m confused that people don’t understand this.

Imagine you wanted to employ someone to clean your house. But your house was filthy, and you weren’t offering much money, so every time you advertised, no one wanted the job. Would you decide to add “cleaning the garage too” to the job description (still at the same hours and rate of pay)? If you couldn’t get anyone to do the job in the first place, are you likely to get someone to do the job when you’ve made it worse?

We are already short of GPs. New doctors don’t want to be GPs, and existing GPs are leaving. If they were expected to work on bank holidays, do you think there’d be more doctors wanting to be GPs, or fewer doctors wanting to be GPs?
Genuine question.

All outpatients areas will be closed for the long weekend. Elective surgery is not on. But inpatient areas, care workers, care homes etc will all be working because people rely on their care every day. GPs are for routine healthcare which can be done any other day of the week, or emergency care which will get taken over by NHS 24 as it is every other weekend or bank holidag. I really don't understand your issue

Shouldn’t you be more focused on ways to support more people within such roles to have more time off? Rather than demanding highly stressed people work more to suit you and your needs?

It’s impossible to get an appointment at any time with mine. You have to ring at 8.00 and ask to speak to a doctor. It is possible to hang on for an hour! The GP webpage lets you make an appointment but there are none available for six weeks! I live in london. No wonder people go to A and E inappropriately.

I agree. I'm bewildered that people aren't getting this.

I would love for you to point out where I’ve demanded GPs and the supporting staff should be dragged into a building to work?

I would really like it if this conversation could remain constructive - there’s a fair amount of snark creeping in. I’m really keen to learn more about how the system actually works and there’s been some really informative answers.

theres no need to start flame wars.

That’s really interesting! I had no idea it was contracted out.

As others have said, General practice is not an emergency service. It is for routine issues, and most practices will provide some on the day availability (for which demand is incredibly high at the moment). There should be a GP out of hours service in all areas of England at least, to deal with any urgent issues.

There are some HUGE problems in primary care currently, most of which the population are not aware of, but are feeling the fallout from…. GPs have been dealing with a massive dumping of unfunded work from all manner of other services which are also struggling (secondary care, mental health, paramedics, district nurses etc etc). This coupled with long hospital waiting times, an increasingly aging and medically complex population, as well as practices folding all over, has put huge demands on the capacity practices can offer. There is a a lot of staff sickness to deal with. The government have been massively underfunding primary care for at least the last 10 years, resulting in many practices now not able to keep up with costs due to inflation and as mentioned by pp handing back of contracts. 1500 practices have closed in the past 5 years alone, putting further pressure on existing surgeries.

The government and NHSE have been dictating the types of staff which practices and primary care networks can employ - guess what, there is funding for all manner of people like mental health workers, pharmacy technicians, social prescribers, nurse associates but NONE for employing more GPs or practice nurses. so the number of GPs continues to fall, because the workload is increasing, expectations of what we can deliver are unrealistic and GP partners have had large real term pay cuts year on year. GPs are leaving in their droves, retiring early and many young doctors are not choosing primary care to train in.

Patients are understandably getting frustrated at the long waits for routine appointments and not understanding when all our on the day availability is gone by 8.30/9am. and it needs to change, but the blame lies solely at the government’s feet. There appears to have been a systematic destruction of primary care for years, which really makes you consider what the agenda is…

I am a GP - I work “part time”
According to some I am part of the problem.
my “part time” Is 36 hrs per week.
I am 59 - I would become very unwell working “ full time” - 70 plus hrs per week.
I am doing an extra shift at our local emergency centre tomorrow - to help.
I love my job but it is utterly exhausting- physically but especially emotionally.
I need my weekend off.

Because your thread is literally about GP surgeries being open on bank holidays which means that they would be forced to come into work?

I don’t see how you can’t understand that? How’s what you’re suggesting any different?

And I don’t say ‘dragged into work’, don’t change what point to fit your narrative.
And I don’t think it’s snark at all. You’ve made a hugely unreasonable suggestion and people are explaining to you that’s it’s highly unreasonable.