To find that going to the doctors doesn't resolve the issue

[Mairzydotes]

I've recently had an appointment and it's got me thinking that I always feel fobbed off ( I feel a bit fobbed off with this one too)and they never solve the issue.

Once I had been referred for a scan , and when I spoke to a clinician for a follow up, I was told the nurse who referred me was working their notice and was referring everyone , and they wouldn't be doing anything further.

The only time I've ever felt like my issues have been taken seriously, and dealt with was in pregnancy, when my pre-eclampsia showed up in my ante- natal check up.

Some people make appointments and it seems like the health care professionals bend over backwards to help them and I feel dismissed. And these are about physical things , that can be seen . I dread to think what mental health would be like.

Does anyone else find this happens to them?

My mum went to her GP repeatedly with the same symptoms, constantly fobbed off with the standard ‘it’s your age/stress’. Then one day she collapsed when out shopping. Taken to hospital and had to have a five hour operation to fix the problem with her heart which was causing all her issues.

She then went back to the same GP a few years later as we were concerned about her balance and shakes. Fobbed off again by him. It wasn’t until she saw a locum for a totally unrelated issue that it was finally picked up that she had Parkinson’s. Had the initial GP listened to her she would have been on medication much sooner and wouldn’t be as bad as she is now. Took four years to get the correct diagnosis. I’m beyond angry.

I wonder if the 50% happen to all be women who are pre-diagnosed as psychosomatic?

I think we should all be warning our kids that as soon as you accept anti-depressants or anti-anxiety meds that will be the only thing your GP and other HC professionals will see. A good friend was repeatedly told she had costochondritis (all in her head made up pain because of her anxiety) when it was a pulmonary embolism - they turned her away twice before she ended up in an ambulance unable to breathe.

I think it would help if you could actually see the same doctor. I haven't seen the one I put on forms since 2010 when I moved to my surgery. I just about remember what he looks like but I've had about 6 appointments since then with others, one of which was an old man who had to look up "depo-provera" in a book from 2005 (this was in 2018).

I'm not trying to shame doctors as I do think the situation with funding is a political move and I know doctors don't train for that long and get into that much debt to do a rubbish job. Like any of us, if you are going into a work place with the odds stacked against you and no help in sight, they must be running low on everything and mistakes are bound to happen.

As a previous poster said, vote right (or rather left!).

I know this will be unpopular but i tend to avoid Drs now and go to a naturopath when I get ill. I also try alternative therapies. It seems to work for me, I found out that most of my ailments including a suppressed immune system were anxiety related

Can I ask the people who have gone private, how you actually go private ?! I googled private gp in my area...got a result of a private clinic where all the doctors specialised in cosmetic things. I'd happily pay to see a private gp but don't know how to go about it!

You really do have to push these days. I saw a different GP for post menopausal bleeding several times over months. I was prescribed medication for it. On the patient information leaflet it said to take with caution if you have any blood clotting disorder, which I have. So I queried whether I should take it. The GP asked the gynae consultant at the hospital and explained my circumstances.

I suddenly has a two week cancer referral! And guess what, I had cancer. The scan showed a 6cm x 10cm tumour which had been secreting hormones causing the bleeding.

I knew the bleeding wasn’t right but you take yourself off to the GP and trust them to come up with answers. I complained to the practice manager but I was fobbed off. At the time I wasn’t in a good place, so we just changed doctors and I didn’t follow it up.

Once you find a private hospital with the consultant you want to see (i.e check for ENT or whatever specialist you need) you just call them and ask. They sometimes do payment plans. A friend went private for a breast augmentation for example and it cost around £6k which she could pay in a lump sum (sounds like a bad pun!) or monthly. The receptionist can explain or the hospital's website usually explains it somewhere. There are private insurance companies such as BUPA where you pay a set amount per month. Then if you have an issue you'd call BUPA, they usually write to you to confirm the amount of treatment, eg x1 ultrasound or scan, x1 consultation and the costings, go to your local private hospital and fill out forms with the numbers BUPA give you (which link to your account) and they pay for you.

It is a lot quicker but not a system I think we should start relying on fully.

The nursing team deals with contraception and routine things here. I've always found the nurses better than doctors, to be honest .

But we shouldn't be settling the bar so low that we think appropriate treatment is exceptional.

Do you have any private hospitals in your area? For example, we have a Spire hospital near to us. My DH paid to see a GP there. He had half an hour and a thorough examination. He had plenty of time to have all his questions answered.

https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-leicester-hospital/treatments/private-gp-services/

In terms of going private , sometimes the gp will point to in the right direction. Obviously, that's when they believe there is something wrong.

I don’t think you can blame this on the government. The change has definitely been since Covid.

If you can get to see them in the first place...!

I get so tired of having to push for everything. I had a GP appointment for my daughter that was cancelled last minute (after waiting weeks for it). They then asked me to rebook it, which makes no sense for me - you know the appointment has been cancelled, you have access to the schedule, why not just rebook it when it was cancelled? So, I send a message, and the appointment is rebooked. The GP refers for blood tests, which I have to book. I have to ask for the results, and am just told they are normal, so no further action required. Except, of course, my daughter is still ill. So, I book another appointment, and am told her iron is low. It's like they hope that you will get bored and go away!

On the plus side, I self-referred to physiotherapy, and was pleasantly surprised by how simple that was. That was booked through an app, so I could choose the time and location of my appointment, and was seen pretty quickly.

@Rainydayinlondon No, I haven't seen my actual GP since 2010! See my other posts.

We have the same as you (hopeless phone service) so I've basically given up. I'm told now that if you go in and ask for an appointment they tell you to go home and do it online!

DH was very ill recently - possible sepsis. We went through 111 to get antibiotics that didn't work because they'd not had a urine test, if course. Long story short, a lot of faffing and reviews of the tests. Got there eventually but he never did see a doctor face to face. He was off work for 5 weeks.

@Pocketfullofdogtreats my friend who had the pulmonary embolism still hasn't seen her GP 4 months later! It's really absurd how you can be so ill and have to rely on the hospital and no aftercare from the GP. Sorry for your DH, shocking care.

I don't think I would deal very well with the receptionist telling me to go home and try again after 2 months of rude hanging ups and app saying no local appointments for 16 weeks (there's no option for looking further ahead than that!). I'm glad you warned that might happen as I am debating going in to ask for an appointment as they've suggested or going privately to a specialist a friend uses. If I could have proper access to my notes (blood tests and scans should be on the app, or that's what I thought we were told would happen) then I could potentially show my records to a new practitioner for their advice. It's frustrating having no access when you know you've had a blood test recently, for example.

I have to say I feel very lucky with our GP practice as you can get to see someone within a couple of weeks normally. And they do have same day appointments for emergencies if you call first thing.
But once you're in, they have a ten minute appointment policy, you can tell how rushed and under pressure they are. Despite the fact they seem nice and well meaning people, they don't have time to take a history, or think beyond the first quick fix. Which isn't normally a fix!

I know several people who had to go private. Only then did they get tests needed to check for and diagnose their physical conditions. All had been repeatedly fobbed off by their NHS GPs and told it was anxiety or depression. They appreciate they're lucky they could afford to go private. So many people can't afford to.

One of the people I know has been left unable to work. By the time they got diagnosed their health had deteriorated so much. Another one got a warning letter from the practice manager. Labelled a 'difficult patient' for 'too many visits' and threatened with deregistration. She wanted to change GPs anyway but it was distressing for her especially as she had some difficult stuff going on at home (DV). It's also not always easy changing GPs with some having strict catchment areas.

It definitely seems to vary by practice. My own experience (different area and different GP) was good. Although it was 15 year years ago so who knows if I'd have had the same good experience if it was more recent.

Doctor fobbing off is definitely relevant imo to the government's concerns about the number of people signed off sick. How many people would still be working if their doctors took them seriously at early stage? How many have been misdiagnosed with mental health problems when it's actually a physical issue?

I find that the number 1 objective of the GP is to get you out of their office. That’s if you can get there in the first place. If you phone up ours, they just say “no appointments, phone at 8am another day”.

I do think that this is part of the reason why we have many people on long term sickness. I bet thousands of them need/needed medical help that was totally inaccessible.

I have discomfort/pain in the top of my ribs. Sent for chest x-ray and scan. Quite lucky to get referred really. Nothing found but person doing scan said I have a fatty liver. GPs made no reference when I contacted for all the results, I queried the fatty liver I'd been told about - no interest, don't give me a diet sheet, give me a link to any site where I can fid out more information - all done through the receptionist

So I've done a bit of research myself but it's a mine field. I'm desperately trying to lose weight. I don't drink very often 1-2 units a month and I'm trying to cut down on coffee/tea. I don't eat meat. If I get full blown liver disease it's going to cost the NHS a fortune - what about those who don't have access to the internet?

I've also found no after care from GPs after seeing a consultant. Had investigations and have hiatus hernia. Told results at hospital - nothing from GP just a text message to say they'd put a prescription out for Omeprazole

I feel this lack of engagement with patients will lead to more expensive costs further down the line which in many cases could be avoided

Nobody in our house bothers with the GP anymore, I've had pain in my breasts for months but fortunately got routine scan letter last week. I had to have a biopsy under mammogram last time, I'm a bit anxious. I really should have gone to the GP but as people point out getting an appointment is difficult.

Edited to clarify and make a bit shorter

Oh my have been brilliant and for me nothing serious, but I honestly think their system is fab. Nothing I need a same day appointment for so I don’t bother ringing and fill in online triage within a few hours you have either a notification they will call or an appointment either a few days time or following week. I had a call from the dr in March about an issue and he phoned and we chatted and as it wanted to examine me he asked if I was local today (I was wfh) and about 5 mins away so I just drove down and was seen after about 10 mins back waiting, it was fab and just waiting on my referral scan next week

I always go in knowing what I want to get out of it, and won’t leave until I’ve had that discussion. Sometimes it helps to write down things so you don’t forget once you’re in there.

It's more and more hard to get resolutions, even if you are polite but firm, and insistent. The whole 'fighting all the time' is wearing.

I completely agree, primary care is infuriating right now, and I say that as a nurse who works in primary care. I’ve gone private for almost every significant health issue I’ve had over the last few years.

Everything is dealt with in such a cursory fashion, nobody has time to take a full detailed history with which they might actually find the problem, when blood tests have been requested, they’ve not requested a comprehensive set of bloods that would actually exhaustively exclude swathes of issue, etc.

You are not being unreasonable at all, and it makes me feel even more lucky that this isn't my experience at all.

My experience - across two different surgeries:

• have had rosacea for years. Was referred to dermatology, tried several different topical treatments. Was referred and agreed for laser therapy which I completed last year. Admittedly it was delayed by a couple of years because of Covid but I still got it (had about 10 treatments I think).
• had a doc appointment as I was having some bleeding from my bottom. Red blood, not painful, no other symptoms. Doc said I didn't hit any triggers other than age (just turned 40) so she referred me on the two week pathway. Had a colonoscopy within the 2 weeks. Nothing found btw, must have just been an irritated bum!
• Had Covid (unknowingly) and it was making me wake up having panic attacks. Called the doc in the morning (Friday) was called back for a phone appointment and she had me come in to check my breathing and then prescribed me an inhaler which I'm sure was a placebo but was greatly appreciated.
• My son (an identical twin) didn't seem to be hitting puberty milestones as expected - was just a bit off, and having his brother as a 'marker' didn't help. Doc agreed was probably nothing, but as he was almost 15 was probably best to explore just in case. Was referred and had an endocrinology appointment which showed everything fine. We do live round the corner from Alder Hey so it's a bit easier, from a pure logistics side!

Our surgery has always been good too - you call in the morning, they'll either book you a normal appointment for say, next week, or a phone appointment for today and the doc will decide on the phone if she needs to see you.

Maybe I've been lucky, maybe it's just because my complaints have been 'easy'. I don't know. But like I say, I recognise this isn't usual and that is upsetting.

I don't believe the NHS is "for me". Because I can afford to buy my UTI medication from Dr. Fox for £20.99 plus P&P, instead of relying on a GP issued prescription. Because at 8am, I am up to my ears in children / work and not able to sit by the phone trying over and over. Because I am fortunate enough to not have any major health conditions and therefore I should manage any acute issues myself. And, ofc, because I get fobbed off constantly.

I love our NHS but it's very broken and it's not for everyone. Pregnancy care was okay (although post natal was so bad I cried)