My GP has told me that 80% of their appointments don't need a GP appointment.

[Hiptothisjive]

So I get that there are always people that need reassurance but this number shocked me. Basically a lot of people are visiting their GP for reasons they don't need to and taking up a lot of GP time.

It's great some of the prescriptions that can be given via a pharmacy now, but surely there needs to be a re-addressing of when to visit a doctor?

YABU - to expect people to know better than go to their GP when they don't need to
YANBU - people should go to the doctor whenever they want to no matter what the issue

Many GPs have areas of specialist interest which are usually detailed on the website. They do many years of training yet you think you can call them useless. What are your qualifications, I wonder?

The assumption seems to be that most people on lifetime meds could drop dead at any moment and then their unused meds will form some sort of mountain. It's ridiculous.

Only 80%? I am surprised it is not higher.

I don't doubt that there are people who waste GPs time with unnecessary appointments but I've had two serious medical issues that ended up requiring hospital treatment where I've had to be persistent with multiple appointments because they brushed me off the first couple of times.
I'm guessing my first appointments for those issues would be categorised as time wasting.

I think my worry with this kind of statistic are how many of these unnecessary appointments are women being fobbed off with anxiety/normal perimenopause rather than having their pain and other symptoms taken seriously.

I can't recall the stat but the average wait for endometriosis referral (? or treatment?) is about 10 years. Women live with debilitating and progressive pain with this condition. I would bet real money that most of the times they try to access help in that 10 year period, the GP would categorise those appts into the 80%. It's a normal part of being a woman, have you tried taking ibuprofen, if you won't go on the pill there is nothing more I can do etc.

Similar story here. Viewed as a hypochondriac and time waster for over a decade, but now have multiple diagnoses, all of which I had to work out by myself and push to be seen by specialists

I would be very sceptical that it's 80%, and in fact if it is thought to actually be that high, then I'd presume it is because the GPs are missing stuff

But you are missing the point.
If we multiply my experience and that of others on this thread, that's an awful lot of "time wasting" appointments that never should have been put in that category. But the GPs can't /don't go back over "timewasting" appointments from years ago to learn what they missed and reflect on it.

Maybe what we need is whenever there is a delayed diagnosis and alert can go to every GP that saw the patient and missed it, so they can reflect on their practice and balance that into their view of "time wasters".

Because maybe I did go with colds because they made me feel dreadful. That's because I now know that my underlying (then undiagnosed) condition means I do feel very unwell with "just a cold". In fact , "just a cold " can land me in ICU .

I don’t believe your GP, OP. I don’t know anyone who gets pointless appointments with the GP. Quite the reverse! IME people are reluctant to see their doctor, partly because most people don’t really like it, and partly because it’s such an unbelievable hassle. As it takes so long to get an appointment, by the time I see my GP, I have normally diagnosed myself and outlined a course of treatment.

Women get told this far more frequently than men.
We battle with health issues for an average of 8 years before formal diagnosis.
It's a lack of joining the dots in many cases, men who don't keep up to date with female issues. Women around my way leave practices specifically so they can have a female doctor, because they actually try to solve root causes and issues rather than just prescribing anti-depressants and wondering why that doesn't keep you away.

OP, was your appointment one of the useful 20% or did it fall into the 80%?

Did your GP have any ideas how to solve this?

How do GPs expect patients to know whether their illness is worthy of a GP visit?

GPs train for years to be able to diagnose the vast array of conditions that their patients present with - most of us do not have the benefit of all that knowledge and expertise - that is WHY we go to the GP.

I trained as a nurse, back in the last century, and although I do have some knowledge as a result, I don’t always know whether something is GP-visit worthy - so how are people with no medical knowledge supposed to know??

How is that a waste? At least your GP has accepted that your condition wasn't something they can treat as GPs My late dad was fobbed off with minor for years. He was eventually taken to hospital with sepsis and late stage T cell peripheral Lymphoma

After a few days of severe banging headache that otc painkillers barely touched, I submitted an online request to my surgery, fully expecting to get a telephone call or just a prescription for something stronger, at best.

Surprisingly, I got a message with a face to appointment the next working day, albeit with a physio, not a doctor. He wanted to rule out temporal arteritis and made an urgent referral. I had an initial appointment at the "urgent care" clinic the next day, along with a scan, bloods and x-rays, saw the consultant the following day and was having a biopsy 2 working days later.

I was really impressed, although I'm not enjoying the massive dose of steroids I've had to take for the last few weeks. A friend has had a very positive experience with the same practice recently, too: taken seriously and prompt referral to a consultant.

It's just as well they're good, because there's only one GP practice serving a small town and the surrounding rural area, so no choice. There used to be 4, but they merged a few years ago.

💯

I get that same impression too. Before I’ve even started speaking, steeling myself against their likely perception that I’m wasting their time. Even when I am definitely not. It’s quite strange isn’t it.

There’s been times I just need a bit of advice, don’t need anything actual appointment. Just some medical advice, yet you have to fight for and book an appointment.
seems such a waste of time when a quick phonecall would do.

How many of those visits could be avoided with better system efficiency? People aren’t always time wasters. They are just as annoyed at having their own time wasted with a trip to the GP that could have been an email, a brief chat with the nurse, or a direct referral to a specialist.

Exactly. Not quite the same but I once turned up to minor injuries and said I wasn't sure if I should be here, A&E or something else. I was told when I should attend minors and when it's A&E. Was asked a few questions and then sent on my way with advice

(I fell and injured my head. I wasn't sure because other than one grazed knee and a small bump to my head I felt ok)

I need a repeat depo (contraceptive) injection in the next two weeks, the GP have a new "triage system" online, AND on the phone, I filled it in online and was given only ONE appointment option in 3 weeks time, which is outside the contraception window and just happens to be when I'd be on holiday.

Tried calling, all day the phone lines are not accepting calls to the queue, drove past on way to work and people are queuing out the door that's why!!

Called in at other branch and she made me an appointment for next week, as it is a nurse I need it doesn't need triage, apparently because the receptionists have to now ALSO fill in this online triage system for every patient that rings or turns up wanting an appointment, each call is taking about 10-20 minutes, instead of people scanning through a list of ailments and saying none of the above on the online system.. the receptionists have to ask if they have every single one.. and read EVERY SINGLE THING that comes up on the screen.

Anyone trying to ring for simple quick things can no longer get through!!

I've used the e-consult system before and now this triage system and it goes so far round the houses to things that aren't actually applicable to your issue, pages and pages of irrelevance, before narrowing down what your problem actually is, that it isn't fit for purpose IMO.

Common sense has just gone!

How many people lie to the receptionists, or see right red flag terms, to ensure they get a GP appointment though? It’s often encouraged on here. Just have a look at the threads complaining about GP receptionists. They refuse to divulge their reason for calling to an untrained, jumped up desk jockey. They can’t win!

Just how often do you need to be referred to a consultant? 😮

They're trained to take information and task doctors to look at it. However our GP is e consult now.

The medicine wastage issue is valid, both as an expense and ecological pov. And of course it matters if there are drug shortages. Which apply to some medications but not others and can vary over time.

The solution is monthly dispensing which is different from monthly prescribing. Your GP can prescribe 3 months and it can be dispensed every month. Dispensing a months supply to three people is better than three months supply to one person who might not use it and then bins it or returns it (and it has to be binned).

General practice exists to manage the health of their patients. Not everyone needs the attention of a doctor for their health needs or condition. But the safest and quickest person to assess who needs to be seen by who is a GP. They are very very good at it and how they do it saves a lot of money.

Given that people pay for health care directly or indirectly via taxes or in person it is better that we have a system that gatekeeps and signposts people effectively. Which our system does when it is funded properly. In countries where people refer themselves into specialists, time, expertise and money is wasted and the cost of healthcare tends to be astronomical.

Yeah, it works until it doesn’t. For example, let’s say I call in and mention that I’ve had abdominal pain and diarrhoea for the past few days. Without actually seeing someone, how can the receptionist or anyone else for that matter know whether it’s just a mild food issue or something more serious? That’s where my concern lies. I don’t mind explaining my symptoms, but some things can point to a range of possible conditions. Sometimes you need a more in-depth discussion about what’s happening, when it started, and how it’s progressed to really get to the bottom of it and to decide whether further tests might be needed, that’s where doctor is needed…

Probably needs information as to why they think they are wasted / not required

i recall one doctor saying that lonely old people took too many appointments as they could talk to someone

that’s quite different from people expecting miracle cure because they can’t afford to take days off sick

or someone wanting a diagnosis for a child they dont know how to parent

abd that’s quite different from people not knowing they can’t afford talk to a pharmacist

or they should socialise with friends or just get on a lose weight and exercise more themselves - there is an element of taking personal responsibility and improving social interactions. Years ago no one understood why the residents of pit villages didn’t want to move - they didn’t understand the value of the local community supporting you,listening and we have lost a lot of that in our insular lives - you see it on here - don’t get involved , don’t answer the door, don’t go if you don’t want to - in building isolation we remove mental and emotional support

so lots of possible reasons all with different solutions

My doctors surgery has now implemented an online system where you put in all the details of what is wrong with you, which they then triage and deal with your issue appropriately. So if you only need to see a nurse that will be the outcome. I once had an inhaler that did not work and simply logged in and raised a call in the system and a new inhaler was ready for me in 30 mins. For me, so far it has been excellent. When I did need to see a Dr I got an appt that morning. This is a practice that was once voted the worst GP practice in the UK as well.