To be annoyed with GP ?

[inkyspells]

My GP now offers a e consult form when you want an appointment or any help.
Since last Wednesday I’ve had UTI symptoms.
Constantly feeling like a need to urinate ,burning and a sore back.
Ive tried to treat it myself with cranberry juice /water /sachets from Amazon.
Nothing is helping so I completed a e consult form.
Any other time the GP has sent a prescription to my local pharmacy.
Today they sent a text saying sounds like you have a uti and need antibiotics ,find a pharmacy through pharmacy first and go and see them and they will prescribe them.
The issue is I have 2 pharmacy’s that open 9-5 pm which are around 15/20 min drive
I have recently started a new job and I work 9-5 and I have a 20 min break,we are in 6 weeks training and there’s no chance I can get out to go to pharmacy.
My partner was going to collect for me.
I rang GP and explained and receptionist said no you need pharmacy first rather than a GP
aibu to be annoyed ?
The GP has said I need antibiotics but won’t prescribe them.
Im a bit upset tonight,I thought I would of had antibiotics by now and at least kicking in.
The only day I can go is Saturday when I’m off.

Does anyone know what might help ?

sorry you’re feeling unwell, but the distance you live from a pharmacy and reluctance to disrupt work training to prioritise your health is not really the GPs problem. They have systems like this in place to try to siphon patients with common illnesses into the pharmacy system and keep GP appointments free for those with genuine medical need. I think you just need to tell work that you are unwell and you will be in work late one of the days.

Phone 111 ooh they'll get a gp to speak to you and send a script to a pharmacy. You can also get antibiotics online from boots/superdrug etc. Do you take D-Mannose? Massively reduced UTIs for me. Also ask GP if you can have a set of antibiotics if you get them frequently so that you can take them as soon as symptoms start.

You could drive to a pharmacy which is open later, given you have a car, or take time off work seeing as you are describing an urgent health problem.

So go Saturday when you're off?

Or go to Boots which is open till later and you can get antibiotics for a UTI for about £20.

You definitely should have contacted the pharmacy as soon as you recognised you had a UTI. They can prescribe antibiotics amongst other things much more quickly than your GP.

@Whizzywhiski don’t need a Gp apt
They normally send a prescription to a pharmacy

I back the 111 idea

I don’t understand why the GP can’t send a prescription rather than having to go to a chemist and have to discuss everything there.

@boooooooyaaaaai don’t no,I’ve never actually heard of that ,il look into that ..thanks

But if your GP did prescribe it, the prescription would go to the pharmacy and you’d still have to collect it….?

So what difference would it make?!

Because they are now using pharmacies as a first contact point to deal with a whole list of common conditions to help reduce pressure on GPs. Its really that simple.

Yeah it's not the GPs fault you work certain hours. And the pharmacy is open a certain time.

You need medication so take a couple hours of sick leave in order to get it. Or try and see if pharmacist will prescribe over phone and H can collect?

Someone else could collect the antibiotics for her

I've often had to buy mine. However, do you know that you could have had a remote consultation and someone else can pick them up for you?

i Could understand not to give patients a apt for a uti but the time it took him to reply saying go to pharmacy he could of sent a prescription over (like they always have done )
it sees now you can’t book an appointment when you want with a gp/you can’t speak to a Gp
Its all forms and pharmacy’s

If you had contacted them 5 days ago then you could have gone on Saturday.

@slashloverthey always say try other treatments before antibiotics …so you can’t win either way

If you go to A and E they will prescribe there you could go tonight

Have you actually put your postcode in to check for pharmacys and opening times. Even if it means travelling a bit further

And she will still be sat there when the pharmacy opens in the morning

The whole point of Pharmacy First is so you don't need to bother a GP for certain common issues of which a UTI is one.

When you go on line to our GP there is a link for uti. Pharmacist phoned me and sent antibiotics out by courier to arrive the next day

Well maybe the online e consult when you say that you have a uti /symptoms it should prompt you to pharmacy first …rather than ask all these questions and forward it to GP
I had no idea what pharmacy first was
I had never heard of it until today

I very very rarely ring the gp etc