Dr surgery visit-is this the new normal

[JustineCase]

Live in rural north, surgery can also fulfil prescriptions (dispensing surgery).

Phoned surgery to get an appointment for blood pressure pills. I specifically wanted them because of CV. Was told telephone appointments only and the Prescribing Nurse would call back. She phoned within 10 minutes and asked if I could pop down so she could get a reading and do a prescription. I’m feeling all ok, thinking just precautions with telephone appointment etc.

But when I got down there, the door had been locked, I had to knock and wait until I was shown straight through to the room, had my appointment and had to wait outside the building until they came outside to give me my tablets.

I can get no waiting room as that would just be a germ pool, and waiting outside for my prescription but...everything had been stripped from the walls, all posters removed, all notice boards removed all shelving emptied into plastic boxes and obviously being cleaned with very strong disinfectant by a lady in PPE. I was mildly disconcerted by the prescribing nurse saying she might not be here when I phone in a week with my own BP readings .

Is this the new normal? Don’t get me wrong, I understand the need for scrupulous cleaning and needing to keep people separate, and the need for regular disinfecting just in case, but it got me wondering if this is now the norm, or if they have had a possible positive?

I think most practices are going to be doing this if not already. If they don’t take drastic measures, there will always be people who will turn up with symptoms and the staff need to be protected.

I’d say it’s one of the safest places to be as a workplace! Very stressful to manage demand though.

I would suspect someone had tested positive.

I was at the doctor with the dc this morning - the doctors are doing phone appointments with everyone, no one is allowed in unless invited... but they still have a waiting room, and were offering hand sanitizer, not deep cleaning in ppe.

Practice nurse here.
Our waiting room is stripped bare. Telephone appointments now as far as possible. No case confirmed, it's just general guidance.
People still turning up with symptoms though, shouting at receptionists and coughing all over the place.

Thank you. They’re doing an amazing job and obviously need to protect the front line NHS as without them we’d be more stuffed than we are right now! And if there has been a suspected positive we all kept protocol with hand sanitiser and distance (as far as possible, I came home washed hands then showered too), so should be ok if it was potential positive

Hopefully people will start taking infection control a bit more seriously now. Posters, books, toys, leaflets were all removed from my practice months ago before covid. I would like to see more sinks in health settings for patients to use and screens for the staff. Maybe the nurse just meant she will not be on duty next week, might get asked to work elsewhere.

Oh dear cptartapp, how dreadful for you and the poor receptionists :( you’re all just doing your best and I thank you all for it

Fingers crossed Happyhammy! I personally am taking personal hygiene and distance recommendations seriously. The nurse is brilliant!!! My dentist uses a visor (like a welder but obviously see through) and I often wonder why Drs and nurses don’t use them more

The visors r goggles have been used with high risk patients for a long time now.

My GP in East London is doing only phone or video consultation.

justine cost!

Aye cptartapp aye :(

I always found it weird to have newspapers and magazines and toys in waiting rooms.

It was like that at my vets in France. Waiting room was stripped bare, everyone had to wait outside and ho in one by one. As of tomorrow apparently they will be using a window so clients who don’t need to, don’t come into the practice.

Our surgery have sent text communications that they have locked the doors and entry by approved app't only. All app't requests will be triaged via a telephone call. If a face to face app't is required then you need to wait outside & will be called on your MB number to gain entry. They have warned even with appt's being scarce to expect long waiting times & ideally to wait in a car if you have one.

All prescriptions are being sent to pharmacies as cannot be collected in person

That sounds great - meanwhile schools are still absolutely piled high with books, papers and equipment, given a cursory wipe down every evening, compute keyboards etc not cleaned at all and school staff packed into rooms with coughing, sneezing kids for hours a day. I don’t begrudge NHS staff one tiny bit of their protection, but it stings a bit to hear this after spending all day in a filthy place crammed with germ-laden kids.

I hear you baubles. My mum is a TA who has decided to self isolate on the basis of her age and health, and fully supported by her co workers (the head was off sick)

Teachers and all school staff are front line too, and should be respected as such

But, do they not have any back up measures yet? Showing my age but back in the day when I was management in a supermarket at the time of the petrol crisis, a certain amount of cards were to be issued to department managers and assistant managers only, so that they could skip the line for petrol, get fuel and get to the store so people could still eat.
Do they not have this for teachers and NHS staff? A “skip the line” card I mean or a passcode for online shopping? As surely this could help keeping those on the front line safe?

Wow, absolutely nothing like that exists! Already being seen as selfish because I’m using online shopping slots when not self-isolating - yeah, because I’m still at work full time!

maybe schools shouldn't be filthy places, they should employ properly trained cleaners, staff and pupils should put away books, equipment etc. each day into lidded boxes. There should be sinks in the classrooms. Sick kids shouldn't go to school whatever is wrong with them. I think this covid is going to see a massive change in the way infection control and general hygiene is dealt with in the future in all sorts of environments, schools, clinics, hospitals, surgeries,dentists.

I think its great. My husband had a telephone appointment, had to take a sample in and did so - he said he was the only person there. They've cancelled some routine appointments and are not making appointments online.
I do however think its shocking that they obviously cant trust people not to show up with symptoms demanding to be seen by a doctor.

It would be great if health, education and emergency services staff were given priority with their shopping, free travel, free carparking where they work, staff only discounted restaurants, discounted laundry services. There is so much that can be done to try and reduce the risk of spreading all kinds of infections but it can't be done without the public actually taking some responsibility.

Meh - at times like this if you’re on the front line line then yep be selfish. I’m not, I have bought a little bit of extra but nothing overboard (2 packs of paracetamol and 4 tins of soup) and haven’t ordered online as others would be in greater need than me -like you or my mum or dad. Many thanks to all the teachers and the school staff that are also front line /\

Duh just read that back - I meant I was not front line