Why can we still not see GP's?

[ssd]

I had to send pictures on WhatsApp to my gp this morning after a telephone call appointment. Why are GPs still not seeing patients? How on earth do old folk manage?

Mine always ask my name, postcode street name! Which actually yea I guess most my family and friends would know!

@OverTheRainbow88

Mine always ask my name, postcode street name! Which actually yea I guess most my family and friends would know!

Exactly. What would stop me pretending to be say my daughter and phoning up and getting medication in her name? Or a friend pretending to be me?

Although they do have my mobile number and always call me back on it so may be suspicious if changed the number to call?

There are also things that aGP will notice just by seeing a patient. The patient may say that their issue is x, but really their issue turns out to be y. A doctor may just lock on to the first thing the patient says. And many people are not good on the phone- they get nervous or can’t explain properly.

Our phone appointments are at some point during the day - so your expecting to wait a morning for the GP is now waiting the entire day... and at the start of lockdown DD2 developed bad eczema - I knew roughly what creams we needed as I've spent my life helping manage a relative with really severe eczema - but trying to get a GP to understand what a rash looked like down the phone was an amusing experience!

I can see us ending up at A+E tonight if this area continues to spread and I get no joy trying to play things "right" via the surgery - especially since we've done the whole home-treatment and asking the pharmacist thing as well.

OverTheRainbow88

Ours will phone on the home phone or mobile, depending on what you request so I suppose that stops a friend or someone who doesn't live with you doing it. Not sure what would happen if you asked them to use a different number, I've never tried, but it doesn't stop someone in your house from doing it.

daisypond

Exactly. I've had some hospital appointments over the phone during lockdown. In one the Dr wanted me to tell him.if my joints were swollen and if so how much. It's really difficult to try and judge it or if you definitely know they are to describe how bad it is. There's so much that you really need an expert eye to decide

One thing that concerns me about telephone appointments - how does the dr.know they are talking to the patient and not someone pretending to be the patient?

That's why ours insists on video chats half the time. Although that only helps if they know what you look like I suppose.

When I had a peri natal mental health crisis I went to the GPs and he said he could see immediately from my face that I was unwell. I was so scared to say what was going on but he just knew. I really worry that so many sensitive issues like this are missed on the phone.

Telling someone on the phone that you think you are losing your mind just doesn't have the same effect as seeing a very distressed person face- to- face.

I had to send a picture, got a call, discussed the issue, collected a prescription, worked fine. Second appointment I called and was booked in with a nurse, however she then phoned, had a chat and did otbthat way

They are seeing patients with more serious complaints but for simple stuff it’s overcome the phone. IMO it’s much better, you certainly get a call same day and for simple stuff it’s much better

@DominaShantotto

I tried to see gp online about very similar rash... appeared before lockdown one large singular almost oval shape rash clear/ white in middle. Die to lots of red tape and internet issues never saw dr. Smaller wee rashes appeared. I did my own online research and think it was something called piryatitis. Starts with a original large rash, then wee smaller whole ones on the trunk. Last about 12 weeks. It’s NOW starting to fade away. Usually as a result of HAVING ALREADY HAD some sort of upper respiratory sickness/illness. I don’t recall being sick like that pre lockdown. But it is finally fading. Please don’t worry. Keep checking she ok and check her temperatures. If she eating and drinking ok that’s a good sign. If it like purple and blue dots rash then go straight to hospital. If YOU AS HER MUM think it’s serious mask up and go to a and e. Don’t wait to be told to go.

@Dinosauratemydaffodils

One thing that concerns me about telephone appointments - how does the dr.know they are talking to the patient and not someone pretending to be the patient?

That's why ours insists on video chats half the time. Although that only helps if they know what you look like I suppose.

That's never been offered at ours, I don't even know if they do it. We can't even email our surgery so I suspect not. At least via video chat they can identify obvious discrepancies - I couldn't pretend to be my 21 year old daughter for example but I could over the phone.

@DominaShantotto

I've been trying to get medical advice for my child since the weekend - GP surgery won't even let me send a photo of a very worrying rash on her arm (possibility it's a bullseye one, or a real possibility it's cellulitis) - they say go to the pharmacy... go to pharmacy and they say I need to see the GP.

Would be quite happy with a "yep continue as you are" comment - but it's a 20cm wide very marked reaction full of heat and redness around an insect bite - and I'm bloody concerned.

If I can't get joy from the surgery at some point today - I'm going to end up having to take her to A+E at this rate.

Have you tried 111? My lo had what I'm pretty convinced was a horsefly bite, ended up red, hot, swollen and spreading. I rang 111, out of normal hours. They made an appointment for out of hours doctor to ring, had the call was sent a link to send photos, second call and they sent prescription to pharmacy of my choice. Whole process took about 2 hours on a Saturday evening.

@DominaShantotto
*I've been trying to get medical advice for my child since the weekend - GP surgery won't even let me send a photo of a very worrying rash on her arm (possibility it's a bullseye one, or a real possibility it's cellulitis) - they say go to the pharmacy... go to pharmacy and they say I need to see the GP.

Would be quite happy with a "yep continue as you are" comment - but it's a 20cm wide very marked reaction full of heat and redness around an insect bite - and I'm bloody concerned.

If I can't get joy from the surgery at some point today - I'm going to end up having to take her to A+E at this rate.*

It could be Lyme disease? Or ringworm? You really need someone to look at it to diagnose. If you can't get through to your GP today (and they should see a child, ours make sure to always see children same day), is there a local out of hours clinic you can call instead? If not then yeah, go to hospital, it needs to be sorted.

Finally got to video call a GP - they really were reluctant to do that and it seems we're on the right track. Surgery used to be really good - appointed a receptionist who is not exactly patient-oriented to put it mildly and pissed off lots of the lovely ones who used to work there (one was venting about it sat near me on the bus after she'd quit) and now Covid means they just don't want to deal with patients!

This is my son for 14 days and not a single medical professional will see him

@heartofstrings Have you heard of this?
www.nhs.uk/conditions/pityriasis-rosea/
Looks similar to what my daughter had last year. Antihistamine should bring down the welts.

I am a manager in a go surgery. Anyone who has a clinical need for a face to face appointment will get one.

Things will never get back to how they were. This is how things will stay. They needed to change. We couldn't carry on how we were.

It's called total triage.

Different areas clearly have different standards/ levels of service.

I had assumed people were having video calls, not just telephone.

Our surgery signed up to this: www.livi.co.uk/

Seems good (although it's obviously a doctor based anywhere - not from your local surgery).

I had to register with photo ID which they cross-reference when using the service.

Makes complete sense to me. The last time I had to take my daughter in for an asthma check (so completely healthy) we had to sit in a waiting room full of people coughing, sneezing and riddled with god knows what. If we can do the same thing via a phone or laptop why would we not want to? Much better in my opinion and of course if people need to be seen they will be.

RuthW

Are calls done by phone or video call?

If calls, how do drs verify they are talking to the patient?

If video call what about people who don't have access?

@Heartofstrings I'd be bringing him to A&E.

@DominaShantotto

I've been trying to get medical advice for my child since the weekend - GP surgery won't even let me send a photo of a very worrying rash on her arm (possibility it's a bullseye one, or a real possibility it's cellulitis) - they say go to the pharmacy... go to pharmacy and they say I need to see the GP.

Would be quite happy with a "yep continue as you are" comment - but it's a 20cm wide very marked reaction full of heat and redness around an insect bite - and I'm bloody concerned.

If I can't get joy from the surgery at some point today - I'm going to end up having to take her to A+E at this rate.

get the pharmacy to ring the doctor

@Hearhoovesthinkzebras
How do your GPs check it's the right person when seeing people face to face. I honestly cannot think of a singular preventative measure that they use in person that couldn't also be done over the phone or video (other than for their most regular patients a GP won't have a clue what people look like and people can quite easily look upto 15-20 years older or younger than they actually are (especially when ill).

Is health anxiety the new hypochondria? I never heard of it till I joined Mumsnet.

I'd been choosing to do phone consultations whenever possible for a couple of years. They're so much better most of the time, because you don't have to sit in a germy waiting room etc. If they think they do need to see you, then they normally see you pretty much straight away.