What are GPs actually doing during all this time ?

[VivaMiltonKeynes]

We were discussing this . In our surgery they have e consult online and you get a call back . On the couple of times this has occurred it's not even a doctor at our practice - it sounds like a service they use and it is really appalling . They don't even seem to have read your notes . The nurses are run off their feet doing the usual blood tests, flu shots etc but what are all the GPs doing ?

Well, mine gave me my flu jab. Quite coincidentally, she was just working as part of the team & I happened to get her.

She's on holiday this week, so I saw a different Dr about a lump - hospital Dr this coming week.

The GP I saw had been working their COVID 'hot spot' surgery the day before (yep I am worried about that).

When I was waiting for my appointment, there were a fair few people coming & going.

At my GP they are triaging the online consults, doing the call backs themselves, doing face to face to visits where needed and doing the flu clinics.
At my Mums GP they are not seeing any patients face to face, the nurse is and can then as the GP for advice who is in the next room but won’t see anyone.

My GP is triaging patients over the phone and econsult but they are definitely there. As I’ve had to see them a few times.

On the other hand - no idea what my consultant is up to. Haven’t heard from my consultant since February! Hospital is fairly quiet in their department (or so I’ve heard!)

God knows not sure there are any at my surgery

I thought same, our surgery is a massive group, they are all phone appointments. You can't select or request a particular GP. I'm not sure how anyone is seeing a doctor.

Anything from a couple of 1000 to 15000

• patients registered per practice so triaging over the phone/econsult then writing perceptions/referral letters or organising for a face to face if appropriate is no small task. Usual admin-checking test results and organising follow up, reading correspondence from hospital consultants, home visits if necessary. It does appear to be a bit of a post code lottery but GPs are following guidelines from CCGs and above.

Lots of docs have had and are still suffering from covid or long covid. Their PPE was so out of date at the start of this that they didn't really stand a chance of staying safe while they were doing their job.

Haven’t you answered your own question, doing online consultations?

Seeing people for appointments, as per? My son has unfortunately required many appointments since March - present and he’s been seen no problem every time. DS2 has his 12 month immunisations. DS1 had the flu jab. I’ve had an appointment.

Working 12 hour days! I had 20 phone calls/ e-consults in each of my clinics this week. Who do you think this is “not working “ - I doubt you would say the same about someone working in a bank or other call centre. We bring in patients who need to be examined - usually about 4-5 per clinic - after we have established the problem, and stagger them so that the waiting room is very low occupancy. Most phone consults take longer than face to face because you can’t eyeball the patients. The nurses are seeing more face to face because that’s the nature of their work - dressings, injections, bloods - but they need more time to clean down the room between patients.
It’s extraordinary that people are still believing this nonsense 9 months into a pandemic.

Fuck all obviously when teachers sit in stuffed classrooms and no masks. Makes me sick.

There's no fucking need for the shit they demand. If we can see 300+ fucking students a day they can with patients.

Putting their feet up apparently, at least in my surgery - no face to face appointments at all and online consultations are rarer than hen’s teeth. We are advised to go to a & e for urgent face to face assistance.

My surgery have been brilliant. We have needed some telephone appointments and some face to face. No issues at all.

We've had video appointments the same as normal, only going into the surgery if essential. Our GP called an ambulance after seeing my little boy on the video. Wouldn't have happened any where near as quickly if we'd had to go in and I dread to think what would have happened.

Providing a better service than usual as far as I’m concerned - despite being very short staffed, there is a shortage of GPs which far pre dates covid. Emailed repeat prescription request at breakfast time, got a text from the pharmacy saying it was ready to collect by lunch! Normally takes dropping round a slip and waiting 2-3 days. Easily got a video consultation when I needed one which I far prefer to traipsing to the surgery and sitting around. Suspect GP has more time now they aren’t seeing so many people in person. I can see why it doesn’t suit a lot of people, probably including the more regular users, but for me it’s been great.

Mine have been working through out. We've even had annual review when first lock down ended.
I've had face to face and telephone consultation with GPS and nurses. The nurse said they are seeing as as many patients as before however its taking longer to see them as they need to clean the room after and put on the correct ppe.
My consultants however have not been in touch since February and I am on month 16 of waiting for an operation with just one generic letter stating that they are aware I've been waiting a long time but that all surgery is currently suspended.

I do like the e consult service I can access at my surgery. We've had several easy issues sorted that way.
BUT, when I was worried about a pain and odd feeling in my side I was not offered a face to face apt. I was referred for an ultrasound that wouldn't be done for 6 months due to the hospital not doing tests. And even when i informed them 2 months later that I has still not had the scan, I was not offered a face to face consult. No one has laid eyes on my and the usual physical exam to tell me if everything feels right there or not has never occurred.

Scan happened last week and they loftily told me to make an appt to discuss results next week. Well...the phone often rings out and I doubt I will easily get to speak to a doctor as they only seem to let you make a phone appt on the day if it is an emergency

Not much at my surgery! As a pp said the nurses are doing all the work. I went in with chest pains and had an ecg in the surgery. The nurse took the ecg readings to show a doctor in the next room. I mean... chest pains, this is why more people will die because of covid. I am disgusted. I visited the hospital for a biopsy. No patients hardly. So no I didn’t clap for the NHS. Meanwhile me and my colleagues continue to teach children without any protection. It is a joke.

I’ve seen my GP 3 times during lockdown, each time a doctor called me back, then I had to speak to another one to be able to go and then went in normally, just had to wear a mask, sanitise hands on arrival and wait outside.

Oh they're doing absolutely nothing because covid is the only illness in the world.

What on earth sort of borderline offensive question is this?

Treating ill people , unwell kids, vaccinations , being the usual absolute life line for those of us with chronic illnesses. I see or talk to my GP at least once a week.

They're doing their jobs. And bloody well

Our GP surgery has been great. I've done the e consult thing and was rung back very quickly by my usual GP who had read everything properly. Also did it for my baby and, again, a very quick response from a different GP, who even did a follow up call at 6pm before she left to make sure DS was OK after her advice (he was). Can't complain at all. We've also had sick notes and referrals issued within an hour of calling and collected from reception. It may not be face to face but they've been great.

I thought same, our surgery is a massive group, they are all phone appointments. You can't select or request a particular GP. I'm not sure how anyone is seeing a doctor. At my surgery you either leave a phone message or online and then they either ignore you or you get a message back. I contacted them about a lump and was asked if I could take a photo of it, well no I could as it wasn't really in a position I could get a decent photo and my phone doesn't do great photos and you couldn't actually see anything. I got so fed up I told them to forget it. When it got worse they eventually agreed to see me.

Fort knox is amateur on security compared to getting in to see the doctor. I had to knock on a glass door, receptionist then very obviously got gowned up with mask, visor, gloves, apron and then asked me quesitons through the door, I needed a mask and had to use hand sanitiser in front of the receptionist. Behind the counter the other receptionist and two nurses were chatting. As I walked through to the doctor I was seeing I could see the other doctors sitting working on computers. Got in to doctor who was also wearing scrubs, mask, visor, gloves, apron and some sort of disposable thing covering her hair.

Go nextdoor to the pharmacy and it is only two people in the shop with masks, staff behind a screen with masks, visors and gloves.

Go just round the corner and the teachers are in overcrowded classrooms with 30 teenagers.

It seems to be a postcode lottery. I really don’t recognise the good service and face to face appt options some are describing above. I wish my surgery gave a stuff about their patients, but they really show no signs of it.

Telemedicine and still doing house calls where absolutely necessary (end of life and so on).