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 ?

They are also seeing a small number of patients in clinic, those who are unsuitable for online or telephone consultations.

They did organise flu jabs brilliantly but it wasn't the doctors and you can get a repeat prescription alot faster than pre covid.

What are we doing? The same as usual.

Doing 30 plus phone consultations a day, many of those then going on to be face to face appointments. Many video consultations, 100s of scripts per day, lots of referrals to hospital, about three hone visits per day, paperwork for insurance and benefit claims, attending meetings regarding patients. The list goes on an on.

I'm a manager in a gp surgery and the difference is we are doing more phone and video consultations instead of f2f.

Mine are doing really well. I put in an e consult on Monday, spoke to a GP (who I have seen before) on Tuesday, face to face examination with the same GP on Friday.
I’ve had a smear with the nurse this year as well. Also phone consult with the asthma nurse for DS.
To me the e consult and phone service seems more efficient and they will still see you face to face if they need to.

Mines working hard!

She's phone consulted with me 8 times.

Fitted me with a coil.
Sent me for ultrasound and rang with results.
Sent ds for x ray and rang with result.

Organised a blood test.

Written me prescriptions for various things to do with my long term issues I've developed.

She's worked really hard from what I've experienced if all patients are receiving the same level of care.

My gp has been working from home since covid and I have had a lot of phone consultations. It’s only the practise nurse I actually see on the surgery.

Phone consultations generally work very well. I was using them by choice before covid. If the GP decides they need to see you, then normally see you very quickly too.

My GP has been amazing. She seems to have to spend a lot of time arguing with the hospital to accept even urgent referrals though.

This year has given my mental and physical health a kicking. My surgery has been brilliant- all phone appointments but swift and helpful.
I had an x-ray last week and have a face to face to discuss the results on the 6th.

I've had a few phone calls appointments, for me and for my dc. They were easier in some ways than going in, though I'd have liked a face to face one for one child in particular.
I've had a blood test and am due to have a smear test face to face.
At first I kept apologising when I phoned up as they were so busy - though I think it became clear that although they were probably busy, it wasn't to do with Covid patients, if you phone ours about Covid related matters there is a recording telling you to hang up and look at a website
I do think the "not wanting to bother the doctor" contributed to the death of a close relative from a cancer no one knew she had, but she must have had signs off herself - she did not call a doctor until she was at the end.
I don't blame the doctor for that at all, but there was a "Covid is everything" view at the time that I do think contributed.

Literally cannot get into our gp surgery, there's a table blocking the door from the foyer. If you need to see someone, even a nurse for a blood test, you have to go to the partner surgery (much smaller) in the next town. Awful for old people who don't drive

Ours is open as normal. There are telephone calls but you can still do face to face, and blood tests etc are all running as normal.
Ours are also doing lots of home visits apparently.
I can't complain- but they are generally really good

Ours are doing telephone appointments, consultations, face to face appointments when people need to be seen. They're cleaning down rooms between appointments too.

Any time I've needed to get through to a GP I've had a same day appointment by phone. DC isn't well and I've had several appointments and reviews at the surgery too.

They're doing what many people are doing: trying their best to do their job in a pandemic when normal working conditions have gone out the window.

My GP actually called me in. He said he was really missing his patients. Having sat in reception within earshot of the phones, it sounded like they were making face to face appointments though.

We had an e-consult with a GP on a Sunday which was pretty impressive

It was a good service although not always as easy to assess I reckon

The service from our GP's surgery has been excellent throughout and I hope they never go back to the old way.

Now, your initial consultation is by telephone and you can get an appointment same day, rather than 3 weeks plus that we were running at before.

You don't have to take time off work, just a few minutes to take a confidential phone call and often, they refer straight on to the consultant or whoever.

If they do need to see you they'll arrange to do so but no long waits in waiting rooms to discuss test results that they can do over the phone.

Far more efficient on both sides.

DH was diagnosed and treated for a serious life threatening illness during lockdown 1. I honestly don't think he would have got such a quick diagnosis and treatment before lockdown He'd have had to wait 3 weeks for the first GP appt, they'd have done some tests, he'd have gone back to the surgery to discuss them (when he eventually.got an appt), probably seeing a different doctor etc etc

As it was he spoke to the same GP throughout and got results the day the GP did with quick referrals onwards. It sounds melodramatic but I think DH could be dead now, if the surgery hadn't modified it's way of working for lockdown. By the time he had his surgery, six weeks after the first GP appointment, you could literally see him dying in front of you. (He lost 3 stones 2 two months). The delays we were used to could have made a life or death difference.

My doctors have been brilliant. They're only making appointments 3 days in advance and everyone gets a telephone call. I've had 2x separate referrals made since the pandemic. They're fantastic

My surgery was doing phone consultations where appropriate for a couple of years before this. I found it very convenient and useful.

Since the first lockdown I’ve had a handful of phone consultations for my ongoing condition (including my regular blood tests at the hospital as usual), one new issue which resulted in extensive hospital investigations, one minor issue for which I sent in photos for diagnosis, and my first flu jab in decades.
DC has had a phone consultation for a skin complaint diagnosed by photo, then followed up in person (confirming original photo diagnosis).
Even DF, at a surgery struggling with chronic inability to recruit a permanent GP, has had all his normal jabs and checks for ongoing conditions.

My GP has been amazing! But she always is. I love her, we have a really good relationship and I trust her. I've seen other doctors as well and they to have been brilliant. They've been working incredibly hard to keep patients safe and treat them face to face when needed. I have had to see my GP for meds review, smear test results and further treatment needs. I've had mental health support and advice over telephone consultations and seen nurses for blood tests. My children have been for the usual ailments of ears and throats and my DM's asthma has been very well managed during this time by the surgery. We've all had flu jabs which was so well organised.

I have witnessed some appalling behaviour from some patients who have not thought beyond themselves. I appreciate that it's a very difficult time but it's also a very difficult time for the staff in Primary Care.

My nurses father was in icu with covid yet she continues to be professional and helpful. My GP has her own life and family and is struggling with restrictions and managing her family life around her job as are we all.

Please remember these are people who are also living and working front line during a Pandemic. They have lives and families that are greatly affected, elderly parents, children in school etc, yet they continue to try and provide a service that has been restricted by rules beyond their control. They listen to our moans and groans. When was the last time you asked your staff at the GP surgery how they are feeling, thank them for their hardwork.

The only thing that does get on my wick is when I spend ten minutes carefully filling in all the details on the econsult form only for it to say “you need to ring your GP” and ditch all my hard work.

I've been really impressed with our GP surgery.It seems to be working far more efficiently than in "normal" times. I hope they continue with phone consultations. i had 3 GP apts over the summer (phone consults) and my DD has had a nurse apt and 2 GP apts recently, all over the phone. The GP referred her for blood tests and the forms were with us in 48 hours.

At work, they are doing enough to keep us support staff busy.

We use a rural surgery that normally has 4 GPs and a couple of locums. Since Covid, there is 1 GP a day on duty for phone calls, visits and appointments (I know this as a friend works there) with nearly 10,000 patients.

You can speak to someone in reception with ease and the pharmacy in their defence but it takes on average around 3 weeks to get a phone call appointment and they see very few face to face. My husband has had horrendous issues with his medication for atrial fibrilation and has had two surgeries since March stopped by the anaesthetist as his heart rate is too irregular. Christ knows what long term damage it's doing - it's terrifying, and he can't see the cardiologist or GP. He's being bounced back from one to another as both say the other needs to sort the issue out - and paying privately (nearly £700 for a scan and phone call from said cardiologist) still hasn't got us any further forward.

How are we supposed to live with the fear that he may actually die in his 50s due to lack of medical care in a so called civilised country..........

Mine is definitely working, I have had a face-to-face consult a couple of weeks ago, and I had a GP from the surgery phone me twice yesterday on her day off to check on me (she'd also done a telephone appointment late on Friday).

111 on the other had is a bloody pile of poop here at the moment.

DH managed to get an appointment to see the GP last week within a couple of days, after being triaged first by a different GP on the phone.

System seems to be working well with us.