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 ?

I was thinking the same - seems to be the nurses doing all the work (in person and over the phone)

Tbf my Surgery has been quite efficient. Two video calls with the doctor for my dc. One arranged a blood test and rang me with the results. My gp wanted me to go in for an examination before an urgent referral and I declined (peak of the pandemic) and she said she would make the referral anyway which she did and I had a scan at the hospital within two weeks.

Dc has also been to the surgery for immunisations and a blood test and I have been for the flu jab. All involved barely any waiting around.

Sod all if the ones I had to deal with over the summer are anything to go by. The district nurses despised them and weren't shy of letting me know that.

A good GP is hard to find in this country and general practice seems to be an overpaid dumping ground of the most useless medical students. Anyone with a modicum of knowledge and ability goes elsewhere.

DH is a GP. He has worked longer hours and seen more patients since lockdown started in March. He also volunteered to work on a Covid ward.
Patients have had appointments over the phone, via video, f2f when required, been referred to specialists, had treatments, flu vaccinations have taken place and they will be in front line for giving the Covid vaccine.

There aren’t enough hours in the day for them to do any more.

It isn’t GP bashing for people to question where they have been let down by a service. If anything this highlights the massive disparity in quality of GP practises throughout the country so surely we need to be looking at what practices are doing that is working and how that can be rolled out to more GPs.

I am all for things being done virtually when it is suitable. We have had some fantastic treatment over the NHS via video calls this year from a variety of departments.

But sometimes face to face is needed and for GPs to have a blanket “we aren’t seeing anyone” which is what our GP are saying to people at the moment (and all in the town so I am guessing it’s advice from above somewhere in the trust) is wrong. They shouldn’t be sending people to A and E instead of seeing them and they shouldn’t be adding to the workload of district nurses instead of seeing them.

Feel awful for people who have been struggling to access care!

We have been very lucky. I’ve had regular video appointments from mine the last few months to check that I’m okay after I had a bit of a mental health wobble (nothing particularly serious either compared to some) and I wasn’t someone who accessed doctors that regularly before. I tend to avoid them but have been engaging better with the phone/online consulting.

What are dentists doing??? I can't get an NHS dentist - it's impossible in this region, so I am on denplan which costs me £20 per month. I have two check ups a year for that. Since covid they are not seeing anyone for checkups. I have not had my teeth checked since Septmeber 2019, yet the direct debit goes to them every month. They are taking my money and I am receiving nothing in return.

What worries me ids that when covid restrictions are listed they will have a huge backlog to deal with so who knows when it will be when I get an appointment. I have had just one letter off them in all this time. I cannot cancel as it is the only way I can get onto a dentists lists here. My dentist must be laughing all the way to the bank.

I'm in Scotland and had to go private for dental care. My dentist - who does NHS and private - says he thinks NHS dentistry is on the way out. They were at that point only doing extractions on NHS.

Mine have been bad, I'm supposed to be seen once a month they've not even called me.
I've been asking about getting a test for something serious. They basically flat refused.

I saw a hospital Dr in relation to something else he said I needed a selection of tests. On getting results my Gp said no action.

I contacted the consultant he said i absolutely need the test, i also need referral to 2 other specialists.

And now you cant even call the surgery to ask to speak to a Dr you have to do it online.

I think after Covid ill be moving.

It always cracks me up when people seem to think their experience is universal. My GP surgery are doing phone appointments. It's as easy as ever to get an appointment and then you're seen when needed. I've had my flu jab, bloods and smear too. So I'd hazard a guess most GPs are working as normal. I'm not exactly pro GP our primary health care could do with some change. But it's a bit much to imply they're all doing fuck all.

Dentist here but private. We’re working as normally as we can despite the fallow time and PPE. I can only cope doing 2-3 aerosol generating procedures a day due to the PPE which is the same as for Covid positive patients in ICU. For fillings!
Fallow time means leaving the surgery empty for half an hour after each of these and then it takes 20 minutes to clean. That’s a lot of surgery time out of use.
I’m doing check ups etc as normal.

@Torvean32

Mine have been bad, I'm supposed to be seen once a month they've not even called me. I've been asking about getting a test for something serious. They basically flat refused.

I saw a hospital Dr in relation to something else he said I needed a selection of tests. On getting results my Gp said no action.

I contacted the consultant he said i absolutely need the test, i also need referral to 2 other specialists.

And now you cant even call the surgery to ask to speak to a Dr you have to do it online.

I think after Covid ill be moving.

Confused by this post. Usually it's the patient's responsibility not the surgery's to make an appointment if they need to be seen monthly.

It's the Consultant's responsibility to order bloods and action them if they feel you need them, not the GPs. It is also the Consultant's responsibility to refer you to other specialists if they feel that you need this once they have seen you. The GP is not their personal secretary. This is in the contract between GP and hospital trusts, perhaps someone gave you the wrong impression here.

I agree with your last remark about online access though. It doesn't suit everyone, particularly the elderly who are major uses of healthcare services.

Ours is ring and gp call back..

Downside!

there's been 2 occasions when dh has had some pain.. Told receptionist that he's had some of a particular pill and they've put in request to gp.. Next communication is the script is ready from the chemist... No consultation.

Ds was very poorly at 3m with allergies. Cmpa and now others. Not once has a gp seen him. Just prescriptions over phone for various formulas, creams for skin etc
Got a paediatrician apt and they were disgusted a gp wouldn't see him face to face. Most were a call or texts. ;

However good side is when I've put in ds repeats it's been processed and ready collect within a couple of hours.

Seeing people as normal since this began here.

I’ve only once needed a GP appointment and rang the surgery and they arranged a phone call, followed up by bloods at the Practice no problem. My brother, meanwhile, with a life-altering condition, has had to go private.

Mine phoned me back, then decided I needed seen. The patient before me left and the GP then cleaned down the room before donning more PPE and seeing me. So instead of seeing me in an 8 minute slot, it took 5 minutes for the phone call, arranging me to go in and then had a 15 minute appointment with her.

So I'm presuming the cleaning and call backs take a lot of time.

@Alexafrost those 'useless medical students' have shown top aptitude in the country to get into medical school and have passed everything to graduate as a doctor. If they're so shit do it yourself, sounds like you'd had no problem passing medical school finals 👍🏻

Yawn yawn yawn another GP bashing thread from the majority of whom know nothing about what goes on behind the scenes of your "locked up and barricaded" practices 🙄

My surgery are triaging and have done a great job. So far this pandemic they have personally been for a blood test, flu jab, they've also signed off on prescriptions.

For my family they have noticed several serious health conditions and have referred them to the hospital.

I think it seems to be a patchy picture throughout the country.

My surgery seems OK. I've had my diabetes checkup, blood tests and my flu jab as and when needed, and it was face to face with the GP too. The only thing I seem to need to chase up is my diabetic eye screening, as it is normally done in late October but I haven't heard anything yet.

My parents' surgery, on the other hand, is a complete disaster. They have upped the drawbridges and see nobody face to face. They do no home visits either, which is a big problem when you have parents with multiple health issues and huge mobility issues. They are flakey at best about getting back to people for phone consultations. If they do call you and think you need to be seen then they send paramedics. Every time. For any reason at all.

The paramedics where my parents live have been complaining that they are now doing the jobs that GPs were doing up until Covid 19 came onto the scene.

My parents don't live near me. They can't change surgery because all in their town are managed by the same group. They aren't able to travel to surgeries in another town because my Dad's issues mean he can no longer drive safely and nor can my Mum because her eyesight is now too bad.

On the plus side, they do now qualify for patient transport when needing to get to a hospital appointment - that is the only remaining decent strand of the service where they live.

dappledsunshine
You missed the memo. Surgeries, like schools, are full of terrible and lazy people who hate their job and want an excuse to be paid for doing nothing. Public sector employees have a duty to do their job in line with what random people on mumsnet think.

They're pretty busy where I live. People who want a one off appointment tens to forget that they are also working with a making ongoing arrangements for people they know are longer term unwell, doing visits to care homes and domestic homes home and and in some places carrying out hospital visits. Yes, they do visit people's homes sometimes.

And as is repeated on here frequently, there is a GP shortage.

@Phyzzy

I miss the old days of booking it on the app Absolutely. I can see why they don't want people to just book FTF online but why not allow telephone appointments to be booked online?

I've been wondering about that. I used to book any necessary FTF appointments via the Patient Access App.

My surgery suspended that service back at the start of the first lockdown though and didn't replace it with anything. I don't know why we can't book the phone consultations that way, but no option has been added for it.

My GP did my smear the nurses would normally do it.
They are also calling patients for appointments and giving a face to face appointment when they think it's needed.
Myself, son and dd have all seen the GP since covid kicked off. ds and dd have also had appointments with the nurse.
When we have had calls they have all be from GP's at our surgery.
GP's are also doing the repeat prescriptions etc

Our surgery is still very busy always other people there when we have needed to go

@bertiesgal

I’m a GP. I am exhausted. I go in at 7am and leave at 8pm. We have seen patients face to face since the beginning. Due to a small waiting room and the need for PPE/ everything to be cleaned between each patient we can’t bring everyone up. This means that we phone every single patient to triage them. General Practice in the U.K. is incredibly busy and under resourced. I don’t want claps or praise but the British public’s love of GP bashing is destroying the profession. It is so demoralising to read what people think of us when most of us are working so hard on a shoestring budget. People have no idea .

Thank you I have multiple chronic illnesses and as I've said further up on this thread , I see or speak (or both) to my GP at least once a week. I have done for years and my GPs have continued to make just the same amount of time for me , constantly, throughout the pandemic. I always feel I ask an absolute ton of them and always have done but you guys are amazing. I don't know what I'd do without my GPs as my health is so complex . Thank you so much and I'm sorry people are bashing you it's really not fair.