GP's please why are you not back to seeing us face to face

[whenwillthemadnessend]

Just that really ?

Please can any GP's explain the reasoning

If dentists physios and accident and emergency doctors can see people why can't GP doctors?

@Bagamoyo1

I’ve been a GP for over 20 years, and a 100-hour-a-week junior hospital doctor for 5 years before that. I can safely say that I have never worked as hard as I am working now.

We are doing telephone triage, followed by face-to-face appointments as needed. We have to be very careful about bringing patients to the surgery. We’ve been told that if a patient is seen in the surgery, and they subsequently test positive for Covid, then the room they were seen in can’t be used for 24 hours, despite being cleaned. Which of course would have a huge knock-on effect for other patients.

Regarding timing of phone calls - it’s difficult. Every morning I look down my list of patients and try to work out (from the 5 words by their name) whether or not they may need a face-to-face review. If I think they might, then I tend to call those patients first, so I can arrange to see them later that morning.
I’m probably seeing 6-10 patients per day, and telephoning 30-40.

We’re also vaccinating 100s of patients every week, with no additional staff. We are working overtime and weekends - the reception staff and nurses are getting overtime pay, but the doctors get nothing. Not a single penny. We get money from the government for delivering the vaccine programme, but after costs we will just about break even. And we are all exhausted, but we’re doing it because we know how important it is.

I know services vary in different areas, but wherever you live, I’m certain there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes than you are aware of.

Even just phoning 30-40 patients, alongside all the follow up involved for each of those consultations would be hard to fit into a normal working day, let alone F2F appts and all the unexpected things that go on. Then the vaccination programme on top.

I understand people’s frustration, but unless you’ve done the job, or been close to someone who has, you really have no idea the shear volume of work GP’s do in normal times, let alone at the moment. There’s only so much wiggle room to accommodate all the extra work and tbh, there was precious little of that before Covid.

@Isadora2007 - mine is. Never closed.

I’ve been in for a smear test, had my baby’s injections and had him checked for an infection. I’ve also been in for a mole check
I’ve had other appointments over the phone and then picked up a prescription.
I think this is a great way to do it
Personally but I would be cross if I couldn’t see a GP face to face at all

@Dentistlakes and @Bagamoyo1 I do appreciate how hard GP's work, I really do. However as they work so hard and presumably have to manage their time well and carefully, it perplexes me that so many surgeries have zero respect for the time of their patients. I work full time all the time too and outside of Covid times travel an hour each way. Yet the average practice thinks I have endless time to waste due to their lack of organisation and efficiency. Examples:

Call for an appointment - takes 30 minutes for phone to be answered.
Have a difficult conversation with a receptionist - may I please have the first available appointment before 9am, it is not urgent and I can wait. "Yeh, 11.30 today". I'm sorry I'm at work I did ask for the first appointment before 9am - I can wait. "Oh alright love, I can give you 4pm tomorrow". No, I asked please for the first available appointment before 9am - it is not urgent and I work full-time. "Well I can give you 9.30 in a fortnight, no appointments open after that". Why, just why do you people make it so bloody hard and appear to have no cognizance that other people work very very hard as well despite having a chronic condition they did not chose to have.

I am just going private, can't be bothered anymore. My NHS GP won't see face to face for anything. During the lockdown needed an antibiotic once and exactly same situation as a PP - a breast lump (turned out to be benign, but had to be biopsied).
My child's SEN assessment was online during the lockdown, 9 months ago (after 3 years wait) and apparently not yet processed, no results. I despair.

If there's a temp that won't budge then they will most likely think possible covid. A GP won't do a test, I would think it reasonable they want you you checked in A&E. It's crappy waiting for prescriptions but I seriously dont think the public have a clue what is done behind the scenes or the pressure faced.

Ours is, but they are doing telephone screening appointments first unless it's a known issue. Generally they get you in the same day too

Part of the problem is the size of the population. I don't think people.understand the impact. Factor in unhealthy lifestyles and living longer with more than one disease and that further reduces the availability of GP’s. On top of the that we want a service that realistically we really don’t pay much into (in comparison to life time use) but expect to deliver 24/7. We don’t have the staff for that. It’s a vicious circle.

Ps I used e consult which was brilliant, you email the dr with your problem, they emailed back with questions, I replied they then asked me to make an appointment with the nurse for bloods, when the results came back they emailed me and said they had prescribed medication and I could collect from boots. Where as for an ongoing health issue I could book an in person appointment

@eeyore228 I would happily pay more in but the standard of service would have to be significantly better than it is now and has been for the last 43 years of my adult life. I would like to see a continental system of health care in the UK. My tax statement now tells me how much of my deducted tax is paid to the NHS. I do not think my lifetime care will cost more than I shall contribute overall.

You may be fortunate in terms of healthcare. Just having a baby in the US ranges from a few grand up to 15k. Epidurals were about £1000 when I last checked. An Ultrasound was £300. Prescriptions don’t cost the NHS price. You may never need the NHS but it’s axing how quickly it builds up without realising the true cost. It’s certainly not perfect but sometimes neither are the healthcare systems in other countries where they charge for anything. Over a lifetime many will have had more out of the system.

I don't think I understand your post eeyore. It is not a direct comparison between UK/US - the healthcare systems are different to both. An NHS prescription charge is a flat rate because of the tax everyone pays into the system. Some drugs are as cheap as chips and 56 day prescribing doesn't do favours for all, not least when the barriers to getting them every two months sometimes cost the patient more in time than paying for a private prescription would.

@Shehasadiamondinthesky

Even more weirdly why are podiatrists not back working face to face?!?

You kidding right. I'm an NHS podiatrist I've been working right through covid seeing patients GPs should be seeing, hospital consultant.s patients for them and having to upload photos and a report for each one, we only get 30 mins per patient and God knows what. I've never been so busy in my life.

Today I left work at 8pm, my working day is supposed to end at 5.

All the private pods I know are working, they can't afford not to.

I’m a private pod. Never been so busy nor tired. All the health services are overloaded and backed up.

I’m seeing more complex stuff as orthopaedic lists are getting longer and longer. Luckily my local NHS podiatry colleagues can prioritise any high risk referrals I send them.

@eeyore228

You may be fortunate in terms of healthcare. Just having a baby in the US ranges from a few grand up to 15k. Epidurals were about £1000 when I last checked. An Ultrasound was £300. Prescriptions don’t cost the NHS price. You may never need the NHS but it’s axing how quickly it builds up without realising the true cost. It’s certainly not perfect but sometimes neither are the healthcare systems in other countries where they charge for anything. Over a lifetime many will have had more out of the system.

Why do people keep comparing to USA. There are lots of other systems throughout Europe, Canada and Australia. It's not a binary choice between either the NHS or the US system. Yet NHS staff always trot out the US as a comparison/alternative.

My gp surgery has the online assessment. I've had oral antibiotics, a gyne referral, bloods ordered and reviewed, a specialist surgical referral and a referral to the lymphadema specialist nurses. All done since Jan. Without seeing a gp face to face. If this was during normal times I'd still be trying to get a bloody first appointment let alone for eveyething else. It was always "ring tomorrow at 8:30" but by the time you get through there is nothing as it's not an emergency you had to just keep trying the roulette of calling.

The very notion that a GP practice has a sign on the door saying "if you feel unwell do not enter" seems bizarre to say the least.

@Livinginthecity

The very notion that a GP practice has a sign on the door saying "if you feel unwell do not enter" seems bizarre to say the least.

Yes, it reminds me of the time I went to the GP because I was ill and when I walked in the GP said "oh my god, you look terrible, are you OK?".

I had to check I was in the right place. No, of course I'm not OK, if I was OK I wouldn't be here!

My DH rang surgery today for an ear infection. The GP rang back and wanted to see him, but she said she’s virtually fully booked for the next 10 days, appointments are 20 minutes now instead of 10, but she’s managed to squeeze him in for next Thursday and he’s been given antibiotics and ear drops till then. They are also open from 7 am to 7 pm. It sounded like there weren’t many doctors in at the same time though.

Sadly, it seems to be much harder to get an appointment at the moment - and I mean a GP telephone appointment. Spoke to an elderly person recently who gave up trying to make an appointment - waiting on the phone for at least 20 mins just trying to make phone appointment about 3 times / got through once put told no appointments left and call back for an appointment the next day - wouldn't let her book in advance. She went to the surgery front door but they told her she had to call. I do feel that while is has been acknowledged that there will be serious issues due to hospital appointments being cancelled/postponed there will also be people who feel totally thwarted in trying to just make an appointment to discuss an issue. They will be waiting until they can physically go to the GP to make an appointment because they can't get one via telephone calls.

I'm finding the Fort Knox thing a bit tedious.

Our place have stopped even attempting to answer the phone. Which might be because of covid vaccine enquiries, but we can't get any access to test results.

I'm tempted to pitch up in person but I'm sure they'll be barricaded in behind a locked door. It does feel a bit OTT now that the vulnerable half of the adult population is vaccinated. 🙄

Not only are our doctors not doing face to face - I have spent the last 5 days trying to set-up a telephone appointment! I've now given up!

No F2F contact here.
My DD had an ear infection last week. GP did not want to see her, instead she was told to go to pharmacist, who gave her antibiotics.
GPs not doing vaccinations here, it’s usually nurses or specially trained staff.
However the telephone contacts are fantastic. DH had telephone consultation, GP was fantastic and based on consultation, GP arrange blood and urine tests. Once results available GP rang DH to tell him she had referred him. Within the space of two weeks after phone consultation he has hospital appointment for scan.
So For us the lack of F2F made no difference, the phone consultation was just as good .

We don't have a NHS any more. We have a national corona service. Is that what I pay my taxes for?

My doctors are doing both. I had an appointment by video link . Didn’t feel rushed at all . My prescription was sent to the local chemist with minutes .
I preferred it to actually having to go to the surgery

Trying to get an appointment. Doctor rings me when I am in a crucial meeting at work or giving a presentation and so I can’t pick up. Then I have to start the process all over again. Filling out the app, explaining everything, attaching photos. He calls me again. Can’t answer again for the same reason. Back to square one. Filling out the app etc. Hoping to be able to answer tomorrow. Just hope I hear my phone. There must be a better system though!