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?

@VanGoghsDog

I've always wondered how come it's supposed to be so risky for a GP to see one person at a time,

Because the people they are seeing are ill.

Ill, maybe, but not necessarily with Covid. It was made very clear to me recently, that if there was the outside chance of me having Covid then I was absolutely not to attend the surgery. No such luxury in classrooms.

Hancock's said it should be digital by default and that GPs shouldn't slip back into 'bad old habits'

https://htn.co.uk/2020/07/31/matt-hancock-gp-tele-consultations-should-be-default-unless-reason-not-to/

I understand why it is necessary and definitely wouldn't want to be sitting in a room with lots of other ill people at the moment, but definitely hope it doesn't become permanent.

Or at least they'd need to change from the waiting for a call back from the GP system they have now to giving some sort of appointment time. It's definitely much less easy to fit appointments around work now.

My GP surgery ( one I have just moved to due to being out of catchment if my old one) is not doing face to face but rings you back or so they say.

For me the doctor was supposed to be ringing me back after I developed a itchy rash all over my tummy and legs. It was early in my pregnancy at this point. Rang me a full three days after he was supposed to and started the phone call with ‘You have demanded a phone call from me’ then complained the photos that I had sent were hard to see exactly the type of rash. He then said I should take something you shouldn’t take when pregnant which made me loose confidence in him.

I had in the interim gone to a prescribing chemist in the next town and got a selection of things.

My next phone call came after I had chronic dental pain and had been advised by the midwife to get a prescription for codine for two days until I got the emergency dental appointment a full ten mins after the pharmacy shut.

So for me the doctor offering phone calls is no god and no help.

@chinateapot

And I also wish that I could give an exact time for telephone appointments. But the trouble is, some telephone appointments are allocated 5 minutes and take 30 minutes.

If you are going to struggle to answer the phone at certain times ask the receptionist to make a note and the GP will probably try to work around that if at all possible.

Mine do give an exact time, though like all appointments they run late at times.

A few weeks ago the GP called me out of the blue. I was (ironically, since diarrhea is the issue) in the loo, he left a VM, I called back, they said they'd get him to call me again, next time he called I was in a meeting. I did manage to answer but only to tell him I was in a meeting I couldn't leave and he agreed to call me at five fifteen when my meeting had finished, I then had to cut another call short to be ready and he called at five thirty. All that malarky could have been avoided if they'd just made a bloody appointment!

Telephone call here it ridiculous sometimes things need to be face to face. Even blood pressure has been checked when needed to for medication. GPS need to be seeing more people so less people turn up at a.e

@VanGoghsDog

I've always wondered how come it's supposed to be so risky for a GP to see one person at a time,

Because the people they are seeing are ill.

No sh1t Sherlock - who'd have thought it, someone wanting the doctor because they're ill

Funnily enough, folk have always seen doctors because they were ill, only now - at least around here - they can't
The GP I've mentioned before is still using his NHS time to see patients who'll pay though, "triaging" them by phone and slipping in the offer. And yes he's been reported, and no nothing seems to have been done

hasnt

I’ve had a horrendous cough for 4 months now, numerous negative Covid tests. Can’t get near my GP, they just prescribe anti biotics over phone (x3) and tell me it will be fine. On my 4th call when I’m having difficulty breathing at night they have prescribed an inhaler and sent for a chest x ray. We have asthma in the family but told they’re not doing those tests currently cos of Covid.
Meanwhile, my mum was referred for dementia testing in 2019, since then she has had only telephone appointments (bar a brain scan) and fuck all support. Consultant has 5 min phone Chat every now and then. She lives on her own, I’m not near, they’ve done nothing for her, she is so vulnerable and we’re both close to breaking (or more likely getting lost on a 3am walk for my mum).

I’ve never needed the NHS so much and it has let me down so badly. I wouldn’t be so angry about all of those docs avoiding their patients were it not for the fact that me and millions of other key workers were having to do our jobs properly.

Shame on you health care professionals still hiding.

My whole family has ended up in mental health crisis, partly triggered by DH getting controlling under lockdown. Trying to arrange a private call under those circumstances is near-impossible. Much easier if I can make an appointment, hint at "lady troubles" and then discuss the actual issues in a room with a closed door. Not possible.

Some people don't want to hear it, for some weird reason, but it's a big problem. There's another active thread, as we speak, on Mumsnet, with first hand accounts about this issue from GPs, A&E nurses, and ambulance workers (the latter two groups are dealing with the fall out). Yes, yes, it's lovely for those of you who have been able to get a GP appointment, how marvellous for you, but what about all those who haven't? (Thought we were 'all in this together', bla bla bla).

www.pulsetoday.co.uk/news/workload/one-million-more-gp-appointments-taking-place-per-week-than-before-pandemic/

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay

I understand why it is necessary and definitely wouldn't want to be sitting in a room with lots of other ill people at the moment, but definitely hope it doesn't become permanent.

Or at least they'd need to change from the waiting for a call back from the GP system they have now to giving some sort of appointment time. It's definitely much less easy to fit appointments around work now.

And it would help if doctors phone somewhere near the appointment time slot, in fact, it would help if they called at all. Time and time again, OH has waited for the call, for nothing to happen, then has to phone again to try to arrange another.

@BananaSpanner

I’ve had a horrendous cough for 4 months now, numerous negative Covid tests. Can’t get near my GP, they just prescribe anti biotics over phone (x3) and tell me it will be fine. On my 4th call when I’m having difficulty breathing at night they have prescribed an inhaler and sent for a chest x ray. We have asthma in the family but told they’re not doing those tests currently cos of Covid. Meanwhile, my mum was referred for dementia testing in 2019, since then she has had only telephone appointments (bar a brain scan) and fuck all support. Consultant has 5 min phone Chat every now and then. She lives on her own, I’m not near, they’ve done nothing for her, she is so vulnerable and we’re both close to breaking (or more likely getting lost on a 3am walk for my mum).

I’ve never needed the NHS so much and it has let me down so badly. I wouldn’t be so angry about all of those docs avoiding their patients were it not for the fact that me and millions of other key workers were having to do our jobs properly.

Shame on you health care professionals still hiding.

I'm having vision problems and havn't had a diabetic eye test for 2 years. Apparently they're not doing them "due to covid", so that's OK then, I'll just go blind whist you're hiding behind your sofas.

Our GP surgery does phone appointments. That's okay, except it's not appointments. They ring you at some time during the day. Arrogant assholes. They think we are all sitting waiting on our phones to ring.
They don't know the definition of appointment.

@Sweettea1

Telephone call here it ridiculous sometimes things need to be face to face. Even blood pressure has been checked when needed to for medication. GPS need to be seeing more people so less people turn up at a.e

Not just GPs, OH can't speak to his oncologist and is mid way through chemo with problems/side effects etc. Call scheduled for last week but oncologist didn't bother ringing, no apology, no re-arrangement. OH has tried several times per day since to try to talk to someone, but radio silence. He's also tried to re-book the phone consultation, but apparently the oncologist has no slots for 4 weeks. It's a fiasco. It's time they got their arses back into hospitals and started seeing patients properly again. You'd think cancer patients mid chemo treatment would get properly looked after, but no, they're just left with no support and no contact.

@Skinnytailedsquirrel

Our GP surgery does phone appointments. That's okay, except it's not appointments. They ring you at some time during the day. Arrogant assholes. They think we are all sitting waiting on our phones to ring. They don't know the definition of appointment.

What would you suggest? Next time I'll just hang up on the suicidal patient who needs 30 minutes so that assholes like you can be called on time??

I wonder how people would cope walking a week in a GPS shoes?

People don’t perceive a videoconference appointment as seeing a doctor, when of course it is and is absolutely fine for many things.

Lots of things don’t need to be face to face. If we had more GPs it would be easier to give people what they want but there is a massive shortage and far more quitting than starting out. They work incredibly long hours and yes, they see patients, do home visits and nursing home visits still. They can only be stretched so far.

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay

I understand why it is necessary and definitely wouldn't want to be sitting in a room with lots of other ill people at the moment, but definitely hope it doesn't become permanent.

Or at least they'd need to change from the waiting for a call back from the GP system they have now to giving some sort of appointment time. It's definitely much less easy to fit appointments around work now.

Trouble comes when they don't bother to phone at the appointment time, or at all. Then you've got to go through the whole fiasco again to make another appointment.

Honestly everyone - your GP isn’t phoning you at random times and not in an appointment slot because they couldn’t be bothered or are too arrogant to think it matters for you.

It’s because the person they spoke to earlier was suicidal. Or needed admission to hospital. Or there were child protection issues. Or someone collapsed in the surgery. Or they got a phone call from a paramedic. Or any one of a hundred other things that doesn’t fit into a 5 or 10 minute appointment slot.

My gp are doing mostly telephone appointments but will do face to face for emergencies. I was really unwell a few weeks ago and was asked to come in.

My husband is a dentist and is practically working normally again and doing check ups as well as treatment. Some surgeries are still completely shut though.

With gp surgeries and dental surgeries , It depends entirely on the individual place so if you're finding it impossible to get an appt, find out if there are any local surgeries that are giving appointments and see if you can move to them.

@Kazzyhoward
You do know that GPs don’t do the diabetic eye checks don’t you? It’s done by the retinal screening service, sent from the hospital. They use the GP premises, but GPs don’t control whether it happens or not.

At my surgery you fill in the online form and a gp will call you back. If they need to see you they will.

Kazzy shocking.

We have a family friend having chemo at the mo and his oncologist is in regular contact. An oncologist not bothering is worth a complaint to PALS.

I have had a few appointments in my local surgery since covid. One was a routine smear. Then I was experiencing heart palpitations and had a phone consultation first before I was invited in to see the GP. He said that for every patient he sees in person, it involves 10mins of cleaning and sanitising his room before and after. I imagine this contributes to why phone appointments are better unless completely necessary. Many conditions don’t require physical examination and therefore a telephone appoint will suffice. However, if the GP feels that a physical examination is better then it can be arranged after a phone appointment. I completely appreciate there are some cases where this is not practical and feel very sorry for those suffering and getting nowhere with their GPs. It’s a very tricky situation but I imagine they’re trying to do what works best most of the time.