I can see a dentist, an osteopath and have an x ray. Why can't I see my GP face to face?

[pinkprosseco]

Where I am Registered the GP only does telephone triage and almost never invited anyone in for face to face appointment whether that's a persistent cough (not Covid), abdominal pains or potential arthritis, a ? Lesion on the skin etc etc. I feel that long after other key workers have gone back to normal, GPS who we depend on as a first line of advice and diagnosis, are shirking responsibility. Surely the missed diagnosis the BBC and other current affairs websites are referring to are only going to get worse. Why isn't there a mandate they return to work properly. Anyone else?

Abraxan 'monitoring' is a vague concept. If it's BP it's more accurate to do it at home as I've said. There's no real way to do it incorrectly with an automated sphygmanometer. It would flash up as error. So if you're managing then it doesn't need to be 'checked'! I don't know what you think I'd do differently? For those who cannot manage or refuse, of course we'll see them. But then you'll wait longer for me to do your child's immunisations or your father's cancer bloods. There are millions and millions of people on heavy duty BP meds. It's fairly commonplace. There's far more of a risk of increasing BP meds unnecessarily with elevated surgery readings caused by white coat syndrome.

And GP's surgeries aren't shops or schools. BY their very nature they have many more vulnerable, elderly, unwell immunocompromised people in a much smaller space.
And dealing with patients on the phone does not involve less staff. Surgeries haven't suddenly sacked half their HCP.

GPs 'see' dozens of sick people every day. Remote consultations protect them and patients.

I've been able to access the nurse after the first lockdown for blood tests and B12 injections so that’s been good

I quite like the phone appointments as they’ve worked for what I need. What I don’t like is not giving a time. It simply doesn’t work

I phoned drs for appointment and non urgent blood test the receptionist said we’ve got a cancellation we can do blood test in half an hour if you can get here. Brilliant I replied and set off

On arrival I was told you better be quick. If the Dr rings and you don’t answer ( I don’t take calls when driving or having needles stuck in me) then he won’t try again.

Do you understand that the GP system is about to break?

Genuinely?

The demand is through the roof. There aren't enough doctors and there aren't enough hours in the day.

@museumsandgalleries666

GPs 'see' dozens of sick people every day. Remote consultations protect them and patients.

From what exactly? GPs and their receptionists are all vaccinated. They are not working in ICU or on a bus or anywhere else where people still see other people. It doesn't protect patients if they aren't being assessed properly because it's all on the we phone.

@SchnitzelVonCrummsTum yes it seems that way. I accept it is a whole system problem but off loading the problems to A&E or local pharmacies isn't the solution either.

@pinkprosseco - I mean, the obvious reply to that is protect patients from each other as they may NOT be immunised. But I assume you took that into account?

You have heard from GPs on this thread how hard they are currently working. It is NOT THEIR PERSONAL FAULT that they are unable to sustain the service that they would like to.

If we carry on like this, we literally won't have primary care free at the point of need in a couple of years. Primary care does 90% of the work but receives 10% of the budget.

As a doctor's wife who has barely seen him for more than a year due to Covid and everything that has happened, thanks for pulling my morale lower than it was already.

Sorry for your situation @SchnitzelVonCrummsTum . I agree the system needs investment and a radical rethink to make sure it meets people's needs and retains a workforce. Hopefully once Covid is 'over' some time can be spent looking at what needs to change in primary care.

'GP's and their receptionists are all vaccinated'.
No they're not and some never will be.

It almost impossible to give a time. ATM most of my ten minute calls run well over because people don't answer so you have to retry, or they want to discuss more than one problem they've saved up. Or the GP wants an urgent bloods or ECG doing in the middle of a clinic. Or patients turn up (very) late to their appointment. Or you get a walk in with chest pain that should have gone to hospital. All daily occurrences.

Dh who works for the NHS tells me that from this week patients can have a face to face GP appointment if that's their preference.

Just had to do 200 mile trip to collect elderly DM. She was told by GP surgery last week that COPD checks were not being done at the moment (even though she was feeling more breathless) and she wasn't sick enough to see a GP in their opinion. They are planning to do telephone copd checks from now on (the F2F is for GPs only) but haven't started yet due to jabs! Are we supposed to buy a stethoscope as well as an oxygen monitor? She is 75, now with a nasty chest infection which could have been prevented with timely antibiotics. I understand GPs' current workload but there is very little point in 'protecting the vulnerable' from covid with vaccination if they are then left to die at home needlessly from other manageable conditions. I am also frustrated that surgeries (many of which are run by fundholding GPs who have a say) had the option to opt out of the Phase 2 NHS vaccination programme once the first phase was completed but her surgery has offered to all Group 6 and decided to carry on and neglect people who are actually ill whilst jabbing the young and healthy. So depressing.

It’s ridiculous,, the dr rings then is so confused by my tests she is underprepared and reading off a screen, she says oh you need medication for five years ! I’m like say what ?? Then says have another blood test and call me then .

I think it's bloody ridiculous that GPs can't see the patients than need to be seen F2F.

I prefer having telephone appointments and am really glad we can now routinely have them instead of trudging to my local surgery and wasting my time waiting.

However, telephone appointments are not always appropriate.
I think Gp surgery's have performed appallingly in the last year or so, everyone else had to step up in Covid, they stepped down!

I think Gp surgery's have performed appallingly in the last year or so, everyone else had to step up in Covid, they stepped down!

I can only talk about the surgery where I work but this is so far from the truth. We have worked incredibly hard to redesign everything we do, the way we care for our patients with acute problems as well as long term conditions. We are working incredibly hard to be responsive and safe but demand for appointments is through the roof.

@Tayberrytangle

Just had to do 200 mile trip to collect elderly DM. She was told by GP surgery last week that COPD checks were not being done at the moment (even though she was feeling more breathless) and she wasn't sick enough to see a GP in their opinion. They are planning to do telephone copd checks from now on (the F2F is for GPs only) but haven't started yet due to jabs! Are we supposed to buy a stethoscope as well as an oxygen monitor? She is 75, now with a nasty chest infection which could have been prevented with timely antibiotics. I understand GPs' current workload but there is very little point in 'protecting the vulnerable' from covid with vaccination if they are then left to die at home needlessly from other manageable conditions. I am also frustrated that surgeries (many of which are run by fundholding GPs who have a say) had the option to opt out of the Phase 2 NHS vaccination programme once the first phase was completed but her surgery has offered to all Group 6 and decided to carry on and neglect people who are actually ill whilst jabbing the young and healthy. So depressing.

That's really poor. If a surgery can't meet demand then they shouldn't take on additional work maybe they get paid more for it?) Online and telephone calls work for some people for some conditions but not for everyone. It is the most vulnerable people who need f2f the most and they seem to be forgotten. My 86 year old mum with dementia had a telephone consultation recently: her carer went round to support her with it but the GP rang early and all the carer heard was my mum say she was fine and hang up.

offered to all Group 6 and decided to carry on and neglect people who are actually ill whilst jabbing the young and healthy

Group 6 are actually all those with underlying health conditions. So not really 'young and healthy'. Also, this particular cohort were not offered vaccination at the mass vaccination centres, only via GP centres.

DH is a GP - has worked an average of 70 hours a week throughout the pandemic. His practice has only done vaccinations for group 6, those not well enough to leave their homes and local care homes.
They have never been so busy - requests for appointments - both remotely and f2f are going through the roof but with no additional FP’s.

Where I live, over the last 10 years, we are surrounded by blocks of flats and new housing developments. Thousands more residents but no new GP services. After years of campaigning there are a couple of new schools, but that is about it.
This is another huge issue that is impossible to address, as there is such a shortage of GPs.

Remote consultations can be ok depending on what it is for. But the problem also is that they don't give you a time! So inevitably you end up missing the call. Or they give a time which is not convenient and there is no way to change it. So frustrating.

Widower calls for return of in-person GP appointments www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-57229312

But then you have a case like my SIL told me about where both of the GPs in her local practice decided to start doing F2F again. Both contracted Covid before they were vaccinated. Neither (husband and wife) are well enough to work 2 months later. So, no GPs for that practice. Patients, when they need to actually see someone, now have a 40 mile round trip and phone consultations can take up to a week.

I have no idea what the answer is.

Local to me (South West) during the last year amongst people I know personally, two have been diagnosed with cancer and haved started chemo, one has had a hip replacement, two x knee replacements, 1 x hysterectomy, 2 x shoulder replacements (didn't even know shoulders could be replaced) and a neighbour has been in hospital with a heart attack and has subsequently been in twice for stents and again to have a pacemaker fitted.

I think it must depend a lot on where you live.

@cptartapp

It wouldn't be a problem if deemed necessary. If we can only have so many patients in the surgery at one time due to social distancing, that might amount to us able to see about a tenth of face to face appointments in one day compared to normal pre pandemic. So think how long people waited for appointments before Covid, then multiply that length of time by ten. That's following guidelines not making up rules.

One wonders if monthly appointments with your GP were really necessary beforehand? What exactly was he/she physically doing for you each time that to go to zero contact over 12 months has been seen as ok?
And you're assuming I and every HCP is fully vaccinated .They're not. More misunderstanding and misconceptions.

I'm assuming the GP is vaccinated. I am fully vaccinated. I would not attend if I had Covid symptoms.

I have not wanted monthly appts for a long time. However they insisted I had to attend in person.

They're using notes of a different hospital professional as an excuse for a lack of contact. Even though those appointments are for a different reason.

My surgery is actually bad. 5 doctors have left just before Covid. It's now an NHS run practice. They have more staff than before but are just as bad.

I used to work in a hospital as a trained nurse. I know what it's like to work under staffed it happened all the time. However we were not allowed to excuse poor care by saying we were under staffed.

Understaffing and hospital notes are different arguments.
My point was that in the majority if cases it is not unreasonable during a global pandemic to expect people to drop in home BP readings rather than have a monthly appointment to get it checked.
However, you seem to have other issues going on.

'Last year my partner developed a really odd growth on his neck, the GP rang and said it sounded like a melanoma, no need to come in'

With respect bollocks. No GP would say that about a suspected melanoma.

Gps have seen people throughout the pandemic. As others have said phone triaging is a brilliant way of managing their time so people with minor complaints can be dealt with quickly and easily for both, gp and patient, leaving f2f for those who actually need examining.