GP Surgey, is this the new norm.

[jenkel]

Since the first lockdown my family have successfully had dentist appointments, orthodontic appointments and dental surgery in hospital. Everything is getting back to near normal apart from our surgery. They have stopped the walk in and wait service which is never to be restarted, I understand why they initially stopped it but obviously just a money saving exercise for it to never be restarted. I recently made an appointment, I knew a phone consultation wouldn’t work and explained this to the receptionist, but I had to have a phone consultation, the soonest they could offer this was 5 weeks, when my appointment came, I briefly explained to the gp who immediately said I think I need to see you, the soonest appointment was 2 weeks away, so 7 weeks in total. And it’s like trying to break out of a prison to actually get into the drs. You can’t just walk in, you have to shout through a closed window, to the receptionist with all your details. It’s not so much the gps, but it’s the receptionists, are they really that vulnerable that they have to be protected at all costs. I am a teacher and have worked throughout, I just don’t get it and not sure how they are allowed to continue like this. One of my elderly neighbours health has deteriorated quite quickly in the last week, they are in their 80s, they have tried to make an appointment to see a gp and and had to wait 5 weeks, so they are so worried that they have had to pay and go private to see a gp quicker. Fortunately they can afford to pay, but this is awful, I have tried to persuade them to explain to the gp how potentially serious this is but they aren’t those type of people. Is this the new normal?

Perhaps I should adopt the same attitude when teaching my reception class.

You could do but you'd be better off any kid with a new cough or temperature staying at home. Unfortunately people ignore this and think "oh I'm ill, I'll go to the doctors." It's these people that are ruining it.

@PurpleyBlue

Perhaps I should adopt the same attitude when teaching my reception class.

You could do but you'd be better off any kid with a new cough or temperature staying at home. Unfortunately people ignore this and think "oh I'm ill, I'll go to the doctors." It's these people that are ruining it.

Isn’t that the point of the doctors ? You think oh I’m Unwell I need the doctor? Also not every temp is covid related

Our surgery is back to mostly normal. All through lockdown we were able to actually go into the surgery to speak to a receptionist and collect prescriptions from dispensary. Through lockdown it was telephone consultations, but they would see you face to face on the day if they deemed it necessary.
They were carrying out blood tests and smear tests at the surgery the whole time.

Now they are open for all appointments. We can sit in the waiting room [ reduced numbers in at any one time ] and see a doctor face to face. I have been able to get an appointment on the day too.

I am very happy with the way our surgery have been throughout the whole covid pandemic.

Seems odd. 5 and 7 weeks. We can get a same day appointment by phone and come in the same week if necessary.

[quote RaRaRasputinLoveMachine]@ichundich nonsense. The phone and walk in is still available for people who can’t use online. They’ll find it easier to access, because most people will prefer online.[/quote]
Do you live in a parallel universe? It's clear from this thread (and many others that I have seen on MN recently) that many surgeries don't have walk-in services anymore and people are saying they can't even get through on the phone. Also phone-only consultations pose a similar obstacle to some people as online consultations. I suspect that you are very young and / or have never really been ill.

Ours is back to normal. You've been able to get on the day appointments throughout the pandemic and then they'd see you face to face if they thought it necessary. Now you can book whichever you want they just ask you if you want f2f or in person. You can go in and speak to the receptionist as normal, there are just a few less chairs in the waiting area, that's literally it. I have multiple chronic stuff so speak to someone at least once a week, every week, and I've never had any issues at all.
I'd change drs if I were you.

My GP surgery is fantastic to be fair. 8 miles away, a similar sized surgery is absolutely appalling.

They wouldn't see my aunt f2f since last March despite repeated requests. She was fobbed off with health anxiety. She was recovering from double lung cancer surgery and apparently a rare autoimmune condition that was attacking her liver, needing heavy duty steroids to treat. She was told repeatedly her symptoms were side effects of the medication, it's difficult we know but your anxiety for every twinge is making you worse. She died yesterday of secondary liver, bone and lung cancer.

My best friend has had serious MH issues. She has attempted suicide 4 times in the last 9 months. She has been through the MH services, had appointments with a psychiatrist, had vital reports archived with emergency prescriptions on it, told she needs an appointment every 2 weeks for a sick note but by the time she gets through to the surgery, then gets an appointment her last sick note has run out and she doesn't get paid correctly that week from work. Then when the missed sick days go on the week after, she gets taxed on it and it effects her UC payment. But no good ring beforw the note expires because they won't even let her book an appointment 'because you might be well again'.

When we have had aunts funeral I'm going to sit down with my mum and cousin and got pals re the surgery. The GP came to see aunt Tuesday. Stood in the fucking open front door which goes out to the street and didn't even approach aunt, didn't comfort her, didn't make eye contact with my mum who was asking questions. Just mumbled behind a mask. This doctor has to sign the fucking death certificate, how she can do that and state she has seen aunt is fucking beyond me and if they send aunt for a post mortem because of this I will go fucking ballistic.

My Gp isn't like this. I much prefer the newer system. Everything is triaged by phone first and you'll get that on the day- mines always been within the hour. Then they either give you advice over the phone or see you in person the same day. I've always been very lucky with this doctors tho they're fantastic. Receptionists there are questionable!

Well that's not fair actually they're all lovely apart from one who I dread speaking too!

Witchesbelazy I meant the people with a cough and a temperature who are turning up instead of phoning before attending

@Chelsea567

I've had a physio appointment over the phone. I mean, really???

My deaf 94yo dad gave up on his balance clinic appointments over the phone as he couldn't hear what they were saying. He couldn't use his hearing aid as it wasn't working and his audiologist wanted to see him before replacing it and that appointment took 4 months. His GP insisted on phone appointments too and so misdiagnosed his urine infection as a flare up of osteoarthritis. He ended up with 5 hospital admissions septic arthritis, pneumonia and a heart attack as a result. He has been suffering with severe pain and still struggled together a f2f appointment. "Luckily" he fell and had a wound that wouldn't heal and needed dressing. The practice nurse was so concerned about his pain that she got the GP to see him there and then. He was sent straight to hospital where another serious condition that could have been fatal very soon was diagnosed.

@Standrewsschool

I’m not quite sure how it’s a money saving reason. The gp is paid per hour, not patient.

GP surgeries ARE paid per patient, most are private businesses.

@PurpleyBlue

Witchesbelazy I meant the people with a cough and a temperature who are turning up instead of phoning before attending

Sorry my misunderstanding there

Just your gp. Here you can get a same day phone appointment if you call before 10am, book an appointment for non urgent via phone for later in the week or more convenient book an appointment via the nhs app. My favourite innovation though is e consult, you submit what's wrong by the app and they call you back/advise tests etc - meant they ordered the tests (bloods etc) before my in person appointment the following week once the tests were back. Once you have a telephone consult here they can ask you to come in later that day if needed

@Lougle

Same here, much preferred to pre covid. Love e consult

Last week I tried every day (you can’t book appointments, there only the days appointments released each morning, which by 8.15 are gone). I had cystitis which by the end of the week had turned in to a kidney infection-was still turned away and told to try out of hours. I was it’s day time! Anyway-queue me sitting in our OOH at the local hospital with a 5hour wait, sobbing in the end and all for the want of some antibiotics.

@runbyscum

Our surgery physically locked the doors and even put crime-scene-like black and yellow tape across the entrance, just in case you were thinking of crossing the threshold

But yes, they probably think they are frontline NHS, unlike my DH critical care nurse who spent most of the past 16months engulfed in a cloud of covid, properly treating patients and saving lives

Ours did too and it's still there. Along with huge notices on the door about Covid. When you phone, you have to listen to a recorded Covid message before getting through to the front desk. Their website is dominated by a Covid message.

They are giving appointments, but you have to navigate through and ignore all the Covid messaging first. Ring the intercom and stand in the car park until someone lets you in.

They may be "open", but they are very much giving out the message that they are not to be disturbed.

Ours changed to a system where you have to call on the day and the GP will call you back. No appointments at all but they will see you if they deem it necessary after the call. So only 'urgent' need to be seen on the day and no routine appointments. It is a joke. An absolute joke.

My Nanna, in her 90s, who lives in the next town was made to stand outside in the snow earlier this year for 20 mins because her doctor was running late. At least ours let you in the waiting area if you do manage to see a doctor. I was appalled and emailed a complaint as soon as we got home. It was ignored.

@Catlover10

In your situation I think I would’ve gone to a and e...

My friend’s dad couldn’t get into GPs for an appt. his DD drove him to A&E. the wait time was 20 hours. She couldn’t go in with him to explain why they were there. He’s deaf and has Alzheimer’s. He didn’t know why he was there. I’m so sick of Covid

My mum had a massive stroke Feb 20 discharged from stroke Rehab unit 8 weeks later just as Covid hit. She had carers for two weeks, morning and night but as she had Dad as support that was all. She hasn't heard from a doctor or consultant following up post stroke, she hasn't had her medication reviewed since May 2020. Dad spent 55 minutes on the phone in a queue yesterday before getting through - he asked for a medication review appt to be told it would be by telephone and the earliest they could do was 9th July. Its appalling - my parents are very lucky they are well off and can afford private OT and physios otherwise she would have been left floundering.

In the doctors defence, the practice now has to deal with well over 2000 more households than it did ten years ago due to the number of new houses being built in its coverage area. But it really is shocking that this is now 'normal'!

"I’m so sick of Covid". Blaming covid is too easy. This is not covid's fault. It's human error, laziness, red tape etc.

@RaRaRasputinLoveMachine can't get through on the phone. If there's more than 10 in the queue (every day) it simply cuts you off and tells you to ring later. Doors are shut. Can't walk in
Same day appointments only, can't book in advance for anything and all appointments gone by the time you get through

Well, it lookks like they are a few surgeries that are working well but majority seems as shocking as mine. I also don’t get why they got so involved in the vaccinations, in out town we have a very big vaccination centre, where they are geared up to vaccinating lots of people, but the drs were still involved and doing vaccinations, my DH got vaccinated at the drs, that is not a good use of resources, drs have way more important things to do than vaccinate especially when there is a perfectly good and useable vaccination center close by, that is not running at peak, I know why they wanted in on the vaccination system though, they get paid for each patient they vaccinate. Will be Interesting to see what happens next month if we are all back to normal, fed up that covid is now a reason for shoddy service

@jenkel

Well, it lookks like they are a few surgeries that are working well but majority seems as shocking as mine. I also don’t get why they got so involved in the vaccinations, in out town we have a very big vaccination centre, where they are geared up to vaccinating lots of people, but the drs were still involved and doing vaccinations, my DH got vaccinated at the drs, that is not a good use of resources, drs have way more important things to do than vaccinate especially when there is a perfectly good and useable vaccination center close by, that is not running at peak, I know why they wanted in on the vaccination system though, they get paid for each patient they vaccinate. Will be Interesting to see what happens next month if we are all back to normal, fed up that covid is now a reason for shoddy service

I understand why you're frustrated, it sounds rubbish and it's so uneven (my GP surgery have been really brilliant and I'm very grateful for that). But there are plenty of reasons why GPs are giving vaccinations and if we want to get out of this mess we need people vaccinated - vaccinations are cost neutral for most surgeries in terms of staffing/time balanced against enhanced services payments.

Shoddy service is due to serious underfunding and investment in training and support. Covid has shown this up. Complain to your MP.

My surgery hasn't been too bad and I have been seen there a couple of times. My main gripe is that you can't book appointments or any type of econsult online. You have to phone, and it can be pot luck getting through or not.

My mother's surgery is dreadful. Not great pre-covid, they fully upped the drawbridges once the first lockdown hit and nobody there has seen hide nor hair of a GP since. Occasionally you may get a phone call (in itself as rare as hen's teeth) but there is no face to face at all. If they think you need to be seen they send paramedics rather than visiting themselves. So very often an ambulance turns up at your house when the GP or district nurse would have been perfectly sufficient.

Dreadful service. There are three surgeries in my mother's town, but all run by the same management and owned by the same people, so all as bad and no possibility of changing.