Long term conditions. Are you able to see GP?

[ArseInTheCoOpWindow]

I’ve not seen my GP since the start of the pendentives. I’d like to see her.

I can’t cope with the whole telephone triage thing. So l don’t use it. I’ve had a few wobbles, but I’ve just not spoken to triage.

I hate hate using the phone, so l don’t phone. Should I be having reviews like l used to have?

Or do we just struggle on?

Do Gap’s just deal with acute issues now?

Bump

I'm in Scotland and we can still book in for things like review appts a few weeks in advance

My consultant hasn't seen me in person for 2 years now (it's just too dangerous apparently). I get a 5 min phone call when they can be bothered to schedule one.

GP won't touch me if my condition causes a problem, as I am under the care of a consultant (aka a voice on the end of the phone).

If you have a long term condition which needs medication my Gp insist on yearly review. That can also be by phone though. Do you have a specific reason to see GP though?

If you have a chronic MH condition it is a good idea to check in with GP regularly. I can't see the prob with a quick phone call to establish whether you need to come in or not. That or you could email the practice and get them to forward it to him/her. I've done that before now.

Good luck

PhilCornwall that’s me,

But l was struggling a few weeks ago quite badly. Feel overwhelmed by the phone/triage system. Just find it really off putting and can’t face it. I don’t know why, l just can’t, it’s part of the whole anxiety thing l think.

So l did nothing, and slipped that bit further down.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

PhilCornwall that’s me,

But l was struggling a few weeks ago quite badly. Feel overwhelmed by the phone/triage system. Just find it really off putting and can’t face it. I don’t know why, l just can’t, it’s part of the whole anxiety thing l think.

So l did nothing, and slipped that bit further down.

Sorry to hear this, can someone else phone for you and explain?

My gp has been calling me for a mental health review face to face since last summer so In my experience yes.

I hear you OP.

The telephone system is all very well but if you're someone who'd prefer not to use the telephone, it's shit.

I don't know if your surgery is the same as mine, but mine deactivated the online booking system they used to have. (I suppose it's to stop people who think they've got covid symptoms clogging up the appointments, but it's unhelpful nonetheless.)

I've struggled too, to be honest. I'm in Edinburgh and just getting registered with a GP was a bugger's own job. The particular surgery I did end up getting onto is small and only releases appointments in 'blocks' at random times, so quite often I call for an appointment to be told that there aren't any, and subsequently hung up on. (As mentioned above, they don't let you book online any more.)

The GP I do speak to is also a bit antidepressant-averse. So I get a month's worth and then have to call for yet another review, which of course I struggle to get because the system won't let me make appointments.

I'm contemplating going private, simply to get some kind of reliable continuity of medication (and service). I am both grateful that I can afford to consider this, and also highly irritated that having paid seven figures in tax over my working life I can't seem to now access a basic public service that I am supposedly paying for when I need it. And also that people who aren't as fortunate as me to have that choice are stuck with a system and process that simply doesn't work.

Multiple chronic health conditions, no contact whatsoever from the GP despite being extremely clinically vulnerable and working in a school. Have had two phone calls with consultant, a face to face appt and a scan in person.

GP can see people they need to face to face. I will email or fill in e consult whatever filter they use and say due to your condition you can’t do it over the phone. It’s a reasonable adjustment to manage your condition. Phone works for some people but not for all.

I’ve had no problems seeing any other medical professionals. None at all. Just get sent letters, turn up and see them.

But l hate the onus being on me to describe what’s wrong to a telephone. It makes me feel kind of powerless.

@Akire

GP can see people they need to face to face. I will email or fill in e consult whatever filter they use and say due to your condition you can’t do it over the phone. It’s a reasonable adjustment to manage your condition. Phone works for some people but not for all.

My surgery has disabled e-consult, as too many people were using it. 🤔

@PhilCornwall1 Ditto. "It was working too well, so Margaret took a sledgehammer to it."

OP, you’re being a bit unfair to your GP here saying that you can’t get to see them. At present you haven’t actually informed them that you want to/need to see them. They are not mindreaders and expect people to get in touch if needing/wanting seen about their health. That is how primary care works. With secondary care as you say you will get sent out specific appointments to turn up to (presumably following a referral there by your GP…) but they also won’t keep you on their books for your entire life like your GP does and they won’t deal with anything and everything health related like your GP can. You can have an appointment with your GP if you need one, of course you can, and no they don’t only deal with acute issues now, but you do have to ask them to give you one. I dare say you might even be able to ask for a face to face appointment if that’s your preference but you do need to contact them to let them know that you’d like an appt and would prefer it is face to face. You can telephone, contact them online or walk in to reception in most GPs now if you are looking for an appt. If you find it difficult to do it yourself then ask someone else to make the appt for you, but please don’t blame the fact that you are procrastinating about making an appointment for whatever reason, on your GP, they don’t know you need support til you tell them.

I have just been struggling on. Then I ended up under crisis team for a while, and my GP adjusted my meds.. and that was it. Back to just plodding on. My GP surgery still have their door pretty much chained up, and I struggle with the phone.

lease don’t blame the fact that you are procrastinating about making an appointment for whatever reason, on your GP, they don’t know you need support til you tell them

I’m not procrastinating or blaming my gp. I phoned and got an appointment with the mental health worker. But when you feel shit, you don’t really want to describe the problem.

Anxiety is often about feeling overwhelmed. I feel like a rabbit caught in the headlights at the thought of phoning up and discussing problems on the phone.

It’s not procrastination, it’s being paralysed. I’ve never procrastinated anything in my life. I get things done straight away, but just can’t cope with this new way.

OP trust me I know all about anxiety and overwhelm and feeling shit. And the word procrastination wasn’t meant as a negative judgement by the way, I procrastinate all the time, lots of us do, mental health problems or not. If you’ve never procrastinated on anything in your life that’s very impressive. What you are calling being paralysed I would personally term as procrastination - because you want an appointment yet you are putting off trying to organise one. I totally understand there are reasons why you are doing that, and a lot of people have struggled to adapt to life under COVID in so many ways, me included. I’m not saying it’s easy. But please understand that your GP is there to help and I’m sure would want to help but they can’t help you if they don’t know you need it. You don’t have to explain anything to reception if that’s the worry, you can call and say you want an appointment but don’t want to say why or just say it’s mental health related but you’d rather not go into detail, or even get someone else to call for you. Obviously if you want help you will need to give your GP some clue as to what’s going on and I suspect if you say you’re not comfortable doing that over the phone and ask to come and see them face to face that can be accommodated. I’m interested to know what made it easier to call the mental health team for support when you felt you couldn’t approach your GP, is it simply that they already know you are calling about a mental health issue so you don’t have to explain that it’s about your mental health?

Because l don’t have to go through it on the phone before l we him.