Why are GPs so protected?

[BiggerBoat1]

Can anyone explain to me why GPs still aren't seeing patients face to face.? All other services seem to be back up and running and in my doctor's surgery the Practice Nurse and Midwife are seeing people as normal.

Dentists are back up and running as are opticians etc. I am a teacher so I have been expected to be in a classroom with 30 children at a time for months.

I asked the receptionist today at my GP surgery when they would be back to normal and she looked at me like I'd grown two heads and said "Not any time soon. We still have the Covid". Is it just me or are GPs being protected to a ridiculous extent?

We are lucky where we are too but yes covid hasn't gone and it's the one area you have the most vulnerable people having to go into a building so I totally understand it. Any yes there is way too much gp bashing, the gps I know are on the floor with stress but still in every day trying to help everyone, a lot of people who are actively not seeking help and then arrive in a very bad state

Ps the title of your post is terrible

I’m not sure why it’s been so ok here - access to f2f GP at very short notice for dc on weekend and all dc have had dentist visit.

Earlier on in pandemic GP video assessment on a Sunday so has changed since then.

London so not a non busy place.

DH is a GP practice partner. He is handing the contract back and as at the end of October, 9,000 patients will be without a GP.

This is happening across the country as GP’s leave and there is no one to take on the practice.

Their union, the BMA are very powerful.

@stayathomer

We are lucky where we are too but yes covid hasn't gone and it's the one area you have the most vulnerable people having to go into a building so I totally understand it. Any yes there is way too much gp bashing, the gps I know are on the floor with stress but still in every day trying to help everyone, a lot of people who are actively not seeking help and then arrive in a very bad state

A lot of those "actively not seeking help" are struggling to access help as the phone isn't answered, GP surgery doors are locked, etc.

My husband recently had over two weeks in hospital with a life threatening infection which wouldn’t have progressed as far if the GP had been seeing patients appropriately.

In hospital he received the necessary medical care but there were serious issues with how he was treated. He was discharged with notes on how he would be followed up and none of it was put in place. Just not done. He contacted the GP for advice and reassurance and was told to fill in an online form and a doctor would ring him. He got a text back saying we can’t help.

There is hardly any Covid in our area NOW. There are just a few Covid patients in that hospital NOW. What is the excuse for the lack of care?

Tbh I can understand why GP's might be reluctant to resume 'normal service' right now, not because of Covid directly, but because they must be expecting to be absolutely swamped with people who have consciously put off going to the GP over the past 18 months, and an epidemic of both legitimate and hypochondriac Covid-related complaints.

Our go came out and did house visits 4 x during the first lockdown, Gp are doing face to face

Tbh I’d prefer telephone appointments and have done it this way over the last 18 months as more convenient with working etc

I am finding it far harder to access a dentist than a GP.. My son has just had two consecutive appointments cancelled for much needed tooth extractions for orthodontics. Because the dentist has had to go for a PCR test. I cannot access a check up. I work in a GP surgery and we are definitely seeing patients and have been all along. They are not protected.

A lot of those "actively not seeking help" are struggling to access help as the phone isn't answered, GP surgery doors are locked, etc.
I honestly can't speak for all of uk and Ireland but in the cases I know there's as many vulnerable people afraid to go to doctor and hospital so holding off

My 90 Yr old df has not managed f2f appointments since covid.
He didn't get a shielding letter for 3 months.
Last time he fell and was feeling dizzy he got a telephone appointment for 2 weeks later.
My opinion of HIS gp is unprintable.
But I won't condemn all gps based on that surgery.

My dm says during ww2 an excuse not to do something was always
There's a war on you know.
Now it's.
Can't because of covid.
She has a point.

It just varies from one practice to another. I rang my surgery and explained why I wanted (needed) to see my GP. She rang me back the next day to book in a f2f appointment as well as blood tests.

My daughter spiked a fever of 39.8 2 days ago, and her tonsils were covered in white spots. Obviously it was tonsillitis, I called 111 as it was late afternoon and GP had no appointments to be told that they had arranged a call back with my own GP. He called 5 minutes before the practice closed, he told me he wasn’t seeing her because she had symptoms of covid. It was very very obvious she had tonsillitis yet again and he sent me to and urgent treatment centre because they are better protected against covid! Absolute bullshit, when I got there, there was a wait of 7 hours because every fucking gp was just sending their patients there! I spoke to the doctor who examined my daughter and he basically said he works in his own practice also and he is seeing his patients and he’s sick and tired of other doctors/GPs sending their patients to the UTC and blaming covid, the only protection he has was a mask. It’s beyond a joke, they are lazy and full of shit.

@ReeseWitherfork

There's lots of threads on here from people who can't access a GP (there always has been though). There's lots of people on here defending GPs with reference to how hard they are working. So there's clearly an issue, and it's not hard to see why... There aren't many doors into the NHS.

So a relevant question might be, perhaps,

How do patients help to get a better GP service? I don't mean by laying off the cakes and ale - I mean structurally, systemically, politically?

A pp upthread said 'complain, or transfer'. Is that really the answer? This is Primary Care; and this is the route, as @ReeseWitherfork says, by which the vast majority of unwell people gain entry to the NHS. It's not a gym or a supermarket, and on that I'd hope most GPs and patients can agree.

GPs are far from protected. They have been treated very shabbily throughout.
They get continual abuse about lack of funded provision over which they have no control.
They are taking on more and more because there is nobody else to do it.
The whole ‘not seeing patients’ is rubbish. Twaddle. They see those they need to see face to face. E-consults and telephone consultation with triage means those needing care most are prioritised.
More and more are leaving because of increasing pressure with fewer staff. They work a fourteen hour day often and still come home feeling they haven’t done enough.
People complain about the most ridiculous things and that creates huge extra workloads and stresses and has potential to ruin careers.
They didn’t even get PPE in first wave.

The problem is straightforward. There are more patients wanting appointments than there are available appointments.
If the phone isn’t answered at the surgery when you call, it’s because they are on the phone with another patient. If you can’t get an appointment, it’s because another patient has been given it.
GP’s are treating more patients than ever but with less GP’s.
The government aren’t interested in funding primary care so the situation will continue to deteriorate.

How do patients help to get a better GP service?

They don’t vote for a party philosophically opposed to the NHS, who have cut and cut to run it into the ground. Who appoint those who benefit from private healthcare to oversee the NHS.

They work to rejoin the European Union so recruiting becomes a bit easier.

They consider buying paracetamol for their colds and learning first aid. Recognising minor ailments and buying calamine/paracetamol for chickenpox saves a GP appointment.

They read and understand the problems GPs are facing and stop being abusive complainers. They say thank you sometimes.

They don’t expect miracles without any effort from themselves. Exercise, eat well, don’t smoke, don’t do drugs or drink excessively. Insist your children do likewise.

Whilst I feel for GPs, they are not the only ones who have been working in difficult situations throughout this whole time. They are also not the only workers who are the subject of 'bashing' threads. Teachers have been 'bashed' on here from the outset, often for decisions taken by others and for things outside their control. Supermarket workers have worked with little protection, as have bus drivers and many other people.
Clearly, not every surgery is seeing patients f2f and that certainly has the potential for serious outcomes for the patients. DH and DS have (different) conditions that make them more vulnerable should they catch COVID. Both have needed to see a doctor due to their conditions escalating. Last year, DH ended up seriously unwell (life threatening) in hospital after go refused to see him. It took over a week for go to get back to him after completing the online form. This was the first time DJ had experienced an escalation, so didn't know that was what was happening, if I hadn't been able to get him to hospital when I did, his consultant told him he would not be here now.
DS urgently needed to talk to a doctor after a reaction to his vaccine. It took DIL 83 calls before she could get through to surgery only to be told they were not seeing patients f2f and if he felt 'that bad' he should go to a&e. He ended up in hospital for 10 days.
We have spent many years being told not to go to a&e when we could see a go instead. Sadly, the attitude of some GPs has shown people that actually, if you need to see a doctor, a&e IS the place to go and I feel very sorry for the hospital staff who will bear the brunt of this in future.

As @Badbadbunny notes above, some people can't even begin to access primary care on this basis. Elderly people with no-one to advocate for them in particular. A lot of them can't "go online", they can't get an answer on the phone and simply can't understand why no-one will see them. I'm pretty sure many are giving up. Those that don't, end up in A&E where they wouldn't need to be if only they could access a GP. It's utterly shit and will lead to needless, numberless, disabilities and deaths.

@BiggerBoat1

I'm not GP bashing. I'm asking a question. At my GP surgery, it is still not possible to see a GP face to face and I don't understand why. Maybe I am just unlucky with my GP.

No you aren’t just unlucky. Can’t see a GP here either (Wales). You won’t get a tel consult either, because they never call back.

My GP set up an online triage centre staffed entirely by medical and nursing students. So you now can only come in for an appt if you agree to be triaged online / via phone. Medical receptionists don’t do the weeding out part now and so focus on admin. This has led him to see more patients face to face. So don’t assume that just because you have to have a telephone appointment that your GP is somehow seeing fewer patients.

“They didn’t even get PPE in first wave.”’- They did here. Not that it mattered as they didn’t see anyone. I had a smear test and blood test with the nurse and the surgery was empty and the GP’s were just sat in their rooms or chatting to the receptionist.

@Caffeinemonster

Telephone triage seems to be weeding out a lot do the easy to deal with/time wasting patients so I don’t see any reason for changing that, covid or no covid.

GPS are seeing people face to face so not sure what your point is. Lots of people want remote appointments. Of course they are here to stay.

Is GP bashing the new teacher bashing?

This is exactly what is happening. Our GP splits their day into 3.

1. AM telephone consultations
2. Face to face consultations
3. Home visits

A telephone consultation is given first and the doctor will ask you to attend surgery that afternoon if necessary.

It is stopping surgeries filling up with people with minor ailments.

Walk in clinics are still available btw.
Turn up and wait to see the GP face to face.
Long queues and you have to get past the receptionist who asks abruptly why you are there in front of the entire queue of people.
They reluctantly let you in though!

At my GP surgery, it is still not possible to see a GP face to face and I don't understand why
Are you sure they are not having anyone whatsoever in?
I have just started HRT and had a telephone consultation which was extensive and I was happy with but dr said he wanted to check out I wasnt having a thyroid issue so requested a blood test. I was allowed in the surgery fir this procedure and there was about 3 parients there. Normally there's many more people around for different treatments so clearly they are still holding back if they can but allowing if needed.