Still no face to face GP appointments, why??

[Emma2021]

It is still very rare to get a face to face appt with our GP's. I've spoke to a friend who live in another London area and same for them.

Why is this? GP's appear to be around at the surgery, people are having parieties, going to football matches, eating and drinking in pubs and clubs and next door is having a pre-wedding party for about 150 people in a small tent tomorrow (i wont be going to it as it will be high risk Covid) so why are gP's still avoiding face to face appointments?

I've asked our surgery manager and she cites, "Covid." Pathetic or what?

Gosh, I must have hallucinated the 8 patients I saw F2F yesterday on top of about 40 phone calls, trainees supervised, practice meeting and over 100 documents/results/prescriptions reviewed.

Our is back to normal. We've got a face to face appointment next week to discuss our fertility. Totally could do the appointment over the phone but receptionist said its back to normal.
Doors are unlocked now as well so you can walk in again.

@pianolessons1

Gosh, I must have hallucinated the 8 patients I saw F2F yesterday on top of about 40 phone calls, trainees supervised, practice meeting and over 100 documents/results/prescriptions reviewed.

I'm so happy you are working normally as a gp.

I agree with the op. Where I am it is very hard to get a f2f appt. the surgery is empty. I had a severe chest infection recently and my gp would only phone me and diagnosed ABs via my say so only. It feel most gps want to stay in hiding.

@fairgame84

Our is back to normal. We've got a face to face appointment next week to discuss our fertility. Totally could do the appointment over the phone but receptionist said its back to normal. Doors are unlocked now as well so you can walk in again.

Our surgery doors remain locked.

@pianolessons1

Gosh, I must have hallucinated the 8 patients I saw F2F yesterday on top of about 40 phone calls, trainees supervised, practice meeting and over 100 documents/results/prescriptions reviewed.

I wish you ran my GP surgery.

Mine is more like the OP's, and without much phone triage or admin being done. I'm assuming staff shortages beyond repair, reading what GPs are saying on MN.

DP did speak to one receptionist who claimed the five partners were only working a half day each. That's not half a day doing f2f - that's half a day in total.

As of two weeks ago, they now have two full-time locums in, but there are 12,000 patients on their books, and they both freely admit they don't know how to use the computer system ... in fact one (ex military) refers to it as 'the fucking computer system'.

I'm grateful that they've come on board. At least now we have a vague chance of eventually speaking to a sweary locum in an emergency.

But it's still all a bit crap. Their e-consult just tells everyone to ring 111 or 999, because they've no capacity presumably.

I've had several F2F appointments since March.

I wish my Gp surgery was back to normal. I went yesterday to pick something up. Does all locked, had to ring to get in, not one person in reception and receptionists sat doing nothing.

Mines still locked up in Wales. Had to pick up a prescription Wednesday and ring the bell and tell them my intentions. Very frustrating especially for the elderly who are not familiar with e-consult.

I agree, our doors are closed except for emergency appointments (when my partner had a cancer scare they reluctantly agreed to see him, thankfully). I don’t think OP are saying gp’s aren’t working, she wants normality back and let’s face it - 8 F2F appointments and 40 phone calls isn’t that. Even phone appointments are next to impossible to get here. There’s currently a 2 week wait to have a blood test, so phone back in 2 weeks and try again …. In 2 weeks time won’t I be told the same?!
People are rightfully getting defensive about this topic but I think we have a right to have the normal procedures back.

We don't have e-consult at our surgery.

It's still locked, hazard tape outside, scary messages about COVID on the website, and when you phone, and posters in the window.

They might be seeing patients. But the message they ae giving out is very much DO NOT BOTHER US.

I like the telephone appointments. Most of the time they are perfectly fine for me and the kids ;) if you have any concerns I'm sure you can request a face to face appointment

It's really scandalous that there's such disparity between surgeries. I'm at a smallish rural practice and have had f2f appointments throughout the pandemic. Telephone triage obviously, but I've felt that our team have been accessible throughout. As I've been diagnosed with 2 serious diseases since last April I dread to think what state I'd be in now if I were at a different surgery. Some of these practices surely must have blood on their hands.

I have a face to face appointment this afternoon.

We can’t even get through on the phone. If you go to the surgery, it’s locked but you can ring a bell and speak to someone. They tell you to call at 8am but you can’t get through. We’ve had to use a private GP twice in the last year which has been face to face same day or next day.

I’ve had loads of face to face go appointments. My kids have had a few too. We’ve been to the nurse at hospitals and I’ve had many tests and procedures done all in person face to face. I’ve never been denied care. It’s been a bit slow but on the face of it I’m happy with the care I’ve received.

Our surgery is the same as the OPs. Doors locked, phone at 8 (struggle to get through), maybe get a phone appointment, where you may or may not be called in if the doctor seems it necessary, but more likely, the receptionist will say there are no appointments available and to try again tomorrow. They do update their fb page with doctor absence (not naming them, but saying that a doctor is off sick unexpectedly, so they are running short staffed), so I guess they need more funding to employ more doctors. But I’m not sure there is a huge line of doctors wanting to go in to General Practice?

Massive backlog for smears. I keep Trying to make an appointment and am constantly being told they are trying to sort the women who were due last year first. I am one of those women and they still can’t give me an appointment. One of the Practice nurses Has recently left and they haven’t replaced her (can’t fill the post), so that will be why I can’t get in.

@SupermanWithTheGreyHair

We can’t even get through on the phone. If you go to the surgery, it’s locked but you can ring a bell and speak to someone. They tell you to call at 8am but you can’t get through. We’ve had to use a private GP twice in the last year which has been face to face same day or next day.

Curerntly on hold in a queue to speak to reception. 17m 30s and counting.

@pianolessons1

Gosh, I must have hallucinated the 8 patients I saw F2F yesterday on top of about 40 phone calls, trainees supervised, practice meeting and over 100 documents/results/prescriptions reviewed.

But that's only 8 people you've actually seen, instead of the dozens that you would have seen previously.

At our surgery it seems that only the nurses are almost back to normal, apart from no walk in blood tests! Now have to make an appointment for 4 weeks time...

22 minutes on hold before getting to speak to a receptionist. Who has offered me a phone appointment.

For the 1st September.

Three weeks away.

£45 for Push Doctor vs 3 week wait for NHS.....

@tintodeverano2 well we've done full phone triage for nearly ten years now, so even pre covid I would be taking 40+ calls in a day and probably seeing 15 or so patients F2F. Yesterday we had some doctors in who don't do phone calls, so I put some of my F2F in with them, and I fitted or removed 4 contraceptive implants so 4 of those patients had longer appointments. I think pre covid I was bringing in F2F about half of those I spoke to on the phone and now it's about a third, but most of that difference is due to new technology - so for example rashes can now be dealt with by a texted photo which we couldn't do before.

After having phone with photos sent in appointments for a skin complaint for the last year or so, I actually had a face to face appointment last week where it transpires what I was prescribed wasn’t right and I’m now on medication for 8 weeks which seems to finally be having a positive effect. If I had been seen face to face initially rather than relying on photos which can’t show depth or really pick up the colour accurately, I wonder if it would have spread and got so much more unsightly. I have massive concerns for people who have done photo appointments for more serious complaints.

Such disparity between surgeries and individuals who you speak to.

On Monday a district nurse raised concerns about my 94yo dad. Finally he got to see his GP face to face, not for the want of trying. The GP expressed shock to my DB how much my dad had deteriorated. As DB pointed out to him, if he hadn't insisted on phone appointments with a deaf old man he might have noticed. Dad is now in hospital.

countrygirl99

That’s so sad. I hope he’s getting good care now in hospital. x

I have had plenty of face to face appointments, and plenty of telephone and video appointments too. My gp surgery seems to be doing a good job of triaging when I need an in-person appointment or not. I have no complaints.

I can imagine my old surgery being more difficult! Then again, they were difficult about everything, which is why I moved.

I must say, I much prefer the telephone appointments!