Being sent to walk-in as no GP appt yesterday

[Isthisrealorjustfantasy]

I posted the other day about having some stomach symptoms which in the end seemed to resolve, but on Tgursam I found a lump in my groin which I though prob was a gland come up - could only feel it standing up (in shower). I googled and it said to see GP w a groin lump.
I knew I was too late for ‘on the day’ appt on thurs am but they said no surgery Thurs pm so I rang first thing Friday, by the time I got through there was no appts left (usually you’d get in even if waiting 10 mins), and they said nothing in the afternoon either - so advised to go to walk-in which is what I did as wanted some reassurance as it’s a big lump which I’ve never had before.
I was only examined by a nurse, she def was not a Dr, who was pleasant enough and said it if doesn’t go within 10 days to contact GP for blood test. Ok, that’s protocol, but in walk-ins they don’t know your medical history (I have some digestive issues although upper rather than lower), GP may have ordered bloods anyway to be thorough straight away etc.
I just feel that being ‘sent to walk in’ is just not good enough really. Something needs to happen as there’s just not enough GPs around. I know I could’ve waited til Monday, but I’d be more worried over weekend and the same thing would’ve happened!

That is true. The shortage of GPs has made the entire GP role unworkable. You are a dangerous obstacle to appropriate care, not a family doctor, if you have to resort to pretending your are dealing with emergencies, when the reality is, you no longer have any handle on what you are actually dealing with. The whole point of a GP is to know the patient and the community they work in. When that link was lost, the point of the role was also lost - GPs are now just doctors who lack any useful specialist knowledge, because their specialism is supposed to be knowledge and understanding of their patients as people, and of their community.

Hear hear.

My GP rings me once every 4 weeks as I have numerous health problems. Now this may seem ideal and reassuring. In reality it couldn't be far worse. What happens is she has significant time off which is always before, during, and after the children's school holidays. I happen to know she has several children, so OK fair enough, she's effectively a part-time worker -or- at the very least has significant holiday leave on every single school holiday which means she's not present.

This means she doesn't actually ring me every 4 weeks at all. Also sometimes she forgets to book me in. Also it causes a 'system fail' as on the system at the GP surgery if they see I have a future appointment with her, they refuse me an emergency or urgent appointment by fobbing me off saying I can speak to my regular GP on our booked appointment in two / three weeks time.

Worse, she forgets basic information about me and we often have the same conversation over and over again. I haven't pointed this out to her yet but next time, I will try to politely word that we have had this discussion.

Far worse, I realised that she's also on an agenda to 'not progress' and 'not refer' my very serious issues. She prefers to close them down or minimise them or take a 'wait and see' stance when I do not at all agree and this has profoundly and negatively affected my health - but what am I supposed to do make a complaint about every single interaction? I'm already complaining a lot and I think they've got me down as a serial complainer even though when they do look into what I'm saying they agree with me and apologise about whatever the issue was.

I realise after some time, my GPs only goal is to not make any referrals. Whereas I need her to push me forward, I'm waiting for so called 'emergency / urgent' surgery and my health is profoundly affected. I wrote to the practice saying this situation has become untenable as I need care co-ordination for my serious issues. They never replied and bizarrely at the same time removed me as a patient from their books (I had myself reinstated and they said it was an 'error').

I guess my GP makes good money for the hours she works, she tows the practice policy by not costing them any money by not making referrals, she is polite and quite charming and sweet even, I enjoy chatting with her, but on analysis she doesn't give a monkeys, she's disengaged, she not taking action, she's not even remembering our discussions. I think there's a lot of GPs with young families who probably are like this - just cruising and taking the salary. Also I suspect it's a job where not actually giving a f*ck could serve very well as the stress would be killer.

Not politically correct to say it, but trying to make being a GP into a part-time role does nothing but increase the workload, as patients get stressed and increasingly demanding the less they feel their GP is accessible to them and understands them, and also increasingly disrespectful of the role. Then part-time GPs complain they are effectively working full time hours, but they partly brought this upon themselves by trying to turn vocational work into work they could fit around their own families and wrongly believed this would be easier to do as a GP than in hospital medicine. The reality is, to do your job as a GP properly has never been a good fit with part-time hours and it does diminish the role. Add onto this the fact there are now too few GPs generally and the role of a GP begins to look like an utterly unfulfilling and miserable experience.