Tried to get a doctors appointment for my severely constipated 16 month old, let me tell you how fucked the system is

[Lsquiggles]

Yes I understand covid has changed how and when you can see your doctor, but this is disgusting and a complete neglect of care.

My DD has been constipated for a few days but it all came to a head yesterday lunch time when she was screaming and I was scared she was going to give herself an injury. My dp went to the pharmacy which is opposite our gp surgery, queued up for 30 minutes (behind lots of people with physical prescriptions, interesting) to be told they couldn't give us anything over the counter as she's so young so to call gp. Annoying but fair enough.

Call the gp at 2pm and they say there's no appointments (of course), the doctor isn't in today (?!) and she'll send him an email so he can prescribe something.

The receptionist calls me back at 5pm (3 hours later) to say my DD needs to be seen in person but they're closed now so either she'll be seen Monday or to call the local walk in centre and 'they'll see her today'. At this point I'm already angry because they left me 3 hours with an upset child instead of telling me to call the walk in centre at 2pm.

I call the walk in centre, explain everything, she said they're doing a call back service and a doctor will call me in 2-3 hours. I explain my doctor has already said she needs to be seen in person, she shouts over me that it's the discretion of each doctor to decide that.

The walk in centre closes at 8pm, the doctor calls me at 8pm. The nicest doctor tells me how sorry he is that my doctors surgery passed the buck over to them and that they should've never turned away a child. He said your children are the most precious things to you and he's shocked with our doctors actions. He said he'd prescribe it over the phone or stay half an hour longer for us so we could bring her in to be seen. At this point my DD was in bed so I just accepted the prescription but he did say if we were worried over the weekend to call back and he'd see her ASAP.

How is this allowed to happen? My DD has no medical issues or allergies, all the symptoms I described were of basic constipation, why did I have to jump through all these hoops and be patronised by multiple receptionists just to get something to help my child go to the toilet?

This is why people are going to A&E with minor complaints, something needs to change before serious issues are left untreated or misdiagnosed

Is there any national guidance on how GP surgeries should be dealing with appointments etc during the pandemic? I'm in Scotland and can't seem to find any guidance whatsoever.

I barely ever contact the GP however I've needed to twice during the pandemic. The first time, in June I think, it was great service. A call to the surgery who advised that the nurse would call to triage the appointment. She called and spoke to me. She decided that I needed an appointment and advised that either the GP or Nurse Practitioner would call me back. An hour later, I got a call from the GP who dealt with the issue and did a referral. Great service. All same day.

I had to call again two days ago. I was advised that since we are now in tier 3, there are no appointments available, not even phone appointments. How can this be? I genuinely don't understand the risk of a phone appointment.

My whole family living in four different parts of the country have had a great service. Emergency hospital admissions, emergency surgery, smears, broken bones, medication reviews etc so I can't complain. But we all know the service varies from trust to trust and even in non-COVID times, Friday afternoon is fraught and often overloaded. Your problem was resolved the same day so that was good.

DP phoned 111 a few weeks ago at midday as he had badly injured his back during exercise and wanted some advice. He was told a doctor would call back. The doctor called at 3am and gave the option of a face to face appointment at 5.30am or he could prescribe medication there and then. From this we gathered that round the clock care was a real thing! Imagine the callback lists these doctors face when starting a shift.

@LizzieSiddal

The receptionists weren’t patronising, they pass the details on to the doctors for them to make the decision if the patient can be triaged over the phone or if they need to be seen in person.

Absolutely untrue!

The receptionists are making decisions without the Dr knowing anything about these calls.

I think this is exactly what is happening

I'm surprised nobody suggested glycerin suppositories- these have always been recommended to me because they are so low risk and not 'medication' as such.

We don't have enough GP's.
This BBC story is from the beginning of the year - would be interested to know what the numbers are like now.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/health-51032691

We simply won't get the service we want without a great deal of recruitment.

@Strawberrypancakes I would always put a child screaming in pain over myself, especially a child so young

www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/03/CO485_guidance-and-standard-operating-procedures-general-practice-covid-19.pdf

Guidance for GP's issued in August 2020. Not hard to find.

@Soontobe60

Read the news. There are numerous articles about GP surgeries not giving appointments and people being diagnosed with any number of illnesses months later. Cancer is a common one. It’s not just one or two either. GP’s need to see people face to face in order to make judgements on their health and it hadn’t been happening.

As I made sure I said, all surgeries are not created equal in this but mine makes it very clear indeed that we are not welcome.

Anyone who doesn’t understand this or has had great service from their GP is just lucky to live in an area with a well run surgery quite frankly, it’s the luck of the draw. I have experience of two surgeries, one in my daughters uni town which is fabulous, she had a suspected kidney infection, was able to call in the morning, get a two hour time slot for a telephone consult and speak to a dr several times. The whole surgery is up and fully staffed but just using telephone appointments as triage , which is actually a great t8me saver.
Our local surgery on the other hand has shut the doors on its lovely new purpose built surgery in our village, not been manned since March. The main surgery is also shut unless you get past telephone triage, their version of telephone appointments is that they will call you back to say if you are allowed one and if granted one they will call you at some point ( no time frame given ) the next day. On one occasion they completely failed to do so. For several months their telephone system has also been broken, they have said so themselves on Facebook, the only way to then contact them was via email, not exactly a practical option for perhaps a vulnerable elderly person.
Ineffective GP services, in some areas, are putting a counterproductive strain on the NHS as desperate patients resort to A and E.

@Cecillie our surgery is generally well run, but I have lived in places where it is genuinely really hard to get an appointment

I just don't think that needing to wait a few hours for a prescription after first calling on a Friday afternoon is a remotely "fucked system" as the OP describes, I think it's actually quite good - the dr at the walk in sounded brilliant and the surgery were doing their best on what would be a very busy day of the week and it sounds like a doctor down

It’s only constipation ? You did call quite late in the day and if it was an emergency you could of gone to a&e, the only time I’ve been seen quick for constipation is when my baby had blood in the nappy, I still had to wait 2-3 hours to see or speak to anyone that’s just what it’s like now there really busy. Prune pouches and weetabix are great for constipation.

@hf2345 if constipation wasn't that bad there wouldn't be so many products on the market for adults. I wouldn't say 'just' about anything that is making a child scream in pain

My usually great GP surgery has been somewhat difficult during covid. DD (3) has been unwell for 10 days with a very high fever and cough. GP would only do phone consults. She insisted that was fine given what I had told her, and switched her antibiotics. I said I was worried as it had gone on so long with no improvement. DD had also had a negative covid swab so minimal risk to the staff.

DD is now in hospital with pneumonia and a collapsed lung. She might have to have a chest drain. If GP had seen her & listened to her chest 4 days ago the severity of the infection (despite already having several days of antibiotics) may have been recognised sooner and she would not be so seriously ill.

I know it is horrible when there in pain , I just meant it wasn’t serious

@Lsquiggles

So you'd expect a child with constipation to be seen over an adult with breathing issues fuck me

@yerAwizardharree someone with breathing issues wouldn't be seen by the gp currently due to covid so an irrelevant comment really. We could sit here all night debating who should and shouldn't be seen, my point is that the current system is failing people and whilst gps are trying their best, people are going to fall through the cracks by not being able to be seen by gps or misdiagnosed on a video call

Also would like to say I was in A&E with 10/10 gallbladder pain a few months ago, literally sobbing in agony and watched children be called in before me, because they should be. Why do we as a society value the elderly (as we should), but not have the same respect for young children who also have lower immune systems and are vulnerable?

People should be treated in order of triaged need in A and E not based on age. I very much doubt any A and E base their order to see people on the age of the patient

@Sipperskipper

My usually great GP surgery has been somewhat difficult during covid. DD (3) has been unwell for 10 days with a very high fever and cough. GP would only do phone consults. She insisted that was fine given what I had told her, and switched her antibiotics. I said I was worried as it had gone on so long with no improvement. DD had also had a negative covid swab so minimal risk to the staff.

DD is now in hospital with pneumonia and a collapsed lung. She might have to have a chest drain. If GP had seen her & listened to her chest 4 days ago the severity of the infection (despite already having several days of antibiotics) may have been recognised sooner and she would not be so seriously ill.

Poor thing, hope she is ok and home soon. We had a similar fight with DS with the GP but thankfully I managed to get hold of his consultant as it’s a long term issue who sorted what the GP should have so we could avoid hospital.

This shows where the service really is failing not having to wait a couple of hours for a prescription on a Friday evening.

Of course someone in their 90s or a newborn would be seen before you and I @sirzy they're more vulnerable. Unless someone has underlying issues obviously

Read the ERIC website for information. Speak to your pharmacist, look carefully at your child's diet.
Constipation is horrid, but it is treatable and avoidable.
Lactulose is good, movicol is even better.
Do you have any ideas as to the cause? It might be due to something you can avoid in the future.
It is very upsetting when your child is in pain.
My child had terrible impaction due to piriton. I had no idea constipation was a side effect. We had to have glycerin suppositories and movicol for 2 years. I have never used piriton again.

@Lsquiggles

Of course someone in their 90s or a newborn would be seen before you and I *@sirzy* they're more vulnerable. Unless someone has underlying issues obviously

No that depends on what the presenting condition is.

A child with constipation wouldn’t be seen before a 30 year old with chest pain for example.

@sirzy obviously there are different circumstances where it wouldn't apply

At 2pm I wouldn't even bother with doctor 111 or walk in centre .