Are your local doctors this bad?

Van Hellseek

Van Hellseek

Van Hellseek

Soldato
Joined
2 Jun 2004
Posts
18,423
Bit of a rant here I'm afraid... I've had a bit of a mystery illness lately, and I'm disgusted at how long things have been taking to get sorted.

I first called the doctor to get an appointment 3 weeks ago. I called at 9.00am and the earliest they could see me was 4:30pm, which on it's own is a bit of a joke really IMO, considering it was classed as an urgent appointment. :/

Then I was told I needed tests which would take 4 days. So I called back after 4 days only to be told my doctor hadn't looked at the results yet and couldn't see me for another week (bearing in mind there could potentially be something seriously wrong!). A week and a half so far, and still no treatment...

So today I went back to go over the results and I'm told I need an xray and ultrasound scan and they would go over the results two weeks after I have the xray. So I went to the hospital to book an xray and they told me the earliest appointment was a week away! So a minimum of another three weeks before they'll know whats wrong. At least assuming they don't want me do do a urine test which will no doubt add another 3 years onto it. :rolleyes:

Is it just me or is that taking the pee a bit? There's no way it should take well over a month for a few basic tests and no treatments whatsoever (I can understand being put at the back of the queue with the ultrasound, but everything else...).


So is this just my local surgery who are this useless, or are they all this bad? :/
 
Last year.
I called an Ambulance out to myself for the first time in 42 years because I had Serious pain around the gut area in JANUARY, I got my Specialist appointment in SEPTEMBER 10 days AFTER I passed the Kidney stone that had been disabling me for 3 days out of Every ten days. :( For 3 days out of every 10 I sat in Agony & nowt was done by anybody.
Once you actually get to see a Professional then they are Superb but getting to see one is almost Impossible.
My Local Doctor & Surgery have been brilliant, Been with the same Doctor for around 15-16 years but once again the Dude is just to busy.
I always feel sorry for those that work in the Health care business as the system destroys there spirit.
 
They're all bloody awful. To be honest, getting an appointment on the SAME DAY is pretty good going if you ask me!

If I call my doctor on Monday, we're talking Friday before I can have an appointment, and that's usually with the nurse and not the actual doctor. The nurse gives you antibiotics, whatever the problem is, and you're inevitably back to see the proper GP the following week... IF you can get an appointment before you've got better on your own.

Absolutely dire.
 
Yup, Mines isnt so much as an urgent case but the same.

I have had pains in my chest for the best part of 2 years and they keep saying they cant find anything, thats 2 different doectors and a rake of tests, I also get pains in my legs and can push down on my shins nad it leaves a heuge dent for ages, like water retention but they say its nothing to worry about.
 
It doesn't sound particularly serious, nor are you in a high-risk demographic, so take your ticket and be grateful you aren't having to pay through the nose for medical insurance, and then have to find the money for up-front 'co-payments' to even see your GP let alone have tests taken.

*edit*

Also, how can you expect to be given treatment when clearly, by the fact they have put you in for further diagnostics, they don't know what, if anything, is wrong with you. The NHS isn't an episode of House where they just throw drugs at you in the hope something will work :p
 
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I've been very lucky in my life to have never had so much as a cold or illness *touches wood*. However rather recently I went to the docs just to have a checkup as I hadn't been to the docs in about 6 years I had to register at that GP as I had no record, anyway, he asked me what was wrong and I said, nothing, I just want an MOT, checkup etc... He said tht if I wasn't ill I shouldn't waste his time and other people's who need attention?! I then told him I had to book this appointment 3 weeks previous to be seen, I'm not wasting anyone's time. Anyway he didn't even so much as take my blood pressure or spend more than 1 minute with me. I actually felt I was disturbing him from doing nothing. There wasn't even anyone in the waiting room - it was empty! :/

So I can completely sympathise and understand your frustration - it's ludicrous. They dont' seem to care about preventative medicine and by the time you have something all they do is prescribe antibiotics and tell you to go on your way.
 
I'm afraid to say that as someone from the other side of the desk so to speak that that all sounds like the normal time frames to expect. I would love to be able to have xrays and USS the same day, but it just doesnt exist as a resource. some blood tests take a few days to process. reporting of xrays and scans takes time and we normally have to wait a week to 10 days for an xray or USS report to come back to us. and all this is depending on when they can actually be booked in hospital anyway.
 
The purpose of a GP is to prevent you from seeing a specialist and to dispense pain medication, that's it.

My mum's GP prevented her from getting an x-ray for her shattered vertebrae, which delayed the diagnosis of her bone cancer until she started losing the ability to walk. She did not survive.

The mitigating factor in that incident however was that she would /never/ complain of pain, no matter how excruciating, making the GP's assumption that it wasn't broken less blindingly stupid...
 
I have had a mystery illness since Easter, nothing serious I don't think I just feel generally run down. I have been to the doctors every week since then, so totalling 5 times and so far I have seen 5 different doctors, and the same nurse 3 times to get blood taken.

The first time I saw one on an emergency as I phoned up at opening, 8am, I got an appointment at 8.30 which was good.

I got my blood results back and was phoned by my doctor before I had a chance to ring the surgery. She told me to make an appointment to see her.

I was told by the receptionist that I can only book 1 week in advance, so I figured I can ring at 8am and book for the same day 1 week from now. Turns out you can't because the receptionist lies to you and books the doctors more than a week in advance for some people, but not for me. (or at least I think so as I have yet to see the same doctor twice) Not to mention the woman is so rude its beyond belief, I verged on telling her to eff off.

Maybe this is usual at the doctors, it is the first time I have been the GP or Hospital for 18years.
 
Rich_L said:
It doesn't sound particularly serious, nor are you in a high-risk demographic, so take your ticket and be grateful you aren't having to pay through the nose for medical insurance, and then have to find the money for up-front 'co-payments' to even see your GP let alone have tests taken.

*edit*

Also, how can you expect to be given treatment when clearly, by the fact they have put you in for further diagnostics, they don't know what, if anything, is wrong with you. The NHS isn't an episode of House where they just throw drugs at you in the hope something will work :p
Click to expand...

I'll echo this. If it is serious then go to A&E. If you can't be bothered then wait, like others on the NHS.
 
Whenever I make an appointment I get to see the doctor the week after.

I've had something wrong with my mouth for the past week which has prevented me from eating anything so i've been living off soup. It's starting to get a little better and really looking forward to my next takeaway :D

I never contacted the doctor as I knew fine well that i'd be fine by the time it came to my appointment where he would then suggest I take paracetamols and drink plenty of water :confused:
 
I have to say that as an extremely 'infrequent flyer' my doctors surgery didn't seem to fussed when I asked them to sign of my police medical questionnaire.

But when I have been in there, I've been impressed with the service. NHS GP's have a swine of a job and I wouldn't fancy doing it!

The only thing i do find slightly ludicrous is the fact that I rang up using the telephone number on NHS direct to be told by a lovely woman that I would have to redial the dedicated appointments line.

Upon redialing the dedicated appointments line, the same woman answered... MENTAL!
 
seek said:
No, he was saying it wasn't blindingly stupid.
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Martins said:
making the GP's assumption that it wasn't broken less blindingly stupid...
Click to expand...

Less, not wasn't.

GPs aren't miracle workers and nor do they possess an encyclopedic knowledge of your particular body. If they don't know what's wrong with you and don't know whom to refer you to all they can do is run tests until they have a more definitive idea of your ailment. Would you prefer they gave you a drug unrelated to your illness just for the sake of it?

Problems other than that lie with the system which is not your GP's fault and you will find many of them dislike it as much as we do.

That wasn't aimed at you in particular seek but it is an important point to make to a lot of people.
 
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Jeez... Around our end, It aint too bad. Ring today 2moro morning i'll get an appointment. I dont min waiting a day or two.
 
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