I can never get an appointment

pitchfork said:
They're seeing as many patients as they can see - they aren't rushing a diagnosis like a south African doctor getting paid by the patient.

You're suggesting old people are some kind of burden who don't need to see doctors and that your needs are greater - despite them clearly needing more medical help due to their age. Need I tell you what that makes you? I feel forum rules probably prohibits it.


Probably all dead from curable conditions because they were too poor to see a doctor or rich enough that they didn't ruin their body working it into the ground.


That's how it is - either move to a quieter surgery or go private.

If your sailors rot is that bad go to the walk in clinic.
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I never had the feeling that i was being rushed at SA private gp. To be honest we always had time for a chat and she knew who i was and my family etc. It was very personal. Compared to nhs gp, i never get to see the same one and they know nothing about me or my medical history and they take there time. Often during my consultation they will leave the room for extended periods, only to come back with nothing.

Not specially old people per se but old people over using the doctors because its "free". They may get a slight issue and instead of just going to chemist and dealing with it they go to the doctor and as they don't work its like an outing for them, something to do.

They will go to the doctors for check ups, like you do at the dentists, but this is just a general check up its not even a check up of an existing issue, oh well they will always have an issue somewhere, i mean everyone always has an issue some where. Its whether you have to time and its a serious enough of an issue given the cost to get it sorted at the doctor. But when you got no job and no life and its free, you going to go to the doctors every chance you can.
 
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Thread made me think when the last time I went to a doctors was - I went a few times in 07/08 in Australia for a couple of medicals for diving and 2nd year WHV plus once for tonsilitis but the last time I've been to one in the UK was in 2000 to sign up went I went to uni - Should really go for a check up or something
 
anything I don't mind said:
I never had the feeling that i was being rushed at SA private gp. To be honest we always had time for a chat and she knew who i was and my family etc. It was very personal. Compared to nhs gp, i never get to see the same one and they know nothing about me or my medical history and they take there time. Often during my consultation they will leave the room for extended periods, only to come back with nothing.

Not specially old people per se but old people over using the doctors because its "free". They may get a slight issue and instead of just going to chemist and dealing with it they go to the doctor and as they don't work its like an outing for them, something to do.
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Well why pick on old people? Most of them can't afford to take chances.

I agree there's a few dickheads with colds who need to suck it up and people looking for antibiotics for anything and everything but that could be said about anywhere. That's actually an issue in places without public funded healthcare and the prescription of antibiotics for minor ailments is widely accepted to be the cause of superbugs.

Everything is much more serious as you age, you can't afford to ride it out and see because chances are it will probably get worse.
 
krooton said:
Yeah, and I had an emergency appendectomy that cost me £6k (thank god for travel insurance) which would have been free had it happened in the UK.
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I've always said that free hospital works out well especially for emergencies. But for local GP, it does not work as well.

In saying that ive had surgery in both countries and found the SA hospital to a much higher standard, even the SA government hospital.

Basically the Tygerberg Hospital i had my wisdom teeth removed and at southend hospital i had a deviated septum fixed. The tygerberg hospital was part government, its where you pay some money but its reduced cost if you go to the government hospital. The government hospital was far better than southend as that place was falling apart and dirty, plus then nurses were rude.

The private SA is obviously on another level, i went to medic clinic in milnerton a few times and that place was like a hotel and was not that much more.

My mother actually flew to SA to have a plastic surgery on her face because NHS wouldn't do the work, it was a lot cheaper to travel to SA and get it done than do it in the uk private.

My mother said she went to a nhs hospital some where near oxford and said it was very nice, a lot better than southend. So maybe london just gets the worse end of the stick.
 
i have this problem it drive me mad! the doctors still use single phone on a pstn line so can only take 1 call at a time.
im sure the old people use the onl press 5 for ring back from bt, that you simply cant get on a mobile, and i cant sit indoors for me whole life trying to call them.

rant over.
 
OP, go back to SA if it's so wonderful!

anything I don't mind said:
My mother actually flew to SA to have a plastic surgery on her face because NHS wouldn't do the work, it was a lot cheaper to travel to SA and get it done than do it in the uk private.
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Shock as country with much lower GDP than the UK is much cheaper than the UK... :rolleyes:

Would you prefer that OAPs/parents with young kids not go to the doctor at all because they can't afford it, and end up with conditions that cost you as a taxpayer far more than if they were caught and treated early by a quick GP visit?

If it's that much of an issue, then there are plenty of solutions; go private, move doctor, queue early like everyone else has to...

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anything I don't mind said:
But when you got no job and no life and its free, you going to go to the doctors every chance you can.
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You have a very sad, twisted view of people if that's what you really think... :(
 
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My GP takes about 1 month for an appointment - however they just do appointments in the afternoon, if you go between 8am up till 10am then they will see you that day and give you a time so you can opt whether to wait or some back... people still queue up super early and if you arrive at 8am there is a big line - I've found that just turning up at say 8:20 ends up with them giving you an appointment time just before lunch - so I just rock up after the masses have all queued, get told the wait will be a few hours but they can book me in and I can wait or come back and I just come back before lunch/at time I'm given and get seen fairly quickly - no need to queue or hang around in a waiting room for half the morning...

They offer the option to come back instead of waiting to everyone yet few seem to take the option and it still causes visible anger in the people who've been sat there for over an hour when someone who they saw walk in 5 minutes ago gets called ahead of them.

anything I don't mind said:
They should make a rule that these old people and young mothers can only come once a week to the gp unless its a real emergency. These people with no jobs nothing better to do than go to the doctors twice a week.

I wish it was private, if next door was private then i would already have seen a doctor, it would have cost me an extortionate amount thanks to the nhs pushing up the prices, but at least i would have had my 5mins with the doctor.
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there are plenty of private doctors in London - if you don't go to the GP often then splashing out £80 for a private GP isn't going to break the bank - just use them instead of the NHS if your NHS GP can't see you or if you don't have time... I've done it before when working on a project that meant I couldn't afford to be away form the office - just popped in on my lunch break. Also if its something that does require you to see a GP soon then you can always go to an NHS walkin centre
 
Reason why you can't get an appointment is because people are phoning up because they've sneezed and then not turning up to the appointment. My surgey has 317 missed appointments in April.

If you miss your appointment I think there should be a £30 fine.
 
I just don't go. Really can't remember the last time I went to the GP. The problem is actually people that go running to the GP for any minor ailment, when going to the pharmacist for a bottle of beechams is all they actually need to do. These people should be charged for their appointments.

Also, a lot of doctors keep a couple of emergency appointments back. As I would only go if I'm genuinely in a bad way, that's what I'd use!
 
Our doctors is the same, apart from it's usually a scene from The Omega Man.

Not sure how you have to wait at least a week when no one ever seems to go?!
 
My local GP's is about the same. You have to pre-plan being ill in order to get an appointment when you need it. Almost everytime I do manage to get an appointment I seem to be in a waiting room of single mothers with kids that only have the sniffles.

I used to live in Skegness a while ago and the GP surgery there had a brilliant system. You couldn't pre-book an appointment till the day unless it was at the Doc's request ie for a follow-up appointment. So basically you could ring up at 8:30am, be the first to call and you had the choice of any appointment slot for that day.
 
abbotsmike said:
I just don't go. Really can't remember the last time I went to the GP. The problem is actually people that go running to the GP for any minor ailment, when going to the pharmacist for a bottle of beechams is all they actually need to do. These people should be charged for their appointments.

Also, a lot of doctors keep a couple of emergency appointments back. As I would only go if I'm genuinely in a bad way, that's what I'd use!
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unfortunately its not always that simple.

you could be on a prescription that needs its dosage increased because the effects of your allergy return and the commercially available drugs arent good enough.

or you could be treating the illness yourself with the drugs/ medicines available to you but not getting anywhere, then visiting te GP is necessary.

Also the OP simply doesnt know enough about each individuals prioblems to justify complaining. For all he knows these people could have serious illnesses which regular visits to a GP are required to keep things in check.
 
If I was in charge of the country I would make it so that only people who have paid in 10 yrs or more NI contributions could use Doctors or Hospitals free.:D

I reckon that will cut queues down. ;)

I have noticed when I either go to Doc or Hospital it is mainly full of people with young kids who have scratched a leg or something - Just wasting every ones time.:p

Dave :rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
Storm3y said:
Reason why you can't get an appointment is because people are phoning up because they've sneezed and then not turning up to the appointment. My surgey has 317 missed appointments in April.

If you miss your appointment I think there should be a £30 fine.
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I agree with the sentiment of fining those that don't turn up. Our local surgery always has a poster showing how many wasted hours through missed appointments there were for the previous month, always 20+.

£30 might be a bit steep though.
 
pitchfork said:
They're seeing as many patients as they can see - they aren't rushing a diagnosis like a south African doctor getting paid by the patient.

You're suggesting old people are some kind of burden who don't need to see doctors and that your needs are greater - despite them clearly needing more medical help due to their age. Need I tell you what that makes you? I feel forum rules probably prohibits it.
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+1
 
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