Caporegime
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Too much Daily Mail.
NHS=Negligent Health Service
- Thread starter 1664kronenbourg
- Start date
I see. So my parents are lying about their local GP office. Clearly you live in Plympton, Plymouth and go to the same office and have the polar opposite experience enough to call my parents liars.
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Your original post sounded like a general statement on all UK GPs, you didn't mention it was only specific to their local practise for which it may or may not be true.
I'm in the US, I don't read it, and I never have. Not even worth wiping my arse with.
To put that "you can't get an appointment" thing in perspective, in the last 5 weeks my dad has had 3 face to face appointments, a telephone one, a drop in blood test, and is due another telephone appointment on Friday.
Of those two of the face to face ones were made on the day, one of the phone ones was made on the day and then led to the GP booking him in for a face to face two days later (and then booking phone appointment 2 to discuss the blood test).
It can be hard to get an appointment, but many surgeries tend to be doing a triage system for "on the day" urgent appointments, and for non urgent ones booking ahead up to 3 or 4 weeks (for things like medicine reviews).
I've no doubt it's going to be highly variable depending where you are, but i've not heard anything about GP's refusing to do on the day appointments due to any sort of "protest", not least because that would mean the GP's were actively putting patients at risk, and even the hospital and ambulance staff who were on strike were still going in/out if say there was an urgent case and not enough staff to cover it.
Which reminds me, I need to remember to write out a note of thanks to the surgery, as their service has been really good and the staff have been great. A far cry from a few years back when I nearly did an official complaint because they messed up really badly, repeatedly with a simple repeat prescription request for an eye drop my dad takes to help him retain what vision he's got (what stopped me was partly I suspect the consultant's secretary having a "chat" with them, given they'd told her they'd issued the repeat, which they hadn't they'd issued another medication for the third time in ~4 days).
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If there were any GPs working "in protest" against the government, it would be common knowledge in GP circles.
They may have gone part time as their pension tax has reached unsustainable levels.
They may have gone part time due to burnout.
But GPs don't go part time to 'protest'.
I'm saying your parents have obviously got the wrong end of the stick.
Thanks for the info here
My parents have to wait about 3 weeks to get appointments IF they can get them face to face. They get to see nurses rather than doctors most of the time though.
Soldato
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There is a very well know issue with Plymouth with primary care services so if that's where your parents are it's not a suprise. It's well documented and known about especially amongst GPs (even me 'up norf'). Over the last few years small surgeries have been forced to close or merge due CCG direction and powers above and ultimately many have merged to be taken over by large private providers. These are clinically 'run' almost entirely by contractors. Whilst I'll be the first to argue against that GP's don't see anyone face to face (I see over 120 people a week on average), Plymouth has a huge problem.
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Indeed, made worse by the abject incompetence of the local 'livewell' group who seem to get everything by default despite their consistent failures.
Good info
Thank you!
Soldato
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- Land of Gin (I wish)
I have Keratoconus (please google) which optician was almost certain I had it. Went to opticians as vision got worse. They referred me to the eye clinic at hospital. Had three surgeries on eyes.
My colleague’s husband complained of double vision. Off he visited opticians who referred him to neurology and got a CT scan. Revealing a tumour which turned out to be inoperable. Died 8 months later.
Man of Honour
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- 29 Mar 2003
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- Stoke on Trent
I've never not had a F2F appointment all through Covid and I've always asked for a phone call instead.
I would say 10 appointments in all.
The GP did want to see my knee last year and I said I could send a photo but she wanted to see it.
Yeah but that's because you're a sexy grey fox.
Soldato
- Joined
- 29 Jul 2004
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- 7,136
Exactly the same experience as I had, 8am appointment and waiting room was totally empty, used to be ram packed with people precovid. It takes two weeks now to get a phone appointment, absolute joke.Sorry but in my opinion GPs are adding to the pressure of Hospitals. This was a month or two back. Empty GP practise! It took many phone calls before a GP would agree to see me. Before COVID this room would be full at all times of the day.
I arrived 35 minutes early and no-one else sat down at any point.
Man of Honour
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- 29 Mar 2003
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- 57,347
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- Stoke on Trent
Something needs doing.
I had to go and get a pee bottle two weeks ago and at my GP's eight of those seats would have had patients in them.
Caporegime
- Joined
- 22 Oct 2002
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- 28,329
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- Boston, Lincolnshire
No this semi retired GP is in his 60's. He does driver medicals as a side hustle but what you have described pretty much sums up why we have a massive shortage. If you have academia to become a doctor why bother with the stress when you can get the same money in finance 9-5. It is almost as if the government views doctors as a blue collar job these days. It is quite scary as we are a generation or two away from catastrophe. Making money in finance or some WFH job is great and all but that doesn't save your life does it!
Soldato
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- 7,136
I just don't understand it. During the early stages and height of covid then I fully understand why they moved to phone consultation. However I just can't see the justification for it anymore, my surgery has closed its online services too for booking appointments etc.
The Truth about why Doctors and Nurses are leaving!
The Truth about why Doctors and Nurses are leavingThis is a cold and frank look at life in the NHS. Today we are discussing why so many doctors and nurses ar...
www.youtube.com
A balanced insight into Doctor and Nurse life. He's a consultant in the NHS. Worth 14 minutes of watch time.
Gives you an idea of hospital/medical culture and general feeling of doctors in training.
@shadow_boxer it's an employees market right now. Doctors are so hard to recruit, you can have your pick of a job. We look after our salaried. Admin/bloods/docs all done for you. Paramedics to aid with home visits. Need to drop your CV around some practices. Your work load is completely unsafe.
@Lord-Jaffa
I can see the patient's perspective but the triage system was always in the horizon to manage the increasing work load and the sheer dump of work from various organisations. It just got sped up by covid. Overnight (literally) we had companies coming out with ready made systems for triage/video consults. Aside from the vocal few, in reality no one actually wants to come down (this was also echoed by a recent Pulse article that I'm failing to find right now), "can't you just issue me some antibiotics over the phone doc?". Average bring down rate for a typical day is 30% for us - and this would be after persuasion - having to explain to the patient why it's important they need an examination face to face if video/telephone is not enough. I'm referring to medical problems rather than chronic reviews.
I can't speak for your practice but assuming they open a 8am, their triage system would have just come on, barely any time to call any patients down. Typically most come around lunch and after work. Remember practice income is tied to various targets such as QoF - e.g. face to face DM reviews, BPs etc. They have to do this or else they sink.
To add some objectivity to this thread, comparison of pre/post covid published 14th December 2022:
NHS funding, resources and treatment volumes | Institute for Fiscal Studies
This report examines how NHS funding, resources and treatment volumes compare with pre-pandemic levels.
Some stats. I would direct readers to Figure 3 and Figure 8 and make up your minds which sector demonstrates more productivity despite losing numbers.
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David Nash inquest: Student 'likely to have lived' if seen in-person by GP
A failure to see David Nash face-to-face meant he underwent surgery 10 hours later than was possible.
www.bbc.co.uk
Unfortunately seems to show that keeping patients at a distance has consequences.
I do support nurses striking and generally agree the NHS is broken and needs reform (for happier employees of the NHS and a better service to its public) but also had this exact issue.
3 times needing to see the GP since summer 2021 and on all occasions I made it in to the practice (after much argument from reception) the place was completely empty.
On 2 occasions in 2021-early 2022 when my son (born February 2021) needed to see a GP I was unable to get an appointment at all and 111 (through their own clear frustration) referred me to the local Hospital A&E which was a waste of NHS resources when he (1) had an ear infection and (2) a bad bout of flu that the A&E doctor noted was serious (temp over 40) but didn’t need attendance at A&E and went off to query why 111 sent us there and then came back to apologise when he found out.
There is DEFINITELY something not working with GP services.