NHS=Negligent Health Service

[Chris Wilson]

It's amazing how GP to GP can be so different.
All through COVID I was able to see a GP and more recently two phone call appointments were upgraded to a visit.

Possibly working in the legal department of a general hospital injects a bit of energy and aptitude into them

 

[Buddy]

I get that you're unwell and upset. But the GP did the right thing. You could have optic neuritis or you could have something equally serious. We aren't decked out with dilating drops and equipment with sufficient light to see the back of your eyes. How is the GP going to do an MRI in the room?

The question you should be asking is why isn't there a community ophthalmology service? Locally here in London, there is a rapid access service (hospital) that jumps AE which the GP can refer to. If less serious then there is an intermediatary service for assessment by a specialist optometrist that has contact with the hospital if required.

The GP did the right thing.

 

[200sols]

Since my local GP went to phone triage it is a lot easier to get a face to face appointment same day here. It can work well and its certainly better than everyone turning up at the surgery with a sniffle.

 

[Allnamestaken]

What the hell is going on with GP appointments at the moment? I just tried to get an appointment with my GP and this was the conversation:

Reception bulldog - Can you please describe the issue?
Me - I have multiple sclerosis and am having a flare up at the moment that is affecting my eyes. I could do with having someone look inside my eyes and see whether my optic nerve bundle is inflamed.
Reception bulldog - Would an optician not be more appropriate?
Me - No, an optician will send me straight to you and anyway, they can't prescribe steroids which I may need
Reception bulldog - Is it a medical emergency?
Me - Well, no, I'm noy dying. I just can't see properly
Reception bulldog - It might be better if you go to your local minor injuries unit
Me - It's not an injury. It's my MS flaring up. Can I just see a GP please?
Reception bulldog - NHS 111 might be better able to assist with this
Me - NHS 111 will send me to you or to casualty, look. I'm a high-risk patient due to my MS, can I please have an appointment to see a GP?
Reception bulldog - I can offer you a telephone consultation
Me - I'd prefer face to face as I need someone to look inside my eyes and they aren't going to be able to do that over the phone
Reception bulldog - Can you email a photo of the issue?
Me - I don't have the equipment to photograph my optic nerve bundle. Can I please have a face to face appointment?
Reception bulldog - I'm afraid not. We only offer telephone appointments. If the GP decides that you require a face to face appointment then they will book one for a future date. If you need to be seen today then you will have to go to your local minor injuries unit or to accident and emergency.
Me - Fine, I'll take the phone appointment.

FFS, it's no wonder A&E are so stressed when GP surgeries are sending people like me down to them.

Then when you turn up to A&E they send you home three time, end up not doing all the appropriate tests, you then end up back there and they finally realise your massively inflated stomach is a problem And do an MRI.

That was my aunt, turns out she had a blockage in her bowel, they had to do emergency surgery right there and then that evening. It was bowel cancer..

She nearly died, sent home three times.. if you saw her it would confuse you how they could do that.


I’m currently going through similar situation now with my mom..

I’m honestly at breaking point. Our last doctor kept making mistakes and saying the wrong information and dates, it was as if he wasn’t paying attention. He dismissed my mother from A&E without even guidance on pain mamagment or to take paracetamol. The guy just didn’t seem to care. She presented with severe chest pain and difficulties breathing along with fatigue. This normally warrants an X-ray as standard, did she even get that? No.

I need to write a whole post about my mom because it’s just… she’s not the same as she was two weeks ago.. this is down to my GP too.

 

[adidan]

It's amazing how GP to GP can be so different.
All through COVID I was able to see a GP and more recently two phone call appointments were upgraded to a visit.

It is but I guess they're not 'technically' NHS employees but independent contractors.

Still, the service should be the same. Trouble is when practices can be bought and sold it's not going to be the case.

The model should be readdressed I think.

 

[Pez]

According to NHS England:

Patients and clinicians have a choice of consultation mode. Patients’ input into this choice should be sought and practices should respect preferences for face to face care unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary, for example the presence of COVID symptoms.

Letter to GPs is here.

 

[Allnamestaken]

At ours you have to ring at 8am and try and get in a telephone queue. If you’re not through by 9 there will be nothing left. I have managed to get appointments recently though as our Doctors is now a group of surgeries so if you can travel around Telford it’s a bit easier. Still far more of a pain than it used to be and with the rapid housing expansion happening here with no new doctors it’s bound to get far worse.

It’s wrong that a receptionist basically decides if you need to see a Dr and then just sends you to A&E to cover their asses.

Some of the receptionists are absolute ******** too. One at mine will literally scoff at you and say “ you should have done this or they” while arguing with you over whether or not you need to be seen, im not kidding.

Your a ******* receptionist darling not a Dr take the call book the telephone call back and shut your mouth holy ****.

It’s so frustrating.

 

[Dis86]

say what? is this some sort of dry humour i am not getting? given i had a telephone appointment on Friday just gone after going through an online portal i can confidently say you are wrong, i was given prescriptions for tablets as well as referred to hospital all without a face to face....... different GPs have different rules.

(or are we both lying?)

We've had multiple medical professionals in here saying there's no problems getting face to face appointments.

 

[Allnamestaken]

We've had multiple medical professionals in here saying there's no problems getting face to face appointments.

I think people confuse the requirement to have to go through telephone triage and then a call back from a dr before being seen face to face as “problems getting a face to face interview”.

I can’t demand a face to face meeting with my GP without going through triage and then getting a phone call first.
With receptionists being the ones doing triage well, as I posted above it can cause all sorts of problems, leaving a lot to be desired.

 

[bigmike20vt]

We've had multiple medical professionals in here saying there's no problems getting face to face appointments.

i dont think i have seen anyone stating that at all. (apart from you)... i saw some saying that THEY had no problems getting a face to face.

but much like my experience of my local hospital was fantastic...... it does not mean i doubt for one second those who have other experiences elsewhere.

 

[Dis86]

i dont think i have seen anyone stating that at all. (apart from you)... i saw some saying that THEY had no problems getting a face to face.

but much like my experience of my local hospital was fantastic...... it does not mean i doubt for one second those who have other experiences elsewhere.

Really? I've just had a flick through and there's definitely plenty.

Just use the search function with 'face to face'.

 

[Chris Wilson]

I get that you're unwell and upset. But the GP did the right thing. You could have optic neuritis or you could have something equally serious. We aren't decked out with dilating drops and equipment with sufficient light to see the back of your eyes. How is the GP going to do an MRI in the room?

The question you should be asking is why isn't there a community ophthalmology service? Locally here in London, there is a rapid access service (hospital) that jumps AE which the GP can refer to. If less serious then there is an intermediatary service for assessment by a specialist optometrist that has contact with the hospital if required.

The GP did the right thing.

No, no, total BS, the doctor did sod all, the receptionist, taking on the role of an unqualified practitioner, decided the doctor would not see him and fobbed himn off to another location off her own bat. He'd have been better off, and probably better served, asking a vet.

This situation with GP's going into hiding on full pay won't stop until they are hit where it hurts. Either in their deep pockets, or some understandably irate parents or partners see red at the avoidable loss of a loved one and does a mischief to a few of them. I can see that happening, I really can.

 

[Rilot]

I get that you're unwell and upset. But the GP did the right thing. You could have optic neuritis or you could have something equally serious. We aren't decked out with dilating drops and equipment with sufficient light to see the back of your eyes. How is the GP going to do an MRI in the room?

The question you should be asking is why isn't there a community ophthalmology service? Locally here in London, there is a rapid access service (hospital) that jumps AE which the GP can refer to. If less serious then there is an intermediatary service for assessment by a specialist optometrist that has contact with the hospital if required.

The GP did the right thing.

So how come the last time this happened to me with a flare up (about 9 years ago) the GP had all the equipment to examine the back of my eye (drops and a lens thingie) and prescribed me the correct course of steroids there and then?

 

[Devilman]

So how come the last time this happened to me with a flare up (about 9 years ago) the GP had all the equipment to examine the back of my eye (drops and a lens thingie) and prescribed me the correct course of steroids there and then?

I'm gonna go out on a limb and suggest.... Funding cutbacks leading to a reduction in available services?

Or just... Things change in 9 years.

 

[Dis86]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and suggest.... Funding cutbacks leading to a reduction in available services?

Or just... Things change in 9 years.

Things should improve, not regress. GPs are semi-private entities.

 

[Rilot]

But isn't that the point? They shouldn't change like this. It seems that there has been a massive degredation in service.

 

[Buddy]

So how come the last time this happened to me with a flare up (about 9 years ago) the GP had all the equipment to examine the back of my eye (drops and a lens thingie) and prescribed me the correct course of steroids there and then?

9 years is a long time ago.....

Perhaps they've stopped stocking the drops on balance vs risk of incorrect diagnosis?

Perhaps from whenever that happened the landscape has changed and litigation and GMC referrals are high? - look up laptop-gate.

Perhaps he had a recent letter from ophthalmology with instructions and follow-up plan in place?

So many variables.

Or he took a risk. Either inexperienced to the risk he's taking or a dinosaur at the end of his career and he's happy to accept the risk and retire if anything happened. I can tell you now not many GPs would prescribe in this situation - you've had 3 doctor - 2 on here and one you spoke to tell you that. What do we know right?

Had you lost your eyesight it would have been his GMC *shrug* and I imagine you would be ready to sue right ?

Are you sat in AE? This has become a medical thread.

 

[heeeed]

It is but I guess they're not 'technically' NHS employees but independent contractors.

Still, the service should be the same. Trouble is when practices can be bought and sold it's not going to be the case.

The model should be readdressed I think.

Practices can’t be bought and sold

 

[Rilot]

So what

9 years is a long time ago.....

Perhaps they've stopped stocking the drops on balance vs risk of incorrect diagnosis?

Perhaps from whenever that happened the landscape has changed and litigation and GMC referrals are high? - look up laptop-gate.

Perhaps he had a recent letter from ophthalmology with instructions and follow-up plan in place?

So many variables.

Or he took a risk. Either inexperienced to the risk he's taking or a dinosaur at the end of his career and he's happy to accept the risk and retire if anything happened. I can tell you now not many GPs would prescribe in this situation - you've had 3 doctor - 2 on here and one you spoke to tell you that. What do we know right?

Had you lost your eyesight it would have been his GMC *shrug* and I imagine you would be ready to sue right ?

Are you sat in AE? This has become a medical thread.

So what is the point of any GPs at all if they cannot do anything for risk of litigation? Seems like a bogus viewpoint to me but I'm not a doctor so I don't know anything.
I am not sat in AE, I am going to go there on Wednesday to see what's what. I can't drive at the moment for obvious reasons and so will need to get a lift there.

 

[Chris Wilson]

9 years is a long time ago.....

Perhaps they've stopped stocking the drops on balance vs risk of incorrect diagnosis?

Perhaps from whenever that happened the landscape has changed and litigation and GMC referrals are high? - look up laptop-gate.

Perhaps he had a recent letter from ophthalmology with instructions and follow-up plan in place?

So many variables.

Or he took a risk. Either inexperienced to the risk he's taking or a dinosaur at the end of his career and he's happy to accept the risk and retire if anything happened. I can tell you now not many GPs would prescribe in this situation - you've had 3 doctor - 2 on here and one you spoke to tell you that. What do we know right?

Had you lost your eyesight it would have been his GMC *shrug* and I imagine you would be ready to sue right ?

Are you sat in AE? This has become a medical thread.

You should consider a career as a politician, you'd be a natural.