Staff training at our Doctors’ surgery.

It’s good to get some explanations from people who actually know. Unfortunately many people comment without having any idea of anything that goes on in the background at a GP Practice.

Congratulations to those who “understand” what goes on behind the scenes but that isn’t remotely helpful to sick people.

Sparklefizz

I had been trying to get through to my surgery on the phone and kept getting a recorded message saying Sadly we are under-staffed and so busy ......"

I gave up on trying to phone and drove there. When I walked in, there was a banner across the reception saying "Goodbye and Good Luck" and people were milling around with drinks ..... clearly a leaving party was going on with cake and presents!! So tanith - spot on!

Nothing to do with staff training, but to me, this leaving ‘do’ should have taken place after work, when the surgery had closed.

Doodledog

It’s difficult when surgeries are already stretched to the max and appointments are all but impossible to arrange; but would you rather have outdated systems and no new innovations? The ability to book online, or to see your notes are just two options that spring to mind. Staff will have to learn to do things like this (the protocols as well as the systems). When are they supposed to do it?

I’m not altogether sure that the new systens ARE better than the old ones. I’m sick of hanging on for half an hour, to be told that I’ll have to call again tomorrow and will be lucky to get an appointment six weeks hence - I’ll be forced to have the consultation with the Nurse Practitioner, who will not be competent to treat the problem and will have a word with the GP and call back - but they don’t.
I have a telephone annual diabetes check Monday (an appointment I discovered by chance) - I’m interested to see how the crucial neuropathy test and weight / height monitoring can be conducted over the telephone!

I was prescribed a medication following a hospital test, on 12th April - only the doctor cannot make out a prescription on the hospital recommendation, I have to have a telephone appointment but that is not until 6th May. The whole purpose of the medication is to prevent a rapidly recurring infection, and I’ll probably have to have another course of antibiotics in between.
It’s not possible to go to another practice because there isn’t one.

Oldbat1

Congratulations to those who “understand” what goes on behind the scenes but that isn’t remotely helpful to sick people.

Quite right Oldbat1!

growstuff

eazybee

At a meeting yesterday a member had a suspected heart attack; having called an ambulance we sought help/advice from the surgery next door, and not a doctor was on the premises; common apparently on Tuesday mornings although not even under the pretence of 'Training.' Closed on Friday afternoon for that!

I'm not sure what a GP could do, if the person was having a heart attack.

Medically trained CPR?

Coco51

growstuff

eazybee

At a meeting yesterday a member had a suspected heart attack; having called an ambulance we sought help/advice from the surgery next door, and not a doctor was on the premises; common apparently on Tuesday mornings although not even under the pretence of 'Training.' Closed on Friday afternoon for that!

I'm not sure what a GP could do, if the person was having a heart attack.

Medically trained CPR?

A person with a suspected heart attack doesn't need CPR. The patient needs to get to a hospital.

Coco Don't you have scales at home? Doesn't your GP trust you to weigh yourself? I doubt if your height has changed dramatically. You can monitor neuropathy yourself too. What treatment are you expecting?

mumofmadboys

GPs are not paid for each consultation. They are paid for the number of patients registered with the practice. The amount of inaccurate information on these threads is huge

So they take on more patients than they can reasonably manage!!! £££££££
There are too many negative experiences here for there to be a simple lack of understanding.

Incidentally, GPs can write prescriptions following a hospital's recommendation. I know they can because I've had a number of prescriptions over the last year following a letter to the GP from the hospital.

Coco51

mumofmadboys

GPs are not paid for each consultation. They are paid for the number of patients registered with the practice. The amount of inaccurate information on these threads is huge

So they take on more patients than they can reasonably manage!!! £££££££
There are too many negative experiences here for there to be a simple lack of understanding.

They have no option but to take on more patients. Yes, they can use the additional money for more staff (if they have the space) but there's a national shortage of staff available.

So they take on more patients than they can reasonably manage.

What’s the alternative when there aren’t enough GPs? Leave people without a GP at all? Is that what you would like?

Sadly there will be many bad experiences when there are insufficient doctors. However there is a huge lack of knowledge on this thread about the logistics and manner of running a GP surgery, made evident by some of the comments on here.

The problem here isn’t the doctors, who are doing their best under very difficult circumstance. The problem is the government. If you have a problem with the way services are run, you need to speak to your MP. However until more doctors are trained and fed into the system, nothing will change. In fact it will likely get worse, because many doctors are voting with their feet and going abroad to work. That will result in poorer working conditions for doctors and so more will choose to leave. It’s a circle that will only be stopped with more doctors, and the government are in charge of that. Nonetheless there will always be training sessions because training is essential for the running of surgeries and the advancement of staff.

Hobbs1

My GP surgery has a Practice Manager, an IT “ expert” and 6 admin/ reception staff. I don’t know how many GPs as I have never been lucky enough to get an appointment, only a telephone consultation during lockdown. the one and only time my telephone call has been answered by a receptionist and the GP called back, they no longer do repeat prescriptions over the counter, the patients have to request on line, all patient records are on the computer so very little filing or paperwork as it’s all instantly available so how do they spend their working hours I wonder………

How do you think that your medical records get to be "online"?

Where I live doctors usually dictate records for speed and then admin staff types them into the online system so it's a pretty substantial workload but means that all clinical staff can access your full records - so the hospital can see the GP records and vice versa.

Cold

Hobbs1

My GP surgery has a Practice Manager, an IT “ expert” and 6 admin/ reception staff. I don’t know how many GPs as I have never been lucky enough to get an appointment, only a telephone consultation during lockdown. the one and only time my telephone call has been answered by a receptionist and the GP called back, they no longer do repeat prescriptions over the counter, the patients have to request on line, all patient records are on the computer so very little filing or paperwork as it’s all instantly available so how do they spend their working hours I wonder………

How do you think that your medical records get to be "online"?

Where I live doctors usually dictate records for speed and then admin staff types them into the online system so it's a pretty substantial workload but means that all clinical staff can access your full records - so the hospital can see the GP records and vice versa.

Documents can be scanned in these days.

I have no axe to grind; I don't have any family members in the NHS and no serious illnesses, although I do need to see a doctor every few months for an ongoing problem.

I'm just gobsmacked how many people are blaming the local GP and the people in the surgery who do support roles such as receptionist or IT for what is wrong with the NHS. The NHS used to be the best in the world and it has been starved of funds by the recent government, for ideological (and profit) reasons.

That doesn't mean everybody at your local surgery is a saint. But expecting them not to have training, thinking that you can run the place better than they can, grudging them a slice of cake? It seems to me that the "divide and conquer" strategy adopted by this terrible government is working well.

I suppose that, as suddenly finding a large cohort of instantly trained doctors and nurses isn't likely, things won't get better any time soon.
I'd read that it was the BMA that restricted medical student numbers but I don't know if that's true. I know that nurse training numbers were cut in Scotland.
Workforce planning issues are the main problem.

Surgeries in my area started closing ine afternoon a week several decades ago. Ots supposed to be time for GPs to do training, go to meetings or the popular rumour is play golf. Some now open on that afternoon, mine doesn't and often has staff training on other days too. You just have to call 111 if you need help.

grudging them a slice of cake

Yes, in work hours when the answerphone apparently is saying they are short staffed and can’t answer.

Have your celebration after work.

You don’t expect to go into Tesco and there’s nobody on the till because of some staff member’s leaving do.

I had to wait a few minutes at the hospital for an appointment recently because the nurse was eating her lunch at her desk.

Should I have complained?

All GPs in Barking, Havering and Redbrige do as well, usually 1st Tuesday in the month it's so clinicians can Zoom to update their skills, nothing to do with admin, we turn our phones off and try at catch up on paperwork

volver3

I had to wait a few minutes at the hospital for an appointment recently because the nurse was eating her lunch at her desk.

Should I have complained?

No, because she was obviously on her lunch break, and grabbing it at her desk.

Quite different to a leaving do with banners etc.

In work time.

Yes of course.

Can't have them having fun, can we?

Staff at GP surgeries should not have a leaving do. Then they could be getting on with ensuring that the health service is not going to the dogs!