GPs (general practitioners)

My practice also has telephone consultations with a doctor. It works for us. Often a chat is enough it can result in a prescription being sent direct to the chemist next door and if a face to face is necessary the doctor will give an appointment. Once within 30 mins. Often a consultation with the practice nurse is more appropriate. They also can prescribe, or make an appointment with the doctor.

Today we have to make the most effective use of our GPs time. However, so that the correct appointment can be made, the poor receptionist needs to have an idea of the issue. People, including myself, can be reluctant to disclose to a non-medical person. The art is to give the minimum e.g. I have a rash, I need to discuss medication.

We have to wait a month, usually, to see any doctor - urgent or non-urgent. Having said that, there's a Sit and Wait system every weekday, but, if you're feeling awful a couple of hours wait is extremely unpleasant. The other problem is trying to get a sick-note at the end of a 6 day absence from work. If you've not needed to see a doctor e.g. flu (what's the point?), but are still unwell, you have to sit and wait, spreading germs everywhere. I work in education and this is even more difficult if you happen to be ill just before a school holiday - you have to produce a sick note to cover the holidays, even though you (hopefully) won't continue to be ill during the holiday, because you will exceed your 6 days self-certification period.

Having same problem with arthritic knee dr referred me after a year of backwards and forwards, specialist said osteoarthritis/ fibromyalgia no cure so I'm being sent for physio with future plan of new knee, I'm told it's the same with hip. They just seem to waste time with tooing and throwing instead of just putting you on list for new knee/ hip cos that's the where all lines lead anyway.

We have to wait a month to see a doctor but can see the practice nurse sooner. Last time I saw the nurse she had to consult a GP anyway.

I hate to sound smug but often our appointments, even the non-urgent ones are the same day. If you want a particular practitioner, then the wait is longer. We have nurse practitioners who are very good too and easy to see.
I suspect most of the patients are "geriatric", but there are younger people too, families, and a local state boarding school.
Any physio I have needed, i just ask for rather than having to go thro' GP, as it is ongoing.
Our problem locally is the horrible, unhelpful, rude, SLOW pharmacy almost next door. I try to do anything rather than go there!

Yes I thought I knew my own body to sadly my GP decided that I didn't. I very rarely went to the doctors until then but to be dismissed by the person you expected to cure you well let's just say it's easier said than done. Now I only see my consultant at the hospital for my condition it's in him I put my trust not my GP

There seems to be a postcode lottery at work here and if you happen to be in an area with high dependency population with fewer gps it can be a major concern. You are lucky if you are not experiencing problems as even in my quite efficient practice the situation is deteriorating and there is a wait of several days even for phone consultation. I do agree that we should take responsibility as far as possible for our own health, but as we get older (I hate the term "geriatric") medical conditions can, out of the blue, jump up and bite you! It is clear that the NHS is underfunded and under threat. See the "Decimation of NHS" thread. I think we should not be complacent but start fighting to keep our free at point of delivery NHS.

I had bursitis beginning in left hip and then in both starting March 2015. Just given painkillers and referred to a physio. Could hardly walk for several weeks and had to sleep in a chair as couldn't lie down. Finally got an x ray in July which showed minor arthritic changes in hips and spine so GP suggested a steroid injection which he proceeded to do there and then. I'm still not sure how he knew he had the needle in the right place. And he probably didn't as it had no effect at all. Eventually saw another physio who tried electrical treatment, but again with no result. Then she suggested acupuncture, and it was like a miracle. 2 days after the first session I could sleep in bed, and it got better with each session. Now just left with little niggles.
So maybe a few acupuncture sessions might help your husband newquay

TrishTopcat My surgery does telephone consultations too which are sometimes useful.

I've just had oNE of the doctors from my practice on the phone. I saw the practice nurse routinely on Monday. She asked me to have some blood tests done. These were done on Wednesday and the doctor phoned me with the results at 2:15 today. I have to pick up the prescription now. I think that is great service and I certainly have no cause for complaint.

I am happy with my GP surgery, they have looked after us well for many years. There is sometimes a wait for appointments, but this is not the fault of the hard-working NHS staff. Everywhere I drive in this crowded South-East corner of England I see new housing developments being squeezed into any available space. This means that the strain on the infra-structure, doctors, hospitals, dentists, pharmacists etc. increases all the time, and plans to cope with this seem to have been forgotten or very slow to be implemented. My surgery has had to announce that it can take no new patients for the foreseeable future .I know houses need to be built, but rarely are the ones here low-cost to fill the gap.

The telephone triage system in our medical centre is usually staffed by a doctor and a practice nurse. It ensures that we can either get the necessary advice by phone or see a practitioner during the day, though maybe not the one we would normally see. I have been very satisfied with this. If we want to be sure of continuity with the one doctor, we may have to wait two weeks or take our chance of an emergency appointment on the day.

We have the same trouble getting appointments but if you ring the surgery they offer you a phone appointment and then the doctor assesses whether or not to give you an appointment on the day you ring or nott

We have excellent care here. We phone one day and unless it is urgent we get an appointment the next day. The surgery has an A and E department as well which is open from 8 to 8. Obviously this is for minor incidents and was much appreciated when I threw hot oil over my hand. 5 minute walk and I was being treated. Dressing was changed daily for 2'weeks. Brilliant.
Contrast this with my mother's practice. Difficult to get an appointment so you end up sitting at the phone at 8 o'clock on the morning of the day you want along with everyone else trying to get through. And the lack of communication within the practice is nothing short of dangerous. Thankfully my parents still have their marbles and Mum can keep trac of things but she shouldn't have to and what about those who are more vulnerable?

I have fallen completely out of love with my GPs. Just before Christmas DH developed a severe pain in his arm. By the new year he was in excruciating pain and couldn't sleep or drive. We went to the surgery. THe GP poked him vaguely and recommended paracetamol even though DH told them that he had been trying that and it was ineffective.

On his third emergency appointment, each with a different GP, all recommending paracetamol, l went with him as he was in such pain he was incoherent and couldn't sustain a conversation. I asked for a referral to a specialist. I was told this would take up to six weeks meanwhile he should continue to take paracetamol! We asked for a private referral, which we got within a week.

The first thing the specialist did was write to the surgery recommending the prescription of a standard, but specialised drug that works in an entirely different way to paracetamol. Within a day of taking this drug, the pain began to ease. The problem was then diagnosed and treated.

I am absolutely furious that all the GPs he saw, could be so indifferent to a patient who was clearly in excruciating pain and would only suggest over the counter pain killers, which he was already taking and were clearly not working. Very little attempt was made to diagnose the problem or refer it to a specialist. We had to ask for the referral, even then they didn't seem bothered that he would have to spend another six weeks with almost unbearable pain before he was seen.

I had a similar experience to Grandmac with acupuncture.
I did not have such bad pain so did not go to the GP but consulted a self-employed local physio. After me doing exercises for a couple of weeks, which didn't help much, she used acupuncture for 2 sessions and I now feel a whole lot better.
It's definitely worth a try.

My Gp and practice is working well as possible but there is great strain in the surgery as the government humiliate and continue to devalue the jobs of GPS, Junior Doctors and the NHS as a whole. This wonderful and unique organization is been eroded and talk down by a Government who should be protecting services and va!ues for all

Living in a rural area, my medical centre is a 9 mile drive away. We have 3 GP's and some regular locums. I like to stay with whichever doctor I have seen for a particular ailment, but am happy to see any one of them if I am feeling ill.

We have an aging population in a very scattered area and our practice serves us very well indeed. We can have telephone appts, are called in for blood pressure checks, asthma checks etc. Our meds are dispensed by the practice and we have them del by our volunteer team of drivers, if we live a mile from the med centre.

Our receptionists and nurses are all lovely. We can order repeat scrips online and also book appts online. I ordered some meds last night at midnight and they were here mid morning today!

We have an active patient participation group of which I am a member. Yes, we do have the problems of waits for hospital appts etc and various other hiccoughs from time to time but given the problems being experienced in many areas, I feel our community is greatly blessed!
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All practices now have to have a Patient Participation Group(Since 1April) . Each Doctor at our practice has 2000 patients on their books. So patients wanting to see'their' Doctor the same day is a non starter. If you are having these problems then you need to see the practice manager and complain. If you want to change things then contact the Chair of your PPG and see how things can be changed. We introduced a triage system, when the appointments are full for the day your details are recorded and a GP will phone you back within 30 minutes( normally less) He then decides who you need and if it is a GP you get an appointment same day with one who has a deliberately light Diary that day.This has proved very successful and home visits by GPs have reduced dramatically again leaving more GPs for patient appointments.

Our surgery is very short of GPs and can't attract new ones due to high numbers of elderly and a remote area. You can't get through on the phone most of the time and end up having to go down there to get an appointment. They do have a daily nurse triage if it's urgent, otherwise you wait ages to see a GP. They got rated poor in a recent inspection. ?

Mixed really. They misdiagnosed my current husbands DVT despite a classic history. I took him to work with me and got a GP work colleague to see him. He was in hospital 2 hours later. Also misdiagnosed my knee problem as did the hospital consultant which is worrying. I knew they we're both wrong and I self referred to a physio who immediately spotted the problem. That's the scary part. If you have no medical knowledge at all it is easy to get led down the garden path.

Newquay How did your DH get on at the docs?

Hello Lazigirl. Doc has booked him in for an injection beg May. Said Doc was new and went to consult with another doc and they all agree it's bursitis.
Acupuncture sounds interesting , not sure how we would go about that?
So DH is still limping but he manages to do our weekly supermarket shop (while I'm working). And can get round to our local school from time to time to collect GC.
We, too, have GP telephone appointments which work well.
Our eldest GD is keen to be a GP but, as she didn't get straight As at A level (chemistry teaching was rubbish!) she's now doing biology and bio-chemistry for 3 years and will then re-apply to med school. It's going to be a long haul.

Seen 2 GP's in a month for very very bad pain in my knee. The first said it was coming from my back and prescribed Naproxen. No effect, saw second who did send me for x-rays and arranged injection for today. Saw 3rd today who does small ops surgery. My knee is so bad I need a knee replacement ASAP the injection would have been useless but at least it is being sorted. They certainly don't get it right every time.

Nearly all the GPs in this area work part time, which means we often have quite a wait for appointments. There would be better continuity if they worked a five day week.

Well. . . . Last week DGS had terrible earache. His Daddy rang surgery, had telephone consultation and was asked to go round to surgery which he did expecting a long wait but went in straightaway and was back home quickly with necessary antibiotics.
Last week our DD2 visited with her DD aged 2 1/2 who had had a sore bottom for two weeks, first treated as nappy rash then thrush so DD had to complete form to see Doc which we did. We were seen immediately and we were home within 1/4 hour complete with meds.
Someone told me the practice keeps some slots free for children. I emailed to thank them.
So perhaps it's better to be young than old?