Doctors appointment

I feel so lucky - our surgery has online booking and it is very rare to have to wait more than a day to see a GP, as long as you are not fussy who it is or at what time.

My GP practice is like many here severely over worked and staffed by semi retired and part time GP’s. Looking at the latest list we no longer have a single full time GP all are part time. Appointments are a nightmare we have a large elderly population who seem to require a large proportion of the scant appointments and so the system of calling as soon as surgery opens for an appointment that day (for the very few non pre booked appointments) usually yields no joy. I have sat by my phone at 7.55am and rung on the dot at 8am (opening time) to find the phone already engaged and by the time you do get through on repeat dial all appointments will have gone!
I had started to forget GP, and instead go to the walk in GP in town, which is open 7am to 11pm 7 days a week and you don’t have to be a patient. This worked well as most of the elderly don’t want the late evening slots and usually the place is full of young families and working people who like me can’t see the GP because of the lack of appointments.
Unfortunately the local NHS has now ear marked this walk in for closure! And states that if you can’t see your own GP you will have to go to the out of hours at the hospital! This is a separate nightmare due to erratic bus services and being out of town. I don’t have a car so we’re I to need to visit there a taxi would cost me £16 return?

Our doctors must lead lives similar to muffinthemoo's husband. They provide an excellent service including house calls when necessary. Sometimes when you phone for an appointment you can be given one some time on but if you explain the problem they will try to fit you in. Failing that we get a telephone appointment with the duty doctor. They have looked after my DH over the last two years and not once have we felt let down.

Callgirl that is so bad. How awful for everyone.. please write and complain to MP..Minister.. whoever. it's all we can do. but we should.

About 3 weeks ago, I called the surgery to ask for a home visit by a doctor to my daughter. She is disabled by rheumatoid arthritis, gets about with extreme difficulty, and had been unable to walk without me holding onto her, which isn`t ideal as I`m not that steady myself, but I hadn`t asked for a home visit for over 30 years. About an hour later the practice nurse rang suggesting that she increase her pain relief, despite me telling them that she wasn`t in any more pain than usual, just couldn`t walk. The following morning I rang again to ask for a home visit. The receptionist rang back about 30 minutes later to say that she`d spoken to the nurse, who`d spoken to the doctor, and he said that she had to come to the surgery. I told them that she can`t get out of the house to get there, plus I don`t drive, but they wouldn`t back down. Eventually my granddaughter took time off work, picked up one of my grandsons on the way to us, and between the 3 of us we got her there, for a most unsatisfactory consultation, and we ended up in A&E a couple of days later. I`ve since been told that home visits are up to the doctors and the practice, some do, some don`t, ours don`t.

Unfortunately!

The only downside of your practice’s system, Deedaa, is when the patient is working somewhere where they’re not allowed to switch their mobiles on, so the doctor’s kept waiting while someone fetches them to the phone. Not a problem, of course, if you have the sort of manager who uses common sense and allows exceptions to their rules, but I have worked with the other sort!

Patients not parents sorry

Re GP surgeries - an excellent practice manager is top of my list and a PPG so that parents really feel listened to and can offer solutions

I know what my conclusion is maryeliza but do you have one?

At the moment we ring first thing in the morning if we want an appointment. The duty doctor then rings back to discuss the problem and decide whether you need a home visit (as DH did today) or an appointment with one of the doctors, or if one of the nurses will be able to deal with it. It seems to work quite well.

There is such a variety of standards between gp practices - some if the things I’ve read on here are truly awful

Our surgery is amazing. You turn up between 8.30 and 10 am and join the queue to see the doctor of your choice. They are all outstanding gp's and because there are no appointments you get as long as you need in the chair. If you can't get in a morning, the same system operates between 4.30 and 6pm. It's perfect.

Having! we need an edit button lol!

Moscow. Like you I always say thanks. If I have day procedures done I send a thank you card. I have also written to the Northern Health Board in praise of services. We are always quick to complain. So we should also be quick with praise. HAvington said that these posts make the future seem bleak. We must look after ourselves as best we can to limit health problems!

In my area the largest practice handed their GP contracts back to our local trust, who then had to employ locums because of the size plus the second largest practice had already arranged to close as the lead GP was moving out of the area.
I myself was ill before Christmas and wasn’t well enough to make that 8 am phone call to have a call back.

The GPS at my practice poor things seem exhausted and don’t seem to have time between appts to read patient details, one has to list ones issues before launching into what you are there for.

We have also women GPS who are very good, very much in demand, and some are part time which causes another set of challenges.

I’m afraid the megabucks and lack of empathy comment was a disgusting sweeping generalisation. The admin/ management costs in the NHS are small in comparison to other health care systems and many ‘managers’ are in fact in mixed clinical/ management roles eg Medical Director. The % management costs in the private sector are much higher than in the NHS. As for your example, what overall conclusions can you draw from that?

And, obviously, some layers of management are necessary, just not ALL of them.

I think, maryeliza that my post proves that DH's 'line manager' at least had no empathy for DH's patients or what he did for them or she wouldn't have had to ask!

Only people who have no understanding of the complexities of running a modern hospital could be so callously dismissive of the various mangers and staff working behind the scenes and not engaged in direct patient care. So you know all these managers do you and their megsbucks and total lack of empathy?

I'm currently in a similar position. I need to get signed off - not too difficult one would think. I had to kick up a fuss to get to see the duty doctor and to agree that it was an 'emergency'. I didn't like lying and said so but that was the only way to get to see a doctor. The duty doctor didn't understand the situation and said she'd write a letter to the hospital department - all I needed was a blood test list so I could go for blood tests! I've not had a reply yet and I shall be writing to the practice next week to make them aware of my situation which initially had been a life/death scenario and because I'm still breathing I suppose I'm OK. How suddenly things have changed!!!
It's a weird comfort to know that I'm not alone!

Muffinthemoo, thanks for your posts. Our GP practice has found it very difficult to recruit as the GPsbold enough have retired. It’s a teaching practice, urban area, good schools, city 12 miles away, open countryside on the doorstep. The problem is young doctors no longer want to be GPs because of the increasing demands. Ours work twelve hour days, plus admin.
Our practice is under staffed and over subscribed. Requests to be allowed not to take on new patients have been refused.
A triage system now operates. If an urgent appointment is needed patients are seen by one of the prescribing nurses. It’s always a three week wait to see a GP. The issue of continuity of care for childre and older people in particular is a real worry.
It seems to be a growing national problem.

muffinthemoo thank you for posting. I agree we do not have any real idea unless you work in certain sections. Whenever I have to see a doctor or nurse, or take up anyone's time be it the cashier at the supermarket or whoever, I always make a point of thanking them for their time. Have done for years even though I think some may think I'm ott but now reading your posts I shall definitely continue.

This lack of appointments is really worrying as I assume it will only spread. We are constantly told see your GP immediately for some concerns which must only add to the problem and cost to the treatment at times.

interesting article from 2013. showing as exoected the majority on average pay a minority earning a lot.
www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/society/2013/nov/10/nhs-super-managers-428-nurse-pay

Maggie, I beg to differ. Obviously some management is necessary but there are layers of them that are unnecessary!

DH had a line manager who asked him what his job actually involved because she had never heard the term 'domiciliary' before!