Doctors and how they come across

My assigned, named on my notes and all correspondence Doctor who I had a respect for and him me
Well it seems they go out of their way to make sure you/ I cant ever speak to him and have passed me on to a lady whose contempt and or actual hate I can actually feel, even over the phone. As a child I remember home visits , the Dr knew the whole family and situation
Now you get various Drs looking at your file/situation and not one of them can connect any dots as they used to
Too busy reading the notes before they even speak to you
I had to ask them to remove notes which appeared on a screen I could see, asked a friend what the terminology meant and she was horrified, at the top of the notes I was being called "Histrionic" right there, at the top and I could see it on a screen - yes I did complain
Trust is waning with all of it tbh

So basically you are choosing experience over manner. That's fine and I don't think she will care one way or another as you are 1 less totreat on her list. You are very lucky to have a choice of and to change GP's

Been in our current surgery for 4 years . Mostly excellent , some things not quite as good in the last year as it and 3 other surgeries all joined together .

I’m recovering at the moment from an operation . Had to arrange a wound check with the nurse who was lovely. Mentioned my pain had changed and was a bit worried and she said I’ll go and see if you can see someone . Came back and said wait in the waiting room your appt is in 5 minutes, and it was! History taken , really listened to, came out with a prescription which really helped my pain so I really can’t complain about our surgery at the moment.

Moved to this one due to moving house. Don’t get me started on the previous one, it was dire .

Its roughly an eight week wait to see our nice new gp.
Not ideal.

You're lucky you get to see the same one twice, it's pot luck who you get at our surgery, plus it could be in any of 3 buildings in the area

I used to work for a village surgery. No appointment necessary. If they didn’t know something that had happened to someone I would pre warn them. At the end of surgery I’d say haven’t seen Mrs so and so for a while and the doctor on duty would phone them up and ask them how they were. I used to deliver their prescriptions if they struggled to get to the surgery. Hugs were part of the service if we thought they would help. Never see the same doctor twice now. I’m sure the doctors got more satisfaction from their job back then even if they did have to be on call at night but then do surgery the next day. On one home visit a patient had to go to hospital and the doctor packed his suitcase for him. It all seemed to change when covid hit. I wouldn’t want to work there the way it is now. I loved my job.

It makes so much difference, doesn't it?
Just to feel someone is "on your side".

MissAdventure Your new GP sounds like the consultant who treated my husband. When my husband was once blue lighted in with peritonitis he came down to A&E as soon as he came in to work and wheeled him off himself to get a scan done. At every appointment his first question was "How are you" and we wouldf go from there. When he had to tell me that my husband's cancer had become terminal he said "I can't treat him, but I can look after him" which was what he did for the final week. He had a very good registrar whom he was training in the same way.

Our family doctor was horrible.
He was really snobby & sarcastic. My Mum was from a large, poor local family & I expect he was nice enough to his middle-class patients.
He also had his framed collections of birds eggs and butterflies in the waiting room, which (particularly the eggs) were frowned upon by that time (robbing nests for a perfect egg for your display.Really?)
Unbelievably snide with me on the day my Dad died of a heart attack.
Apart from him, the many doctors I've seen have all been OK.

At my local village surgery the appts for non urgent cases are now always 5/6 weeks ahead. It does appear that all appts, urgent included, are only taken by the trainee docs that are always at the surgery for short periods and not only aren't they qualified GP's but there is zero chance of any continuity. The closest I've come to a real doc has been a text telling me they have made an appt for me with a nurse. Nurse couldn't help so had to wait weeks to see a doc.

My experience if GPs in the past is that they were every bit as good and every bit as bad as doctors today.

The fact that a GP has given continuity of care for 20 years can mean at least 10 years when you had a medical problem that did not go away because your continuity GP was a bad GP and dismissed serious problems.

That certainly applied to my MiL. It was only when the old buffer retired and she saw a new young doctor that two medical problems that were making her life a misery were finally dealt with making the last 15 yeas of her life her healthiest. and happiest..

I think it’s just unfortunate that that’s her personality.
Without wanting to sound offensive, I think, ‘The lovely family doctor of yesterday’ all had completely different personalities too so I think you’re remembering yesteryear a bit overly nostalgically.

There's a new young gp and the practice I go to.
He pulls his chair round to face you, asks "what do you think about your health issue", and "what shall we do about that?"
I could kiss his feet, quite honestly,

My son has been 'under' a doctor for ages with no improvement. However, a new doctor has joined the practice and has spent time really listening. Lo and behold he's come up with something nobody had ever considered before and instigated a new form of treatment. My son calls him 'that good doctor'. So do I.

No one will be surprised to read that research confirms patients do better if they have continuity of care.
We moved surgery after fifty years as it plummeted from outstanding to needing improvement. We’d experienced several problems, one of which resulted in three year old grandchild on a paediatric ward for five nights. Our new surgery is outstanding but as everywhere, continuity of care isn’t easy.
Urgent appointments are seen on the day but no choice which dr. It’s a six or older wait to see the GP of choice z(especially if it’s one of the female docs )

Does anyone know who I mean by Hugh Pym the BBC health editor. Years ago his late father was our family GP. His home and practice was just around the corner from us. He did home visits and even took me to our cottage hospital (long gone) to stitch my foot when I cut it at 10pm on Christmas Day. He also took my brother and I into his garden during our appointment so that we could see some kittens and choose one each. That was what you called a good GP who really knew his patients.

We have one that gets you in and out in 10 mins, doesnt really listen and is brusque. I kept going back and U was always given her. One appointment with a different Dr and he listened sent me for scans and was correct in his diagnosis. 4 months later operation and all sorted. That said my favourite Dr takes ages is always running late but is fab. Hard to get an appointment with her but she is so thorough, goes through everything, remembers past appointments and even follows up results by email. She got my husband to a physiotherapist who referred for an MRI and is now awaiting an operation 2 years after seeing numerous Dr's in our surgery. I also have been referred, quickly for tests for a new issue. She is like our old family Dr used to be. The practice receptionists complain about her as she overuns her 10 min appointments but I'd rather sit in the waiting room for a extra 40 mins to see her that get in/out with some of the others who just give you a prescription and shoo you out the door!!!

I have one specialist's office that I go to regularly. I have rarely seen the same doctor more than once. The visit seems so impersonal.They 're busy typing into the computer and there's little eye contact. It would be hard to change practices as there's at least a 6 month wait for an appointment. I just accept this office since I don' t want to start over and potentially have no better treatment anyway.

Luckygirl3

The loss of continuity is a shame. My late OH was GP in a small country practice. The patients knew him and he knew them. When they came in the door he knew who had died in their family if they were in work, whether they got on with their spouse... as well as all the medical history. And this all added up to a better more individualised service.

I now seldom see the same person twice and they spend most of the meagre 10 minutes trying to catch up on my history on their screen.

My father was a GP in an era, he retired at 60 in 1980 where a GP's practice was run as you describe.

It would be nice to be reminded of what the reasons were for bringing in Health Centres and group practices in the 1980s, As far as I remember it was not due to a shortage of young doctors, but to a cost-effective way of thinking, that you could see more patients, without them having to sit for up to an hour and a half in the waiting-room if doctors ran an appointment system, instead of having consulting hours.

As far as I remember no-one asked patients what they preferred, either then or since.

Perhaps it is time to drop the appointment system and go back to each doctor having his or her own list of patients, and having consulting hours, where you turn up and wait your turn, knowning that if you come with something simple it will only take a couple of minutes, but when you need to discuss more than one problem there will be time for that.

i have only had a couple of doctors that have been a problem and they have been in hospitals, i always make it clear that i will not be talked down to or as if i am stupid, i always give respect and i expect it back, after a bowel cancer op, i knew something was wrong, the registrar told me to shut up when i asked a question as he was to busy, it was the last time he came to my room when i complained to the surgeon...his boss, later that day i was on a drip for 24 hours, a drip i knew i needed.

I haven’t seen a GP for maybe 10 years or more . I saw a diabetic consultant in 2024 who commenced me on Mounjaro and since then I’ve had a 6 monthly appointment with the Diabetic Nurse at our surgery . The only contact with our GP I have had is a medication review by telephone. I’ve absolutely no idea what any of the doctors even look like .

That made me laugh Willow. Different times 😕

Aveline

I'm involved in training medical students. I' m a simulated patient for communication training and exams. A lot of work seems to go into how these new potential doctors come over to patients. Of course, some are better than others.

It would cost nothing to remind doctors that all patients, even those with a serious medical condition, would like to feel they are welcomed in to the surgery, that they are heard and that they go away feeling they have been comforted.
Very few actually 'see' the person in front of them.

Private GP appointment costs £160 at the practice near us plus extra for reports or referrals etc. A lot to pay but I gather that the doctors there enjoy the job as there is less time pressure and they can really look at all the factors potentially affecting a patient and take time to explain treatment/management. It would be lovely to go to that practice but it's just too expensive.

I'm very fortunate to be with a good practice. I rarely go to the surgery as I'm pretty much housebound but a phone call either early morning or mid afternoon the GP will phone you back to check my problem. If nessesary he will arrange a face to face same day ornit urgent the next day.
He doesn't seem to do home visits but our surgery employ 2 paramedics who do visits and report back to GP.
I get to regular B12 injections. The surgery nurse comes to my home to do it. Last time I needed a blood test too. Nurse did it at the same visit. I've really no complaints.
If I as I had a lady problem I was able to book with the very efficient lady Doctor.