Why flu to GP?

In Cambodia it is free for Cambodians to see a Dr, no problem, but thenthey have to pay for all the medicines and tests and this is what they can’t afford. Recently a friend of mine his young son had dengue fever and sent into hospital. The family have to provide the care and meals and the medicine and tests cost $260 which is a fortune when the average wage is $40 a week. Let’s just be thankful for what we have.

Genuine flu needs actual bed rest and careful nursing, and the patient should not be traipsing about to the surgery. How lay people are expected to diagnose their illnesses for themselves mystifies me. Truly the age of DIY medicine is here.

We are also advised to ask the pharmacist for advice . These people are worked off their feet and the pharmacy assistant will offer advice !

So Harriman how expensive would it be for a person with a two chronic medical conditions that require visits to the dr to keep it under control, would I also have to pay for the blood tests?

I am in favour of charging to see a GP too, when I was in France I paid 46 Euros to see a doctor but I was so grateful I would have paid anything they asked.
I spoke to a woman who was complaining that she had to sit and wait almost 4 hours in our surgery waiting room ' not fair when you have a sore wrist ' words failed me.

We have no walk in system at our GP so anybody in the waiting room has been given an appointment by phoning up and talking to a doctor. Some may have called 111 first and been told to make an appointment. The trouble is that doctors and 111 staff have to err on the side of caution in case there is a complication.
Like others, I think that anyone with genuine ‘flu’ would not be able to get to the surgery but it could be that the people who go had the coughing virus, or are getting over the ‘flu’ and need a sick-note.

Perhaps it would help if the NHS/govt were to place ads in prime slots on tv or make public service announcements, and or use the daytime chat show programs (which I have never watched) telling people which symptoms are normal and what to take for them, and that the dr can do nothing for flu, also advising which symptoms do require medical help.

Please Seacliff ... go electronic and you can avoid the surgery altogether, your surgery will send your prescription straight to pharmacy! Unless your doctors don't have that as an option?!

I have wondered how they can measure the prevalence of flu by the number of people visiting the doctor, when most of us would, quite sensibly, do not visit and indeed would be too ill to visit the doctor. Also how on earth do they manage to get urgent appointments.

Well, here's the answer to why some people are at the GP with flu - an article in the DM quoting a doctor as advising people to go to GP if they have flu symptoms. No idea how valid this doctor is, but it's in mainstream media and read by loads of people www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5289675/Are-SURE-flu-just-cold.html

An upfront charging system would also cost time and money to implement. I wonder if it would stop ‘time wasters’ anyway - surely there would have to be exemptions and the well off may be quite happy to pay to see the doctor even if it’s not necessary. I also wonder how it might change the culture to one of more entitlement?

ninny who do you by the ‘others’ that come and everything handed to the on a plate? Do you mean the Syrian refugee families with little children who have settled in my area after enduring the most dreadful situations? Should they not be able to access health care?

I am one of those in favour of charging to see the GP. We hear a lot about the great health care in France but it costs 23 Euro for a GP visit, more in big cities. Admittedly most (but not all) of this can be reimbursed, however, it is a deterrent against casual and non-essential booking because its obviously more hassle. I am sorry to say that many people today dont seem to properly appreciate what is 'free', nor do they have the 'dont bother the doctor' mentality that helped the NHS to function in the early days. By all means have a reimbursing system, but I just feel paying up front would make people value the provision more and use it less casually.

Jenpax yes perhaps £10 too much but perhaps a nominal amount and a fine if you do not keep the appointment. I used to work in a hospital and you wouldn't believe the number of people who didn't turn up for their appointments. It probably wouldn't work if Conservatives brought this in then at the next election Labour would say they would cancel it. I'm only on state pension myself.
Antheacarol rant on I feel your pain I had to wait for my pension and I agree others come to Britain who have paid in nothing and seem to have everything handed to them on a plate including health care.

Coco51 totally agree if a sick note is necessary you need to see a doctor as some of us are still expected to work and made to feel guilty if we can't get in also jenwren hit the nail on the head many of the older generation do treat it like private health care I worked in a surgery and for many a visit to the doctors fills in some time and was a bit of an outing

I've also noticed in most if not all articles you read that if you don't improve within a week go to the doctor. Of course in some cases it is imperative you don't hang around. However sinus related problems and other obvious problems are not going to clear up within a week. People need to use their common!

As has been pointed out, if you have the real 'flu' you cannot even get your head off the pillow, but again, if you are elderly or susceptible to breathing problems, you need keeping an eye on - but it's all down to common sense.

We have lost touch with all those ancient remedies, been encouraged to use medicine from the drug companies...

Hey barmyoldbat. I've had both knees replaced with epidural and highly recommend it. You won't remember a thing and your recovery is much quicker

Working people - after 7 days they have to provide a GP note for their employer.

Retired - possibly the only person they will talk to that day that will listen to them and make them feel “special”

I think this culture of visiting the GP for every little thing has become ingrained in some people on the back of every little piece of advice regarding health matters in the media is ALWAYS followed by the immortal words "check with your GP". Is this genuine concern for us or just covering their backs against any compensation culture claims? In any case, it seems to have an infantilising effect on those who can't or won't think for and take responsibility for themselves. I'm a fervent believer in the NHS and think we all have to be aware that we might lose this most precious of resources if there isnt a shift in attitude to see the NHS as a precious resource rather than a commercial customer service.

Re payment at the point of treatment/connection, although I hope we don't go down that path, I do wonder how poorer people manage in other European countries where charges are made up front.

In the Country where I live, firstly you cant get through on the phone, then when you do if you are lucky to get through before the phone time has expired, you need to press so many buttons to be then told they will ring you back at a certain time, and then if lucky you get an appointment in a few days/ weeks, if you dont turn up you still have to pay! it costs £10 for each visit to your GP, no just popping in and spreading your cough cold flu etc.

And unfortunately, living in an age-restricted complex the older generation use the doctors as if it was private healthcare. ie I cannot sleep and call an ambulance!

My thoughts exactly, if you can get to a GP you don’t have flu, I struggled to get to the loo when I had it. There is so much ignorance over it, you hear people all the time saying they have flu when really they have a cold.

I had a cold a couple of weeks before xmas and the cough has only just gone, one of my ears was blocked for a couple of weeks but I didn’t bother the GP, I just had to wait for it to go. Obviously if people start having trouble breathing or get chest pain it needs to be checked. But a cough following a cold is par for the course. I think some people just panic because of the media banging on about it.

But on the other hand I had a friend who died from cancer. She never went to the doc on principle (was proud of it) and it was only when she collapsed in great pain and her friend called an ambulance that she saw a doctor. She had had symptoms for some time and had she seen a gp earlier it could have saved her life. Extreme case I know, but to say don t bother gp or charge for appointments is just wrong.

I have had both knees done, and wanted a general anaesthetic when I had the first one done. Was talked into having a spinal block. Went to sleep shortly after going into theatre and woke up in bed afterwards without any problems. Much better than a general. Same with the second op. It's much less dangerous than a general, especially if you are elderly, and I would recommend it.

People shouldn’t go to work either, but how many employers expect people to soldier on regardless? Maybe they NEED a doctor’s certificate. Same with dangerous weather conditions: police may tell people not to travel but millions of people will have their pay docked if they don’t get to work.