Why do doctors only give you 10 minutes these days?

I had to see a Nurse at the surgery today for my HRT check. Never seen her before. I felt very uncomfortable. The back of her hair was a total mess like she had just got out of bed, the front was untidy. She seemed not to know why I was there and then she started pulling her hair to her mouth and chewing on it. 🤮I felt sick watching her. I’ve had enough checks to know they take BP and weigh you. She did neither so I had to remind her.
She was a nurse not a health care assistant. I was in there less than 10 minutes.

It’s not possible to book a double appointment in our surgery, patients are booked in for the standard ten minutes. Having said that we’ve both found if a consultation needs more time then it’s offered even if the next patient (or three) has to wait. Our physios and nurse practitioners have 20 minute slots. Much as I detest the e-consult system it seems we’re better off than many folk.

When we first moved to our village over 40 years ago our GP surgery was located in the next village but they held a surgery in our village hall once a week for anyone who couldn't travel. It was run by a husband and wife team who were both lovely. They made house calls and would often pop in to see patients to check up on them. The male doctor in particular, was very chatty and he would spend time during the consultation telling you about his holidays and often about his own ailments! You would often find yourself being the one to end the appointment! They knew your medical history and, therefore, would recognise if any of your ailments overlapped. Sadly the surgery is now part of a group and you never see the same doctor twice, if you actually see a doctor as most consultations are carried out by phone. Sigh, I miss those days.

Doctors' surgeries always have varied even within the same area. For instance my surgery has multiple doctors and other grades of clinical staff so often you don't get to see a doctor and even if you do, the chances are that you will have never seen that doctor before and will probably never see them again.

My DD who lives about a twenty minute walk away is registered with a single doctor practice and of course, her experience is very different.

We find it hard to actually see a doctor and would settle for any number of minutes.
Usually we get an assistant physician or nurse - and don’t get me wrong any port in a storm if it is just about an ongoing cough or an itchy rash, but not so much when my DH who has serious life threatening health conditions, including spontaneous bleeds on the brain, a stroke, and a heart condition.
Have seen a GP once in the past few years, and if my DH becomes unwell we have to take our chances with A&E.

Our surgery is excellent, we book online, get a same day triage and if we need to see a doctor, we've always seen them on the same day. I get regular medication follow ups and health checks and I can see test results on my app normally within 48 hours. I recognise that we are very lucky as this is not everyone's experience.

10 minutes? You should be so lucky. I haven't been seen by a GP for 4 years. I'm always fobbed off with a paramedic. The last one misdiagnosed me.

ronib

It could be uneconomical to work the full week? Taxes?

Ronin I don’t think it’s that as much as simply working long days so trying to avoid burn out.

Doc I know personally has morning surgery at 8 - 12, the admin time, lunch 1 -2 (which is often used up with admin too), then home visits or a visit to a care home, followed by evening surgery 4 - 6.30. Home by 7 on a good day, often does admin in the evening.

That’s a hectic day by anyone’s standards. Add in the intensity of their work and the emotional toll it can take, then four days a week is enough.
GPS are self employed and so have to do all the work entailed in running a business too, alongside the medical stuff.

Not for you Ronib, but I do get very cross about the amount of doctor bashing on GN sometimes.

My DIL works very long hours as a teacher and head of department and can’t even take time off for her children’s medical appointments! She will be on PAYE so hopefully not hit by tax Payment in Advance but won’t have any tax advantage as self employed, if there are any?

My GP sorts out my initial problem then checks if everything else is okay, then just checks about hubby (no breaches of patient confidentiality) and finally checks that our dog is doing okay, as she loves dogs. Never feel rushed.

I really wouldn’t want to bash GPs, I would just like to see one every so often. I am in the same camp as Grantanow, there are no GP surgeries near me with GPs we can actually see. After my husband had a stroke and a bleed on the brain I wanted to touch base with my GP - though I have no idea of his/her name - it was 4 months before I could get an appointment with anyone, I thought was a GP but was an assistant physician. We are now moving to an area near one of our daughters where GP surgeries are better. Not the only reason for this move but as a full time carer for my DH is a pretty good one.
Those with good GP surgeries should count their blessings.

I saw the Doctor last week for the first time in years like a lot of people on here.For a while everytime i go to bed and lay flat the room spins so decided to make an appointment.He asked some questions and did a few tests,then printed out some exercises to do at home but warned me they would make me giddy.
I did one,the room spun so much i haven't done them since.
I just wondered whether anyone on here has ever been given these exercises to do and did they work?
They are called Brandt-Daroff.

My GP is fab and listens to me! She always runs late but I don’t care as I am being seen!
We also have use of the Patches system online so you can outline your issues and a GP will assess what happens next! Recently saw a senior nurse practitioner who was also a trained paramedic and she was very thorough ! This good service puts me off thinking of moving house !

We are so lucky. Our doctor is amazing and spends as much time with you as you need. You never feel rushed. He also understands nutrition and the microbiome, very unusual in a GP! He does sometimes run over with appointments but we all forgive him as he is so good.
Very much a lottery with doctors surgeries though, we left our last one after fifty years as appointments took over a month to make and we never saw the same doctor.

During Covid GPs discovered the delights of not actually having to lay eyes upon their patients.
There are more and more people wanting an appointment and most doctors only work part-time, because once their salary hits £100,000 per year the tax makes it not worthwhile to work longer. It’s also easier to pass patients onto a nurse or a paramedic or make it so hard for them that they go to A&E instead. There you may wait 12 hours to be seen but you’d wait 6 weeks to see a GP.

Actually went this morning, a follow up to a visit a month ago. This Doctor couldn’t have been nicer. I was there for around 20/30 mins and came away with tests to do and times and appointments. And I was not an emergency.
The only problem is she's leaving in the new year, was only there as a temporary for a year, so the next time I go, no doubt it’ll be someone new and no consistency. Explanations start again! When I first went in a month or so back, I took a list and asked all the questions I needed to ask. Otherwise you ask the main question and forget the minor ones!

Primrose53

I had to see a Nurse at the surgery today for my HRT check. Never seen her before. I felt very uncomfortable. The back of her hair was a total mess like she had just got out of bed, the front was untidy. She seemed not to know why I was there and then she started pulling her hair to her mouth and chewing on it. 🤮I felt sick watching her. I’ve had enough checks to know they take BP and weigh you. She did neither so I had to remind her.
She was a nurse not a health care assistant. I was in there less than 10 minutes.

Those days have sadly gone in our surgery

Janal1

I saw the Doctor last week for the first time in years like a lot of people on here.For a while everytime i go to bed and lay flat the room spins so decided to make an appointment.He asked some questions and did a few tests,then printed out some exercises to do at home but warned me they would make me giddy.
I did one,the room spun so much i haven't done them since.
I just wondered whether anyone on here has ever been given these exercises to do and did they work?
They are called Brandt-Daroff.

I would start a new thread under Health Jana for a response.

SueDonim I have an ongoing leg issue. Last GP I saw just looked on the Mayo Clinic website for info on cause and treatment. This was after a scan and xrays all of which did not show cause as problem down to soft tissue.

You're lucky to get an in person appointment! Unheard of here unless there are really exenuating circumstances. Telephone appointments only which are always considerably less than 10 minutes.

Because we are TOLD TO GIVE ONLY 10 MINUTES !!
Stop blaming doctors for all the ails of the NHS .... And remember we are human and might actually be on Gransnet, before you slag us off!
I'm almost 70 , been working for 45 years plus.
The NHS is under funded ( government)
Population is 1) Expanding
2) Aging
3) with 2 comes more chronic disease. If I had a pound for every patient this week that told me " I never used to have all these problems" , I would be rich.
The trouble with living longer is we all get more things ( me too !!!! )
Age is the biggest risk factor for cancer!
Takes a hell o a lot longer than 10 minutes to sort that out !
4) Increased expectations. We all use Dr Google and read the news and social media. The hype around the weight loss drugs caused a huge amount of work .
Even on 2025 we simply cannot diagnosis/ treat everything.
I , and most of my colleagues do our darndest to listen and give time.
This is often at a consequence to other patients who feel robbed and get angry at having to wait. ...but also to ourselves.
I am actually on holiday next week.
Normally I work only Tuesday morning ( finishing about 3pm when surgery finishes at 11.30 am ... Admin , blood results,letters etc.
It's currently 6.30 pm on a Tuesday and I have only just got home because I was making sure no loose ends were left for my poor colleagues to pick up.
I DO NOT GET PAID FOR THE EXTRA MANY HOURS I PUT IN !!!!
ALL FREE....to you, the tax payer and patient.
I love my job. That's why I still work when I am older than a lot of patients.
Recently someone made a serious complaint about me because they felt " not listened to " I always listen.
Too many are too entitled.
I could go on and on and on.
Come join me for a day.
You will be horrified at the rubbish we get from the public.
Please be kind.

Too many people with ailments and too few doctors at a guess.

Mirren

Because we are TOLD TO GIVE ONLY 10 MINUTES !!
Stop blaming doctors for all the ails of the NHS .... And remember we are human and might actually be on Gransnet, before you slag us off!
I'm almost 70 , been working for 45 years plus.
The NHS is under funded ( government)
Population is 1) Expanding
2) Aging
3) with 2 comes more chronic disease. If I had a pound for every patient this week that told me " I never used to have all these problems" , I would be rich.
The trouble with living longer is we all get more things ( me too !!!! )
Age is the biggest risk factor for cancer!
Takes a hell o a lot longer than 10 minutes to sort that out !
4) Increased expectations. We all use Dr Google and read the news and social media. The hype around the weight loss drugs caused a huge amount of work .
Even on 2025 we simply cannot diagnosis/ treat everything.
I , and most of my colleagues do our darndest to listen and give time.
This is often at a consequence to other patients who feel robbed and get angry at having to wait. ...but also to ourselves.
I am actually on holiday next week.
Normally I work only Tuesday morning ( finishing about 3pm when surgery finishes at 11.30 am ... Admin , blood results,letters etc.
It's currently 6.30 pm on a Tuesday and I have only just got home because I was making sure no loose ends were left for my poor colleagues to pick up.
I DO NOT GET PAID FOR THE EXTRA MANY HOURS I PUT IN !!!!
ALL FREE....to you, the tax payer and patient.
I love my job. That's why I still work when I am older than a lot of patients.
Recently someone made a serious complaint about me because they felt " not listened to " I always listen.
Too many are too entitled.
I could go on and on and on.
Come join me for a day.
You will be horrified at the rubbish we get from the public.
Please be kind.

My DH and I are always polite/kind and thank any medical staff for their time. We understand the pressures. We just can’t see a GP. Are not even sure there is one at our practice.
Sorry you get such a hard time.

mirren I know sympathy is probably the last thing you want - but I do understand and send you my thanks for all your ‘above and beyond’ caring.
It’s the behind the scenes admin that takes so much time.

It’s been like it for twenty years