General Practitioners

[Corcaigh_the_Cat]

Gps are seeing patients in person, one big limiter is how many patients you can fit into a GP surgery at any one time. Also the need to clean/ disinfect afterwards. Need for space/ ventilation in surgeries. None of which are insurmountable but you need the resource to change/ expand surgeries or improve provision. I can't comment on the case in this story as to what went wrong, unfortunately when it comes to a global pandemic, massive system change and health errors will occur. We will never know if it would have occurred anyway.

GPs being locums is a systemic problem and one that is very valid. Unfortunately there are not enough GPs/ Nurses/ AHPs in a lot of areas, so instead of being employed as a permanent staff member and doing the donkey work, these staff are working as locums on higher wages and with more flexibility. Supply and demand and training provision are an area that could be addressed by any government that chooses- pay people to train, you get a bigger workforce. As it stands my understanding is nursing and AHP training funding was stopped. Medical training I am not as sure about but believe there has been little increase in places.

@Chris_Boro the inequity across healthcare is ridiculous. Good service is hard to come by and the difference between GPs in a surgery, let alone surgeries is phenomenal. If you get a good one keep tight hold.

I've been seen by the health practitioner and GP in person, whilst it's a struggle to actually get an appointment the waiting room has been almost empty each time.

There aren't enough GPs but the number of doctors being trained is being suppressed.

 

[Cambsred]

I've been seen by the health practitioner and GP in person, whilst it's a struggle to actually get an appointment the waiting room has been almost empty each time

Surely that is because they are managing things over the phone?

Don't get me wrong, I think the provision of GPs and access to them is limited. It is especially noticeable when long term conditions are managed by GPs, rather than specialists as well as them being the gatekeepers for most other care.

If your GP is providing you the service you feel you need I do think you need to address this with the surgery. They may feel they are, and that disconnect will only harm you/ impact on you while they go about their normal business.

 

[fmttmadmin]

GPs are putting a massive strain on hospital A and E departments - people are being left with little choice. Unlike GPs A and E doctors have to face up to patients.
This will be a really big factor this winter unless doctors start opening up again.

 

[Corcaigh_the_Cat]

Surely that is because they are managing things over the phone?

Don't get me wrong, I think the provision of GPs and access to them is limited. It is especially noticeable when long term conditions are managed by GPs, rather than specialists as well as them being the gatekeepers for most other care.

If your GP is providing you the service you feel you need I do think you need to address this with the surgery. They may feel they are, and that disconnect will only harm you/ impact on you while they go about their normal business.

No, the service isn't being effectively carried out over the phone, hence the delays in being referred for surgery and the reason that this thread was created.

Had the patient been seen when required he perhaps wouldn't be past the treatment stage and the scar on my leg would be a lot smaller than it is.

 

[ForssAwakens]

No, the service isn't being effectively carried out over the phone, hence the delays in being referred for surgery and the reason that this thread was created.

Had the patient been seen when required he perhaps wouldn't be past the treatment stage and the scar on my leg would be a lot smaller than it is.

As said in the clip, he didn’t need to be seen. Medical professionals think he should have been referred based on the photo alone

 

[Corcaigh_the_Cat]

As said in the clip, he didn’t need to be seen. Medical professionals think he should have been referred based on the photo alone

Will a GP refer in the case of a photo, or several photos spaced weeks apart?

Certainly not in my case.

 

[Randy]

It easy to get sucked in by the story and tarnish all gps with the same brush.

this gp could have anxiety around covid so is reluctant to see patients face to face. That could have a knock on effect in their decision making. Unfortunately I don’t think we have people assessing gps ability to do their job.

memebes of my family have had several face to face doctors appts during covid

There are plenty of examples Gaz unfortunately. We still can't get a face to face appointment at our surgery round here.

 

[Randy]

GPs are putting a massive strain on hospital A and E departments - people are being left with little choice. Unlike GPs A and E doctors have to face up to patients.
This will be a really big factor this winter unless doctors start opening up again.

I had to recently take my daughter to a+e. Good thing I did as the condition she's been diagnosed with wouldn't have been diagnosed over the telephone or with a photograph.

 

[Emmersons_BrazillianDong]

It's been alluded to already but I moved my family from a local surgery because of their awful service even before covid. The disparity in quality and service between them in the same town is absolutely woeful.

Thankfully the one we moved to has been fantastic throughout the pandemic. I appreciate that I'm lucky.

I would definitely echo the comments in regards to complaining formally though and to always stick up for yourself and your family. I've had bad experiences in the past and if you know there is something wrong, please don't be scared to stand your ground

 

[JM14]

Dig deep.

Best thing to out it right is to stop voting for the Conservative Party and accept that those taking the eyes out of society should be asked to put one of them back into it.

I can 100% guarantee I have never or will never vote for them

In an ideal world this changes next election, but they will be in power for the next 20 years. Look at their majority despite how the last 11 years have been for people in this country, they will vote them in regardless
Its an utterly depressing thought, but I cant see anything else happening

 

[Youngie]

GPs are putting a massive strain on hospital A and E departments - people are being left with little choice. Unlike GPs A and E doctors have to face up to patients.
This will be a really big factor this winter unless doctors start opening up again.

Absolutely nailed it here.

my eldest is 8 and and had what turned out to be an abscess develop on his inside lip… phoned the gp and they said the dr would ring us back. Few hours later they phoned and said use bongella on it…

two days later it’s the size of a penny and he can’t eat… phoned the gp… I can’t see you ring a dentist…. Phoned the dentist they say it’s nothing they can deal with phone the dr.

spent all day on the phone to dr again and got passed from pillar to post until 5pm.. they then told me they were closed and to go to A and E!

Sat in A and E until 10pm for them to say they couldn’t do anything but had booked us into plastics in the morning… what the GP should have done.

 

[FabioPorkpie]

Really sad to see the deliberate and concerted effort to attack GPs from certain quarters (and associated NHS bashing) is starting to work.

 

[Corcaigh_the_Cat]

Really to see the deliberate and concerted effort to attack GPs from certain quarters (and associated NHS bashing) is starting to work.

The NHS is an establishment that lifted out of misery and should continue to do so, but certain aspects of the health service shouldn't be above criticism.

The GP service has deteriorated when it comes to seeing a doctor or getting a prescription written. There is a shortage of GPs,. granted, but what role have the medical profession played in restricting training numbers in order to maintain pay and status?

 

[Chris_Boro]

Really sad to see the deliberate and concerted effort to attack GPs from certain quarters (and associated NHS bashing) is starting to work.

I would never bash the NHS or GP's they do a wonderful job in sometime near impossible situations.

The problem is the way some GP surgery's are ran and operated. I just had to ring *110* times from 8am to get into a 15 minute queue just to book a phone appointment.

Noone should have to play a phone lottery to get basic healthcare.

 

[Youngie]

Really sad to see the deliberate and concerted effort to attack GPs from certain quarters (and associated NHS bashing) is starting to work.

The NHS have a tough job to do and they get on and do it. They know that no one is behind them so it has to be done. I don't see anyone attacking the NHS.

What I do see is physical evidence of a GP Service that isn't fit for purpose due to the dissolution of local health authorities and giving the power direct to GP Practices. The shouted for long enough demanding this as they said they could work better and extend opening hours etc.

In reality they have done the complete opposite and feathered their own nests by reducing working hours to part time whilst claiming huge salaries and dividends as practice owners/directors... (a certain ex MP from Stockton South played the system perfectly).

We have GP's earning more that 45k a year working two days a week and refusing to see patients, all the while we have junior dr's in hospitals working minimum 48hr weeks earning less than 30k a year in horrendous conditions where they struggle to get a bathroom break.

Enough is enough and it needs to be brought back under local authority control.

 

[Randy]

Really sad to see the deliberate and concerted effort to attack GPs from certain quarters (and associated NHS bashing) is starting to work.

The NHS have a tough job to do and they get on and do it. They know that no one is behind them so it has to be done. I don't see anyone attacking the NHS.

What I do see is physical evidence of a GP Service that isn't fit for purpose due to the dissolution of local health authorities and giving the power direct to GP Practices. The shouted for long enough demanding this as they said they could work better and extend opening hours etc.

In reality they have done the complete opposite and feathered their own nests by reducing working hours to part time whilst claiming huge salaries and dividends as practice owners/directors... (a certain ex MP from Stockton South played the system perfectly).

We have GP's earning more that 45k a year working two days a week and refusing to see patients, all the while we have junior dr's in hospitals working minimum 48hr weeks earning less than 30k a year in horrendous conditions where they struggle to get a bathroom break.

Enough is enough and it needs to be brought back under local authority control.

Nailed it.