Gp surgeries

royalmush83 said:
A GP surgery isn't there to deal with real emergencies you clown.
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Imagine calling someone self entitled because they think 4 years is a bit long to be have waited for a hip replacement 😂
becs said:
I'm not in Washy!

The one where I am is just a mile from home, has a massive car park and I like the doctors and nurses. It's just the receptionists and the way it's managed that have always been poor. We've lost a GP through retirement and he hasn't been replaced and they've built loads of new houses at Pelton which all need to access services. They're still building more as well.

Out of the others I can register with - one is a one man practice with a high proportion of old people and difficult to get an appointment. The next one has two doctors who I know as Dads of my sons friends and I'd feel awkward having them examining me. The last one is in the town centre which only has a couple of spaces for blue badges, so that put me off as it's awkward parking up and crossing busy roads to get there if you feel poorly.

Just had bother with the receptionists this week. I'm on meds that can cause liver failure so it's vital I have regular liver function blood tests to monitor my liver. I rang up to book an appointment but the receptionist refused due to the shortage of blood tubes. I explained I needed it and I am allowed to have it but she refused to book an appointment. I ended up having to contact my consultants team who had to get a nurse to ring them and tell them to book me in.

Then I when I was in, I asked if they could check if I'm due the third primary Covid vaccine as I'm not sure. She started talking about boosters and I explained I didn't mean the booster, I meant the third primary one for immunosuppresed people. She said I must have the wrong end of the stick as there's no such thing. I pulled up information on my phone and even though it was on a Government website, she refused to believe me, so I'm still no further forward on that one! I'm due a phone review from the hospital in a few weeks, so I'll ask them when they ring.
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Whey, it’s not Sunderland and it’s over the other side of the A19, must be Washington 😂
 
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This thing where you have to ring on the morning to try and get an appointment that same day is a real piss-boiler.

What happened to giving out appointments for a few days in advance so you can organise childcare or let work know you have an appointment. Not everyone has an understanding boss who'll be happy for you to disappear at short notice.
 
RichB said:
Im not going to blindly defend Gp's as with any walk of life I have met Gp's I wouldnt trust with my dog and absolute lazy bastards but by and large the vast majority are hard working, committed and professional.

The issue isnt with the GP's its down to the NHS - it was underfunded for years before Blair and the catch up from then nearly caught it up to average funding for health but after this its been left to rot.

I left in 2017 and could not have worked in the system much longer - mainly due to the red tape and admin but also because of the way a small section of the public behaved. The problem is that small section make up a large amount of GP work and its exhausting dealing with these people on a daily basis.

When I had reached a point where I felt I had to leave I emigrated and am in Canada where there are huge challenges but the attitute of the press and public at large is so very different and my profesional life is so much better.

The bottom line is the UK will get the primary care service it deserves so if the funding is at the current levels and the attitude of the public remains as it is it will remain shite. You have no idea what a unique blessing the NHS is. People here regularly have to pay hundreds of dollars a month for drugs and I have many patients who cant afford their meds for things like asthma and diabetes and it blows my mind from working in the UK to imagine this is possible.

NHS GP is in a pretty bad state right now but it was many years ago that Jeremy Hunt promised 5000 extra GP's to plug the gap that was present then and the situation is now very much worse. I am in contact on a weekly basis with Gp's who are desperate to leave the UK as they cant imagine working in the NHS any longer. I do worry that with the current Government its not going to get better as the dont seem to show any inclination they want to try to improve things
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I thought prescriptions were free in Canada? I saw a program about people from the US crossing over the border to get their meds.
 
Spookily while reading this thread I’ve just had a phone call from my Doctors surgery booking a telephone call for the first available slot, which is 30th September, as a follow up to an ultrasound scan I had earlier this week
 
I've been trying for a while to get an appointment for something I'm really concerned about but as it isn't classed as an emergency I haven't got past speaking to a receptionist who told me it is probably nothing to worry about. Frustrating.
 
My doctors are a fecking disgrace. Took them 8 months to diagnose a torn rotator cuff and tendonopathy. Rang them once on a Thursday morning, as I had lost all feeling in left arm through the night. A f***ing RECEPTIONIST decided I would get a phone call from a doctor the following Tuesday.
 
Ciro_DiMarzio said:
I've been trying for a while to get an appointment for something I'm really concerned about but as it isn't classed as an emergency I haven't got past speaking to a receptionist who told me it is probably nothing to worry about. Frustrating.
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I would complain about that, receptionists aren't doctors and shouldn't say shit like that :cry:
 
col said:
I would complain about that, receptionists aren't doctors and shouldn't say shit like that :cry:
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I agree. I've never been to the doctors as an adult as this is the first time I've been worried about anything and it's really annoying that I can't get a face to face appointment. I am going to register with a different surgery which has a better reputation and will hopefully have more luck there.
 
since it all kicked off 18 months ago I've found our GP service to be far better.

prior it took us weeks to get an appointment due to working and folk abusing the system but not attending.

during pandemic we would phone up and be advised a doctor will ring you back for a telephone consultation....... we found this usually happened within 24-48 hours, much much better service and on the whole I hope they keep this which they did when i phoned them a month ago. makes life easier for me as a worker and not someone who abuses the system.
 
Ciro_DiMarzio said:
I've been trying for a while to get an appointment for something I'm really concerned about but as it isn't classed as an emergency I haven't got past speaking to a receptionist who told me it is probably nothing to worry about. Frustrating.
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Go to the walk in at pallion on a Sunday, they’ll book you an appointment with an out of hours GP upstairs in that building later that day.
It’s a f***ing disgrace you’re being told your probably ok by a receptionist
 
Had accident at work abroad and was repatriated, got home August 12th. Had two telephone appointments since then and received a letter yesterday, more or less a whole month later, that my case will be sent to neurology to see if it merits a consultation.

Meanwhile in Qatar, in the space of 3 hours I'd seen a neurologist, cardiologist and optician and had bloodtests, ECG, echosound and an MRI.
 
the dude said:
I thought prescriptions were free in Canada? I saw a program about people from the US crossing over the border to get their meds.
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It varies from province to province. In BC we have pharmacare they will cover basic drugs but it's means tested and based on income you have to pay an initial amount before the scheme kicks in and that can be up to $10,000. Also if a drug isn't covered you have to pay for it.

Yanks come over as some drugs are cheaper than in the US. It's mental over there I had someone with an ear infection who was charged $250 just to see a GP!
 
RichB said:
Yanks come over as some drugs are cheaper than in the US. It's mental over there I had someone with an ear infection who was charged $250 just to see a GP!
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I've seen US people in a crohns forum I use. They can't afford to buy the drugs they need to settle their condition as they are too ill to work, but if they had the drugs, they'd be able to live a reasonably normal life including working. It's an awful situation to be in.
 
Nhs England gave instructions at the start of covid to implement a Total Triage. Some surgeries already had clinicians talking to everyone and seeing those that needed to be seen. Everyone was told to implement that system.
People have been seen in the place I work every day since this thing started and there’s many factors why that hasn’t gone back to how it was and I hope that some things don’t go back to pre covid.
we don’t need to wait 5 weeks to see your mole that’s changed. I’ll send you on a 2week wait ( possible cancer ref) after you send me a picture. A picture that I will send to the dermatologist and we then have picture evidence before you turn up.
Surgeries can’t have dozens of people in waiting room, double jabbed or not.
Somethings won’t go back to “normal” thankfully
 
BumbleBee said:
Think they've been an absolute disgrace and hidden behind any wall they can to make their life easier.
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You are talking shite
If you think our life is easy then you need to give your head a wobble
We are not only dealing with stuff from today but we are trying to keep that person waiting 3 yrs for a new hip out of pain, that group who are struggling with anxiety due to social isolation, that elderly person failing and can’t get any carers etc etc
You do know that covid isn’t over and we are carrying out home covid monitoring for people who have it and may need to go in.
Staff are catching it and they are also waiting for the same services that other members of the public are.
 
cornish mackem said:
You are talking shite
If you think our life is easy then you need to give your head a wobble
We are not only dealing with stuff from today but we are trying to keep that person waiting 3 yrs for a new hip out of pain, that group who are struggling with anxiety due to social isolation, that elderly person failing and can’t get any carers etc etc
You do know that covid isn’t over and we are carrying out home covid monitoring for people who have it and may need to go in.
Staff are catching it and they are also waiting for the same services that other members of the public are.
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Beg to disagree. A lot of them were shirkers before the pandemic. How many on here have managed to get a GP appointment outside of normal working hours I wonder. They should be available until 8pm at night and Saturday mornings to accomodate people who work.
 

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