Most people I know can hardly get an appointment so are most definitely at risk.
Billions wasted on Covid relief fraudsters and sweetheart contracts for the Tories’ mates yet somehow the charlatans currently running this country claim that there’s not enough to staff the NHS properly. For God’s sake, let’s vote these criminals out at the next general election before they do any more damage.
I’ve stopped bothering even trying to talk to doctors about any physical ailments I have.
God forbid you have any mental health issues you want to get seen to.
You basically need to be on deaths door just to see a GP in person these days, by which point you should be in hospital/ringing 999 anyway.
A lot of Drs seem to work part-time in the actual surgery.
I phoned two weeks ago and said I had a lump on my Thyroid. Still needed to wait two working days to have a pointless phone call with a Dr. Pre-covid it would have been straight in for an appointment.
Had to pay for a surgery.
Was told I was top of the list and an emergency case.
Still had to wait nearly 6months.
I paid for it and it was done in 2weeks.
Sadly I feel that this will become the norm
Hardly surprising when the goal of most GPs seems to be to get you to bugger off without them having to follow anything up or refer you on.
Mine switched over to same day appointments only during the height of the pandemic, you would have to phone up and tell them what your issue was then wait by the phone to call back. Unfortunately as the rest of the country has gone back to normal my Gp hasn’t. Same day appointments are great for urgent situations but not so much for something you’re concerned about but isn’t urgent. Sitting on the phone waiting for 30 mins or more then walking back into work and telling my manager sorry about the extended phone call on work time… Also I’m going to need this afternoon off to go to the doc just isn’t going go down well.
My surgery is ok but you literally have to fight to see a GP. My personal GP gave himself a 3 month holiday in mid-2021, just to add to the pressure. I’d hate to think what the hospital waiting lists are like for any form of treatment.
Frankly, I’m over the moon I’ve got private medical care. If you’ve not then I’ll gladly recommend from experience to cash up for treatment – you’re treated like a customer rather than a problem.
>24% know of a member of general practice staff who has taken their own life due to work pressures.
This is the most horrific part of the survey data.
Some of these statistics are a little reaching, for example:
> 31% know a colleague who was physically abused by a patient in the last year.
Of course, there’s no standard to which they have to “know” the colleague for this to count and it’s extremely subjective. It’s also, unfortunately, a reality when part of the job is helping people through mental health issues. It would be _much_ more sensible to only include first-hand data. Honestly, the fact that less than a third of GPs have even heard of this happening in the last year is a pretty good figure.
A lot of the comments in here are the reasons I would never be a GP.
If I wanted to practice family medicine, I would go back to Canada.
Why can I not register at any GP office and why can’t I make appointments ahead of time? Surely if patients aren’t all forced to register at certain GPs because of their post code, or were able to book during a time period that was less busy wouldn’t GPs have a better flow of patients?
I’m Aussie and I know our system isn’t perfect either but back there you can register with any doctor you like (unless they’re not taking new patients/at capacity). You can pay for appointments at a private GP or go public and be “bulk billed” (pay nothing). There are walk in appointments, and even clinics that only do walk ins. You can book ahead of time.
I know the NHS needs extra funding but the booking systems here seem so broken and seem to add to the crisis.
I have to say, some receptionists don’t help the situation. It isn’t all of course, but let me just transcribe an interaction I witnessed last week while waiting in line.
The man before me had come in to check on the progress of his doctor’s note that he himself had printed and dropped in on Monday to be signed by the doctor. This was Thursday.
> Receptionist: Oh, doctor X doesn’t work until Thursdays so she hasn’t seen it yet.
> Guy: Well…can she do it now since I’ve travelled in on my lunch to get this, three days after I put it in to be signed by the doctor?
> Receptionist: No.
> Guy: Can another doctor do it?
> Receptionist: But Doctor X is your doctor. Why didn’t you say you wanted another doctor to do it? You would need to bring in another letter if you want that.
Behind them, during this exchange, the letter is visible in the in tray for that particular doctor, unopened and unsigned. Now clearly the guy didn’t care *which* doctor signed it, and clearly he didn’t know on Monday when he dropped it in that the doctor he was assigned wouldn’t be able to see it until Thursday – but for whatever reason the receptionist hadn’t put two and two together.
How many surgeries have a situation like this going on where the reception team interpret a general request as a specific request and so stall it? I’ve been at doctors before for example where same day appointments are available but have a new name like ‘urgent’ or ‘triage’ appointments and unless you, the patient, knows that term, they’ll not let you in even if appointments are available.
Personally I’m not sure if sitting in the surgery is the greatest danger or acting on the advice from the GP’s / Medical staff.
I haven’t seen a GP in person since before the first lockdown. I’ve spoken to one on the phone once. The missed appointments board at my GP stated that there had been over 200 missed nurse appointments in one month, and only 8 missed GP appointments. Pre-covid the numbers would be roughly equal.
In February last year I had a blood test which showed my kidney function had dropped from perfect levels (>90) to 55 – in less than 3 months. They didn’t investigate it, or even tell me. By May I was hospitalised with AKI stage 2, and I’m now on the transplant list. If they had begun investigations in February it’s possible my decline could have been slowed.
To top it all off I phoned the GP surgery about suspected meningitis, spoke to a nurse on the phone and was told in no uncertain terms it’s not meningitis, just take an antihistamine. She didn’t see pictures of it or even ask for any details. My rash was a blanching rash (think glass test.) Fortunately (!) it turned out to be HSP.
Sorry but who goes to the GP when your healthy …
Surprised that people find this number surprising ..
Fuck yeah I mean trying to call these underfunded places makes me wanna kill myself
Well I think they are ok because none of them seem to be working in their surgeries at the moment.
You can’t get an appointment for love or money. All that good will is being pissed away.
I needed an appointment a month ago I called they refused me one and said I had to settle for a emergency one.
I accepted and they told me the Dr would call me back that day.
At 2pm I was still waiting even though I rang them at 8.30 am.
I called them back and was assured they have my number and would get back to me.
A month later I’m still waiting.
Where we live, you cannot access a doctor for love nor money.
Their heading the same way as dentists.
All the smaller (5000 ish) practices here were merged into bigger ones (10000+ deep)
In each one at least one of the GP’s (that is assuming the new practice has more than 1) rotates between multiple practices, stuff like health checks or monitoring of certain conditions was on the decline pre-pandemic, and when it did hit (much like patient choice) simply went out of the window altogether
Referrals have only gotten worse too. Its like we’ve gone back in time 3 decades
At least before these arseholes got in I could actually see a GP when I needed to.. I’ve yet to actually see my current one in person and I’ve been registered with them over 2 years.
After 12 years of a useless GP I had a private one after my partner got promoted and I was covered by her health plan.
The level of service difference was staggering.
I don’t know anyone who thinks highly of their GP but pretty much everyone has huge respect for everyone in hospitals.
23 comments
Most people I know can hardly get an appointment so are most definitely at risk.
Billions wasted on Covid relief fraudsters and sweetheart contracts for the Tories’ mates yet somehow the charlatans currently running this country claim that there’s not enough to staff the NHS properly. For God’s sake, let’s vote these criminals out at the next general election before they do any more damage.
I’ve stopped bothering even trying to talk to doctors about any physical ailments I have.
God forbid you have any mental health issues you want to get seen to.
You basically need to be on deaths door just to see a GP in person these days, by which point you should be in hospital/ringing 999 anyway.
A lot of Drs seem to work part-time in the actual surgery.
I phoned two weeks ago and said I had a lump on my Thyroid. Still needed to wait two working days to have a pointless phone call with a Dr. Pre-covid it would have been straight in for an appointment.
Had to pay for a surgery.
Was told I was top of the list and an emergency case.
Still had to wait nearly 6months.
I paid for it and it was done in 2weeks.
Sadly I feel that this will become the norm
Hardly surprising when the goal of most GPs seems to be to get you to bugger off without them having to follow anything up or refer you on.
Mine switched over to same day appointments only during the height of the pandemic, you would have to phone up and tell them what your issue was then wait by the phone to call back. Unfortunately as the rest of the country has gone back to normal my Gp hasn’t. Same day appointments are great for urgent situations but not so much for something you’re concerned about but isn’t urgent. Sitting on the phone waiting for 30 mins or more then walking back into work and telling my manager sorry about the extended phone call on work time… Also I’m going to need this afternoon off to go to the doc just isn’t going go down well.
My surgery is ok but you literally have to fight to see a GP. My personal GP gave himself a 3 month holiday in mid-2021, just to add to the pressure. I’d hate to think what the hospital waiting lists are like for any form of treatment.
Frankly, I’m over the moon I’ve got private medical care. If you’ve not then I’ll gladly recommend from experience to cash up for treatment – you’re treated like a customer rather than a problem.
>24% know of a member of general practice staff who has taken their own life due to work pressures.
This is the most horrific part of the survey data.
Some of these statistics are a little reaching, for example:
> 31% know a colleague who was physically abused by a patient in the last year.
Of course, there’s no standard to which they have to “know” the colleague for this to count and it’s extremely subjective. It’s also, unfortunately, a reality when part of the job is helping people through mental health issues. It would be _much_ more sensible to only include first-hand data. Honestly, the fact that less than a third of GPs have even heard of this happening in the last year is a pretty good figure.
A lot of the comments in here are the reasons I would never be a GP.
If I wanted to practice family medicine, I would go back to Canada.
Why can I not register at any GP office and why can’t I make appointments ahead of time? Surely if patients aren’t all forced to register at certain GPs because of their post code, or were able to book during a time period that was less busy wouldn’t GPs have a better flow of patients?
I’m Aussie and I know our system isn’t perfect either but back there you can register with any doctor you like (unless they’re not taking new patients/at capacity). You can pay for appointments at a private GP or go public and be “bulk billed” (pay nothing). There are walk in appointments, and even clinics that only do walk ins. You can book ahead of time.
I know the NHS needs extra funding but the booking systems here seem so broken and seem to add to the crisis.
I have to say, some receptionists don’t help the situation. It isn’t all of course, but let me just transcribe an interaction I witnessed last week while waiting in line.
The man before me had come in to check on the progress of his doctor’s note that he himself had printed and dropped in on Monday to be signed by the doctor. This was Thursday.
> Receptionist: Oh, doctor X doesn’t work until Thursdays so she hasn’t seen it yet.
> Guy: Well…can she do it now since I’ve travelled in on my lunch to get this, three days after I put it in to be signed by the doctor?
> Receptionist: No.
> Guy: Can another doctor do it?
> Receptionist: But Doctor X is your doctor. Why didn’t you say you wanted another doctor to do it? You would need to bring in another letter if you want that.
Behind them, during this exchange, the letter is visible in the in tray for that particular doctor, unopened and unsigned. Now clearly the guy didn’t care *which* doctor signed it, and clearly he didn’t know on Monday when he dropped it in that the doctor he was assigned wouldn’t be able to see it until Thursday – but for whatever reason the receptionist hadn’t put two and two together.
How many surgeries have a situation like this going on where the reception team interpret a general request as a specific request and so stall it? I’ve been at doctors before for example where same day appointments are available but have a new name like ‘urgent’ or ‘triage’ appointments and unless you, the patient, knows that term, they’ll not let you in even if appointments are available.
Personally I’m not sure if sitting in the surgery is the greatest danger or acting on the advice from the GP’s / Medical staff.
I haven’t seen a GP in person since before the first lockdown. I’ve spoken to one on the phone once. The missed appointments board at my GP stated that there had been over 200 missed nurse appointments in one month, and only 8 missed GP appointments. Pre-covid the numbers would be roughly equal.
In February last year I had a blood test which showed my kidney function had dropped from perfect levels (>90) to 55 – in less than 3 months. They didn’t investigate it, or even tell me. By May I was hospitalised with AKI stage 2, and I’m now on the transplant list. If they had begun investigations in February it’s possible my decline could have been slowed.
To top it all off I phoned the GP surgery about suspected meningitis, spoke to a nurse on the phone and was told in no uncertain terms it’s not meningitis, just take an antihistamine. She didn’t see pictures of it or even ask for any details. My rash was a blanching rash (think glass test.) Fortunately (!) it turned out to be HSP.
Sorry but who goes to the GP when your healthy …
Surprised that people find this number surprising ..
Fuck yeah I mean trying to call these underfunded places makes me wanna kill myself
Well I think they are ok because none of them seem to be working in their surgeries at the moment.
You can’t get an appointment for love or money. All that good will is being pissed away.
I needed an appointment a month ago I called they refused me one and said I had to settle for a emergency one.
I accepted and they told me the Dr would call me back that day.
At 2pm I was still waiting even though I rang them at 8.30 am.
I called them back and was assured they have my number and would get back to me.
A month later I’m still waiting.
Where we live, you cannot access a doctor for love nor money.
Their heading the same way as dentists.
All the smaller (5000 ish) practices here were merged into bigger ones (10000+ deep)
In each one at least one of the GP’s (that is assuming the new practice has more than 1) rotates between multiple practices, stuff like health checks or monitoring of certain conditions was on the decline pre-pandemic, and when it did hit (much like patient choice) simply went out of the window altogether
Referrals have only gotten worse too. Its like we’ve gone back in time 3 decades
At least before these arseholes got in I could actually see a GP when I needed to.. I’ve yet to actually see my current one in person and I’ve been registered with them over 2 years.
After 12 years of a useless GP I had a private one after my partner got promoted and I was covered by her health plan.
The level of service difference was staggering.
I don’t know anyone who thinks highly of their GP but pretty much everyone has huge respect for everyone in hospitals.