Author Topic: need to see a doctor, ?? youll be lucky,.  (Read 1154 times)

Alfred

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need to see a doctor, ?? youll be lucky,.
« on: Feb 11, 2020, 08:35:25 AM »
Silly as it was, I tried to make an appointment to see my doctor, and was told the nearest time they have is a fortnights time,  the receptionist said that my doctor had virtually retired, and there for, the only doctor I could??? see as and when one arrived, was a locum, as the surgery doesn't have any permanent doctors , at all,

the chances of seeing a nurse would be a bit quicker, but again they too are in short supply , the receptionist went on to say that if I phoned the surgery every morning, there could ?? be a slim chance,?? the slim possibility that some other patient might, cancel, and there for I might ?? be able to take that persons place ,

the other alternative was to have a chat with my local pharmacy as they might be able to help ?????

my doctors surgery has amalgamated with another surgery and the patients has more than doubled with many more patients , so seeing any one is a lengthy wait , more like  a Russian roulette

so when if  ever will the N.H.S. get back to the days when you could easily see your doctor, although today there's a greater chance of winning the lottery,.

Q;     if so are you also having problems when it comes to seeing your
 G.P, and if any what do you do about it,.

GrannyMac

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Re: need to see a doctor, ?? youll be lucky,.
« Reply #1 on: Feb 11, 2020, 09:05:46 AM »
We must be lucky, because our surgery has 'on the day' appointments.  Either ring, or go to the surgery when it opens at 8am and they'll see you.  At one time they kept the early morning slots open for people who turned up, but now the appointments can be any time that day.  That's fairer for people making future appointments who may have to fit them round work.  I had to go twice when I was really poorly a few weeks ago, and got a same day appointment both times.  Future appointments can be a couple of weeks away, but they tend to be used for follow ups.
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Raven

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Re: need to see a doctor, ?? youll be lucky,.
« Reply #2 on: Feb 11, 2020, 12:04:44 PM »
We must be lucky, because our surgery has 'on the day' appointments.  Either ring, or go to the surgery when it opens at 8am and they'll see you.  At one time they kept the early morning slots open for people who turned up, but now the appointments can be any time that day.  That's fairer for people making future appointments who may have to fit them round work.  I had to go twice when I was really poorly a few weeks ago, and got a same day appointment both times.  Future appointments can be a couple of weeks away, but they tend to be used for follow ups.



That's the way it works for our Doctors as well. I missed my swim about ten days ago to be at the Surgery for 8am and got an appointment for 9.30am that day, after I saw the Doc I got another 2 appointments before I left. One this morning for the nurse and a heart trace and another for the 24th for all the results. 


Michael Rolls

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Re: need to see a doctor, ?? youll be lucky,.
« Reply #4 on: Feb 11, 2020, 01:16:25 PM »
The GP service for the 21st century

https://www.vitality.co.uk/health-insurance/core-cover/vitality-gp/?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=PPC+-+GGL+-+Search+-+Health+-+GP+-+GE+-+Exact&utm_term=online+gp+uk&adgroup=GP+UK&ds_rl=1277392&ds_rl=1282608&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1LWhm8jJ5wIVRLTtCh1UswjfEAAYASAAEgLxX_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

The NHS GP service - forget about it !!
It’s very much a postcode lottery. Like Raven we (Veronica and myself when she was alive, just me now) have/had no complaints about getting appointments, but clearly many folk are suffering an apology for a ‘service’. Back in the 60s and 70s, when I was involved with planning health centres in Surrey and Hampshire the average GP list in those counties was around 2,400. I get the impression that average lists are a good bit bigger now
Mike
Thank you for the days, the days you gave me.
The older I get, the better I was!

sparky

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Re: need to see a doctor, ?? youll be lucky,.
« Reply #5 on: Feb 11, 2020, 01:24:48 PM »
We are lucky, as my surgery is only 3 doors away I can be on their doorstep when they open and the pleasant receptionists will always fit you in that day if its urgent.

Sheila

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Re: need to see a doctor, ?? youll be lucky,.
« Reply #6 on: Feb 11, 2020, 02:40:01 PM »
It can be difficult for us to get an appointment.  If it is urgent we start phoning at 8.00, redial over and over again and by the time we finally get through, all the appointments have gone.

What worries me more though is the length of time it takes for an ambulance to arrive.  I think it could be because they are queuing up outside the hospital waiting to be able to take patients in.

A friend's husband fell backwards down the stairs and injured himself badly.  He was having problems breathing because of his injuries but he was lying on the floor struggling for over an hour and a half.  This is not unusual apparently.  I did see an elderly lady lying in the gutter.  People were attending to her so I did not stop.  When I came back quite a long time later, she was still there. 

Ashy

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Re: need to see a doctor, ?? youll be lucky,.
« Reply #7 on: Feb 11, 2020, 04:01:19 PM »
In my lifetime many things have improved but seeing a doctor isn't one of them. Considering that we used to go to the surgery when it opened and join the queue, the practice was run by the doctors and if you were really ill the doctor came to you. Now we have doctors, nurses, receptionists, practice managers etc., and the service is worse.

mick607

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Re: need to see a doctor, ?? youll be lucky,.
« Reply #8 on: Feb 11, 2020, 04:17:52 PM »
My previous GP practice employed four nurse prescribes who in effect did all the work. The two Dr's only worked one & a half days each per week.
The receptionists were former graduates of the SS Hitler youth training camp.

GrannyMac

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Re: need to see a doctor, ?? youll be lucky,.
« Reply #9 on: Feb 11, 2020, 04:22:37 PM »
Our local surgery posts the number of missed GP and nurse appointments every month. Last month it was 40+ for the docs, can't remember how many nurse appointments missed.  We have more technology than ever before, so apart from someone dying suddenly, or being rushed into hospital, there's really no excuse.

Perhaps its time to either charge for missed appointments, or to take off the list any patients who miss two, and let them find another practice, or use the GP walk in service.
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Ashy

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Re: need to see a doctor, ?? youll be lucky,.
« Reply #10 on: Feb 11, 2020, 04:25:10 PM »
But before they introduced receptionists and practice managers, nobody ever missed an appointment, because there weren't any.

GrannyMac

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Re: need to see a doctor, ?? youll be lucky,.
« Reply #11 on: Feb 11, 2020, 04:26:02 PM »
My previous GP practice employed four nurse prescribes who in effect did all the work. The two Dr's only worked one & a half days each per week.
The receptionists were former graduates of the SS Hitler youth training camp.


My daughter is a nurse prescriber, an Advanced Clinical Practitioner. They are more qualified than general nurses, and can take on a fair bit of a GP's case load, for less cost.  She has always worked in hospitals, but joining a GP practice could be a future option.
Just because you’re offended doesn’t mean you’re right.

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GrannyMac

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Re: need to see a doctor, ?? youll be lucky,.
« Reply #12 on: Feb 11, 2020, 04:27:07 PM »
But before they introduced receptionists and practice managers, nobody ever missed an appointment, because there weren't any.

Which was fine if you wanted to sit in a waiting room for hours if they were busy.  Not very convenient when you're working.  🤕🤒😷
Just because you’re offended doesn’t mean you’re right.

R. Gervais

klondike

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Re: need to see a doctor, ?? youll be lucky,.
« Reply #13 on: Feb 11, 2020, 04:53:42 PM »
If you can ever get an appointment these days you will find that you can still end up with a lengthy wait. Probably all the double booking anticipating no shows. I don't recall long waits being a feature of going to the doctors in days of yore. Mind you it wasn't often I went then. Or now either come to that because it is hardly worth trying to get an appointment unless you are at death's door.
So long and thanks for all the fish

Michael Rolls

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Re: need to see a doctor, ?? youll be lucky,.
« Reply #14 on: Feb 11, 2020, 06:27:18 PM »
To be fair, not GP related, but did anybody else suffer the West Middlesex OPD system? You would get a letter telling you that you had an appointment for, say 0900. When you got there you would discover that so did several other people! They would send out letters calling folk to attend at, from memory, 20 minute intervals, but a number of folk given the same time! On one occasion I took mum for an appointment, IIRC for 0830 or the like, and she wasn't seen until after lunch (not that we HAD any lunch - too scared of missing being called). Our family hated that hospital - hardly antone who there came out on their feet - an uncle, an aunt and a cousin all came out dead!
Mike
Thank you for the days, the days you gave me.
The older I get, the better I was!