Gps Receptionists To Decide Whether You Are Ill Enough To See The Doctor.

[Delphene 0]

Getting an appointment at my doctors is just about impossible, it would be easier to see the Pope in Rome ! In sheer desperation I went to the surgery at 8am, and stood outside. I had been unwell for 8 weeks, and rang the surgery many times, but they were fully booked up ! It turned out I had an ear infection, needing antibiotics, for 10 days. I find it quite scary, this situation. Its once in a blue moon I go to see my GP it's not as though I run the doorstop off. I'm 70 years old, and have several issues, but it's such a pain to get to see a GP. I have even cried when iv been unwell,I will just have to live with my issues I expect. I have never missed an appointment.

[ECCOnoob 1,040]

You were unwell with the same condition for over two months to the point when it brought you to tears and you still could never get to see your GP.   Despite all those calls made to the surgery over an 8 week period of continuing illness and your purported age - you really suggesting that they never ever once booked you in or at the very least never once took steps to escalate the issue to some other clinician or practice nurse?    Something very fishy here.

 

At that such dire point,  why did you not make calls to the NHS helpline or go to a walk in centre or even turn up to a hospital. 

  

I'm just not buying it.

 

 

[Delphene 0]

What I have said is the truth, why should I have to take other avenues when I have a GP of my own. I'm not the only person to complain about lack of appointments at my particular GPs. People are encouraged not to go to A and E I find your closing comment highly offensive.

[steve68 66]

3 hours ago, Delphene said:

What I have said is the truth, why should I have to take other avenues when I have a GP of my own. I'm not the only person to complain about lack of appointments at my particular GPs. People are encouraged not to go to A and E I find your closing comment highly offensive.

Maybe  you need re-educate yourself withthe system , you had many ways to contact and access the NHS services, choices are there you chose not to use them,  ultimately if you fail to use them successful then that's down to you, not the system. 

 

have you gone through your surgeries  complaints procedure or left a review of their services via the NHS site, eight weeks is an awful time to have an infection!  I know if that was me I'd be deaf or DEAD by then.

 

i know the above might come across as harsh, however, I hate to see the negativity on NHS  services being knocked it's far from broken, the services I access across the board work and work well, if I wanted a G.P or Nurses appointment, I could book both and be seen before 10am next day, if I needed advice as others have said make use of the  NHS helpline, walk in centres and also use your  local pharmacist.

 

By deciding  to only see a G.P  and not actively get it sorted by other means available then it's reasonable to comment  8 weeks does  seems bizarre or bonkers at the least.

Edited January 8, 2020 by steve68

[tinfoilhat 11]

1 hour ago, steve68 said:

Maybe  you need re-educate yourself withthe system , you had many ways to contact and access the NHS services, choices are there you chose not to use them,  ultimately if you fail to use them successful then that's down to you, not the system. 

 

have you gone through your surgeries  complaints procedure or left a review of their services via the NHS site, eight weeks is an awful time to have an infection!  I know if that was me I'd be deaf or DEAD by then.

 

i know the above might come across as harsh, however, I hate to see the negativity on NHS  services being knocked it's far from broken, the services I access across the board work and work well, if I wanted a G.P or Nurses appointment, I could book both and be seen before 10am next day, if I needed advice as others have said make use of the  NHS helpline, walk in centres and also use your  local pharmacist.

 

By deciding  to only see a G.P  and not actively get it sorted by other means available then it's reasonable to comment  8 weeks does  seems bizarre or bonkers at the least.

Yeah, because when I feel ill, nothing makes me feel better than a good read through a doctors surgery complaints procedure. 

 

I believe the OP, for two reasons. A, it's likely to be a generational thing - you go to the doctors and that's that unless you are dying. Walk in centres aren't everywhere, to the best of my knowledge, chesterfield doesn't have one, and what's a helpline going to say - go to a doctors? A & E?. B, there are some horrific surgeries out there. Can you walk in and make an appointment in the future? No, ring up at 8am and hope for the best or queue up in cold - this isn't new information, there are threads like it all over the forum.

 

Yes, 8 weeks is extreme and perhaps it could have been less, but let's nit pretend that everyone gets to see a doctor really easily (I do though, but I'm lucky with my surgery ;))

[Tony 10]

The only mistake that Delphene made was not just booking the first appointment given and then ringing first thing every day to try for an earlier one. There's no doubt that getting an early appointment is difficult if you aren't continually in the system, especially for people with commitments in the working day. People shouldn't have to block the phone lines or visit the surgery to merely get an appointment.  

 

Hope that you are sorted out now Delphene.

[steve68 66]

27 minutes ago, tinfoilhat said:

Yeah, because when I feel ill, nothing makes me feel better than a good read through a doctors surgery complaints procedure. 

 

I believe the OP, for two reasons. A, it's likely to be a generational thing - you go to the doctors and that's that unless you are dying. Walk in centres aren't everywhere, to the best of my knowledge, chesterfield doesn't have one, and what's a helpline going to say - go to a doctors? A & E?. B, there are some horrific surgeries out there. Can you walk in and make an appointment in the future? No, ring up at 8am and hope for the best or queue up in cold - this isn't new information, there are threads like it all over the forum.

 

Yes, 8 weeks is extreme and perhaps it could have been less, but let's nit pretend that everyone gets to see a doctor really easily (I do though, but I'm lucky with my surgery ;))

The OP has access to the Internet and can navigate this Fourm well enough, almost all surgeries offer simple online booking these days, I had a look at mine this morning over 50 appointments  were still available over the next 8 days.

 

I said maybe better education is needed, she aslo stated she was worked as qualified nurse on another thread so I would have expect that there would be a level of understanding to seek treatment for infections and source for information.

 

anomalies occur but it's not always straightforwardly the surgeries fault. 

[steve68 66]

On 8 January 2020 at 09:53, Tony said:

The only mistake that Delphene made was not just booking the first appointment given and then ringing first thing every day to try for an earlier one. There's no doubt that getting an early appointment is difficult if you aren't continually in the system, especially for people with commitments in the working day. People shouldn't have to block the phone lines or visit the surgery to merely get an appointment.  

 

Hope that you are sorted out now Delphene.

Hopefully she's over it by now,  not sure If we'll ever find out, unless she's only on a temporary Ban from the forum.