FabSwingers.com forum: Doctors.

By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago

You phone up first thing when the doctors surgery are open. After a few minutes you finally get through.

Your doctor has no available appointments that day.

You saw them 3 weeks ago concerring about what's going on with your body, and he doesn't really have a clue either.

So he gives you some medication to see if it'll make the pain go away. And said if it doesn't work, come back.

The medication does not actally work and makes no difference.

So the next available appointment is at the end of January.

Do you;

A) Wait until then, even though you're concerned what's been going on with your body since beginning of November.

B) Keep ringing each morning to get seen by your doctor

C) Go to A&E, as a last resort.

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By *ilmiss75Woman
over a year ago

Thornton

If you feel it's a 'emergency'... Ring every morning until you get an appointment.

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By *leasures4Couple
over a year ago

East midlands

I would ring again now and tell the receptionist to get the doctor to call you, when they have a minute - if you are very concerned.

Mine does that if I ask and also can prescribe you over the phone so you can pop in and pick up a prescription.

Hope this helps...x

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By *s_bettyboopWoman
over a year ago

-3

Ring every day or find your nearest walk in surgery and go there.

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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago

"Ring every day or find your nearest walk in surgery and go there."

Gainsborough doesn't have a walk in centre x

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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago

"I would ring again now and tell the receptionist to get the doctor to call you, when they have a minute - if you are very concerned.

Mine does that if I ask and also can prescribe you over the phone so you can pop in and pick up a prescription.

Hope this helps...x"

I was thinking about this ill try in a bit thank you x

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By *oddyWoman
over a year ago

between havant and chichester

ring again the front deskers make me mad not allowing appointments and you can refuse to say why you need to see a doctor

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By *leasures4Couple
over a year ago

East midlands

"I would ring again now and tell the receptionist to get the doctor to call you, when they have a minute - if you are very concerned.

Mine does that if I ask and also can prescribe you over the phone so you can pop in and pick up a prescription.

Hope this helps...x

I was thinking about this ill try in a bit thank you x"

No problem and good luck x

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

My drs does that but if you ask to speak to the dr they actually have appointments available for more serious cases!

Also here we have an out of hours surgery at the hospital

There is also a minors dept at a&e for less serious things which could work x

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"I would ring again now and tell the receptionist to get the doctor to call you, when they have a minute - if you are very concerned.

Mine does that if I ask and also can prescribe you over the phone so you can pop in and pick up a prescription.

Hope this helps...x"

This is a good suggestion, pretty much all surgeries have similar arrangements. I don't see how A&E would help if it's something the GP hasn't been able to resolve easily so far.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

My GP is just as useless. And the receptionist is sitting in the wrong place because suddenly she is a doctor and knows more about what's wrong with me than I do!

Keep trying, ring and ask for a call back from the doctor if you still have no luck I'd go to Out of hours when the doctors has shut.

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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago

Thanks for all your replies, phoned again and getting the doctor to phone me back. X

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Do not go to a&e unless you are.

Not breathing

Chest pains

Unconscious

Heavily bleeding

In which case you would know that you need emergency assistance.

Ring nhs direct

Speak to pharmacist

Wait until doc calls back for advice.

Hope you are ok.

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By *rsIdiotWoman
over a year ago

Bedworth

I've been registered with my gp surgery for nearly a year and not seen a doctor there yet. On the two occasions I have needed to, there have been no appointments for two weeks! The first time, the receptionist told me to go to a&e when it clearly was not an accident or emergency.

As a result, both times I needed medical attention I had to go to the walk in centre

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

if u feel its important but not a and e ring 111 they can advise you

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

It's shocking isn't it.

The nhs is on its knees.

So much conflicting messages from them.

They say it's the social and mental care issues that's causing the problem but there had to be more to it than simply blamed that?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Do not go to a&e unless you are.

Not breathing

Chest pains

Unconscious

Heavily bleeding

In which case you would know that you need emergency assistance.

Ring nhs direct

Speak to pharmacist

Wait until doc calls back for advice.

Hope you are ok. "

If you are not Breathing and Unconscious i would bypass A&E and go straight to the Mortician

Gimp

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Do not go to a&e unless you are.

Not breathing

Chest pains

Unconscious

Heavily bleeding

In which case you would know that you need emergency assistance.

Ring nhs direct

Speak to pharmacist

Wait until doc calls back for advice.

Hope you are ok.

If you are not Breathing and Unconscious i would bypass A&E and go straight to the Mortician

Gimp"

Glad you noticed that, deliberate wording.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"if u feel its important but not a and e ring 111 they can advise you

they can also get you into your GP when there are no appointments, had to do this recently for my mother as could not get past the receptionist myself.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"if u feel its important but not a and e ring 111 they can advise you

they can also get you into your GP when there are no appointments, had to do this recently for my mother as could not get past the receptionist myself. "

its why that number is useful

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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago

Never really wanted to go to hospital anyway. Wasting their times etc.

Anyway got an appointment to see my GP on Thurs morning, thanks again everyone.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Its ridiculous that doctors surgeries work this way. My local surgery ONLY take appointments for that day to see your doctor. If you can't get in they have open slots after which you have to wait but will at least get seen.

Doctors behaving as yours do nearly killed my daughter when she was 3 and had her first severe asthma attack. We didn't know what was happening and took her to the doctor. The receptionist told us to go away! Luckily the doctor heard us and came to see

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Do they have a triage you can go through to assess if you need to be seen more quickly. If not , can you ask for your GP to call you ?

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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago

"Its ridiculous that doctors surgeries work this way. My local surgery ONLY take appointments for that day to see your doctor. If you can't get in they have open slots after which you have to wait but will at least get seen.

Oh no that's awful

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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago

"Do they have a triage you can go through to assess if you need to be seen more quickly. If not , can you ask for your GP to call you ? "

Triage nurse yes, but it was the doctor I needed to see. The triage nurse can only do so much. Got them to phone me back and got an appointment on Thursday.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

this is why the NHS is failing

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By *est Wales WifeCouple
over a year ago

Near Carmarthen

If you are a GP with (everyday)

25 am appointments x 10 mins=250 mins

5 house calls x 30 mins = 150 mins

repeat prescriptions, results, letters, management = 60 minutes (under estimate)

25 pm. appointments x 10 minutes=250 mins

Total = 710 minutes a day (roughly 12 hours)

and incessant demand in other areas (social services, government targets, etc. etc.) do you

a) try to the very best for all your patients but restrict access as fairly as you can

b) see everyone instantly who demands it and get burnt out

c) say feck it and retire as soon as possible

More and more are taking option C

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Ring everyday.....accident and emergency are at crisis point due to non accident and emergencies..

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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago

Some people go to see the doctor just for a cold.

I only go to the doctors if I really have to.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I had cause to use the NHS as an emergency these past few days and despite all the bad things said about them i have to highly praise them ..... i was seen by various nurses ansd then doctors asap and treated very well, then ended up at a specialist clinic on sunday ..... i can't praise them enough !

Hopwever there were people there ho obviously didn't really need to be there !!

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By *innamon!Woman
over a year ago

no matter

On the day you first see the doc and he tells you to come back if not better.. You make an appointment for two weeks on before you leave

at a time that suits.

You then canx if the problem is solved if not you are all set.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I would also contact my local MP and inform him of the problems you're having.

These problems we're all experiencing with lack of availability of our GP's came about thanks to Tony Blair's GP Contract reforms around 2005 - ish (I don't remember the exact dates). He had promised that he would not stop people from pre-booking appointments with their GP's.

One question. Why pre-book. Are people phoning their GP's to schedule when they're going to be ill?

OK, I know that there are some patients that have ongoing conditions that need to make regular visits and repeat prescriptions etc, but I do agree that something needs to be done to make it easier to get to see your GP - as more people are mis-using A&E now simply because they can't get to see their GP.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"If you are a GP with (everyday)

25 am appointments x 10 mins=250 mins

5 house calls x 30 mins = 150 mins

repeat prescriptions, results, letters, management = 60 minutes (under estimate)

25 pm. appointments x 10 minutes=250 mins

Total = 710 minutes a day (roughly 12 hours)

and incessant demand in other areas (social services, government targets, etc. etc.) do you

a) try to the very best for all your patients but restrict access as fairly as you can

b) see everyone instantly who demands it and get burnt out

c) say feck it and retire as soon as possible

More and more are taking option C

So true

S x

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By *atsnCorsetsCouple
over a year ago

Sheffield

Does your Doctor offer internet bookings? It's the little dark secret of our surgery. They put the next days emergency appointments up around half five the night before and thankfully hardly anyone in our area has twigged yet. It doesn't half make life easier!

Otherwise do you have an NHS Walk In Center or the like around you?

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By *ophieslutTV/TS
over a year ago

Central

I'd visit a different surgery as a Visiting Patient', assuming they'd fit me in. And prebook if trying something out that's experimental - cancelling the future visit, if treatment works.

I often seem to be seen when I'm temporarily in a different area, rather quickly. They'll get a nice fee for a temp resident. You do need a local address, even if its a hotel, that's in the new practices coverage.

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