BullDog wrote:ayshfm1 wrote:I have found that my local GP practice has something of an attitude, as far as it is concerned we should be grateful for their presence and my time is definitely not something that figures into their thinking.
Not something that really matters, but worth a chuckle. I went to get my medical details onto the NHS app, I was going on holiday and wanted to be able to prove I'd have my cov 19 shots. The receptionist viewed me a rather frosty manner and told me to fill in the online form. I asked for the URL, since I already combed their web site and knew no such URL was publicly available, she handed me a printed form, this is not an online form I opined. Yes it is she contradicted. I smiled sweetly at the old battle axe and filled in the form.
More pertinently they decided they wanted to see to take my blood pressure. They texted me and asked me to ring and make an appointment. Good luck with that.. could not get through. Eventually managed to do it by email. A nurse? did the blood pressure and requested I keep taking it and submit them the reading. I bought my own machine and did as I was asked. Again I was texted - could I make an appointment to see the GP? Again it's fine for them to text, I however have to ring. I ring them up and miracle I get through. I said I'd been asked to make an appointment. They aren't any today was the reply. Good I said, I'm busy today and it's not urgent, next week will be fine. No she said, You need to ring up on the day you want to see the GP and should do it early as they go very quickly. Thus I realised why I got through it, was in the afternoon and why I'd not managed before, it was mid morning, lots of people trying to get appointments for that day, fruitlessly one suspects.
I'm not seeing my GP as providing a viable service in any sensible way. So I too started wondering if there are such a thing as private GP's and how you go about finding them.
I could have written that word for word. I have the exact same story.
Pre covid, I could make an appointment on line up to two weeks in advance. That really useful feature has disappeared and apparently isn't coming back anytime soon. Disgraceful.
Firstly, I have to confess I haven't actually made a GP appointment since before COVID (been there for couple of injections) so am not really in a position to comment fully on this. If I need to, no doubt I will find out then. However, some points above did chime with some of my experiences. So I thought I would stick my oar in.
My experience - such as it is - and observations are:
Firstly, the whole method for general access to GPs seems to have been changed. You used to turn up and somehow make an appointment, it's not intended to work like that anymore. There is now intended to be some sort of triage system in place between the patient and the GP. This is typically run by a third party and accessed online.
Secondly, while everything was changed - during COVID (and due to COVID) - there seems to me to have been little or no publicity about the large scale changes to the system, leaving many of the public confused and frustrated. I did eventually hear a women GP on a R4 programme outline the changes.
Thirdly, these large changes - involving technology - may well not be even fully understood by staff who work at a GPs practise, such as receptionists.
I am basing the above on my own (limited) experience and observations. I was once in my GPs waiting room (alone) and somebody turned up who had been advised "by the NHS" to go to their GP in order to get "authorisation for their NHS app" wrt COVID vaccination status as he was flying out "within 24 hours". The receptionist wasn't having it: "
That's nothing to do with us!"
It banged on back and forth for quite a while (he had more patience that I would!). I nearly intervened since little ole me could see and understand what the issue was, whereas both the GP receptionist and the man were at loggerheads and both just didn't seem to understand what it was about. Fortunately the receptionist did eventually get it and it was presumably sorted without my help. I take it the receptionist had simply been told to say "
The NHS App has nothing to do with us" with people trying to get IT assistance at GP surgeries, but didn't understand things well enough to help that particular person. It just goes to show - patients were not the only ones confused.
I am supposed to have regular PSA blood tests. Before COVID I went to the GP, got a prescription for the test then booked an appointment for the blood clinic at my nearest hospital via their website (I have an account to do so). Very convenient. During COVID the hospital website vanished, never to return. Attempts to access the system via my existing link and by Googling led me to just the right sounding link, this led simply to the system producer's website. I concluded the hospital system had been closed down and didn't have any tests for two years.
One day - browsing the local hospital trust for no particular reason (apart from puzzling over how a number of things 'worked' these days) - I followed link after link simply by idle curiosity. I looked at their hospital departments, dropping into 'P' (as I knew 'P' stood for Phlebotomy) and via several more links, down and down. Suddenly I found myself looking at a familiar looking blood test logon screen. Could I log on to this? Yes I could!
I then went to my GPs website, which had been updated and was front-ended by the triage system. I entered a request with explanation (it said I might get a reply in weeks). Next day, got a text from GP to pick up prescription at reception. Picked up prescription, next day logged on to blood test system, made appointment - for same day! Rushed down to hospital not to miss same day appointment (lucky I checked). About three people waiting in clinic (never seen that before) - perhaps most others were still wondering around lost in cyberspace? Seen in five minutes.
All the above was entirely by accident.
Big changes have happened in the health system - somebody seemed to forget to tell the patients.