So you delayed an non-urgent appointment until when it was convienient for you to go. I fail to see what the issue is.

That was one example, which is more urgent when getting low on repeats for my prescription. Try to imagine something between “non-urgent” and too ill to go to work.

Also as a teacher you may be timetabled for 10 weeks but that normally includes some free periods and your timetabled hours finish around 4pm. Plenty of time to go to the doctors who don’t finish till 6pm.

Free lessons aren’t long enough to get there, be seen half an hour after my appointment time and then get back again. My timetable extends to 9pm one day a week and we have meetings on one more.

Appointments cannot be made in advance, just by phoning on the day and taking pot luck.

The NHS is totally f****d, yet there isn’t a single MP who would dare to even hint that we might have a small problem here!

Mike, my old mans a teacher. When he needs to see a doc during the day he can usually get the time. Also, repeat prescriptions? Have gp’s stopped doing these over the phone? If yes, book in advance. Whilst you’re at it, get a real job that only has 4 weeks holiday a year.

If you’re prescription needs become urgent then ask to see the duty doctor, if you seem overly anxious about it they should let you see him or her.

The NHS is totally f****d, yet there isn’t a single MP who would dare to even hint that we might have a small problem here!

Because, due to the internal market, unaffordable PFI contracts (that don’t show up as Government debt) and various other forms of political meddling they got us into the mess we’re in?

Again: this isn’t about the specifics of me. It’s about access to services generally.

When the practice only gives you a 28 day script, you get told when you pick up that prescription that you have to have an annual medication review (new guidelines apparently), the nearest appointment you can get is 3 weeks away if you can’t miss work to attend and it takes 6 days to request and issue a repeat prescription it’s not hard to see how people run out of medication.

Annual? Plenty of time then, no excuses really.

My practice does online repeat prescription as well a direct phone line.

Did you miss the bit where this was a new thing and I was told 28 days in advance? This is in addition to an annual review I have which involves blood tests. I suggested maybe combining the two but got ‘computer says no’

The doctor at the ‘review’ admitted it was nothing but a box ticking exercise, repeat that across the practice and what a monumental waste of time.

It’s been elevated to National Treasure deity status and anyone who dares suggest reform is tarred, feathered and packed off to the privatisation sin bin.

28 days is plenty of time, if its that important you are entitled to take time off work.

Blood test? Oh noes, you have to go in twice a year now.

Allthepies, if you think private doesn’t have it’s fair share of problems go to the US where healthcare is a race to the bottom in the pursuit of profits. Or you could go to Cuba, which has an excellent healthcare system given their resources 😉

It’s been elevated to National Treasure deity status and anyone who dares suggest reform is tarred, feathered and packed off to the privatisation sin bin.

So the reform they’ve been talking about in recent months was in my imagination?

28 days is plenty of time, if its that important you are entitled to take time off work.

I’m not sure how 28 days is plenty of time when it takes a minimum of 21 days to get an appointment and a further 6 to get a prescription. And we are not allowed time off for doctor’s appointments during work time. I’d be interested to see anything that said you were entitled we’re going through a review of terms and conditions at the moment and one of the things they tried to change was to not allow time off for hospital appointments either.

Oh noes, you have to go in twice a year now.

Enforcing appointments where the only dialogue is for the gp to say that they have to do a medication review but there’s really nothing to say and they just have to tick a box to say it’s happened is not a good use of their time or mine.

“3 weeks away, if you cant miss work”

Why cant you miss work? Are you a special forces soldier, fighter pilot or astronaut on operation with a chronic condition?

The answer is miss work, the NHS should not revolve around people who wont take the time to tell work or a customer that they need a few hours to a day off.

If work wont give you the day off and you die as a result, I’m sure they will be happy to be sued by your surviving family.

And/or do what everyone else does and tell them you are sick on the day.

It seems the problem is with outdated employment law not doctors.

They would only have Sundays to ride their Dogmas is they worked Saturdays.

Why not have the centres open extended hours but GP’s available at certain times. Most people have been weaned of the principle of a family GP and would settle for a medical professional with reasonable grasp of English and the vaguest sense of community.

When my mam was working, if she missed work for a Dr appointment then her NHS clients would have turned up for their appointment with her, for which they’d be missing work, to find that she wasn’t there. She often complained about the appointment system at her GP surgery.

Uhh, she could have asked the duty doctor nicely Mike?

Why not have the centres open extended hours but GP’s available at certain times.

You mean like my GP centre? That has a duty doctor around till late on weekdays.

If they hadn’t been privatized there wouldn’t be so much variation in care.

Most people have been weaned of the principle of a family GP

I think I saw my actual GP once in the 13 years or so I’ve been registered with him. I was/am happy to see anyone.

Uhh, she could have asked the duty doctor nicely Mike?

While she was in a school seeing a child?

You seem to be assuming that the problem is we’re all disorganised idiots. Do you think, perhaps, there a problem with GP appointments instead?

While she was in a school seeing a child?

Do they have school nurses now? Any spare nurses? Sounds like the schools problem. Anyway yes, if it’s an emergency they can go to A&E or a walk in clinic.

And if it’s not an emergency? If, say, it’s the sort of thing your see a GP about?

No, they can wait or the school could bring in a substitute nurse.

My mam’s not a school nurse, so that wouldn’t help.

I’m amazed that my MP is trying to sort out problems with making GP appointments, after having loads of people complain. Clearly there not really a problem.

Maybe it would be much simpler and cheaper for him to change employment law.

Loads of the public complaining doesn’t mean there’s a problem, it usually means they’re ignorant, ill educated or demanding something they are not entitled to or willing to pay for.

The difficulty of seeing the doctor is a useful gatekeeper to the service

If you could see a doctor with ease, then people would go and see their doctors, and the system would collapse – as it is, if you have to go out of your way to see them at your inconvenience, then it means the vast majority of the population are only going to go if they actually have i) a problem ii) an expectation you can cure them

Just see the recent closures of NHS walk-in centres as an example – they attracted too many of the two most problematic service users, the worried well (who have nothing wrong with them) and the chronically sick (who you can’t cure)

Both of which cost the NHS a fortune

Now, personally, I’d suggest that a better way to keep the worried well away would be to stop running adverts that encourage people to rush to the doctors every time they’ve eaten beetroot thinking they’ve got cancer…

I’m also in total agreement with deviant, doctors and teachers are pandering to peoples spoilt sense of entitlement. There’s a fine line between listening to the public ends and enabling the spoilt whining of people who think they know better.

Back to the good old days when the doctor knew best and was free to speak his or her mind (eg being able to tell people to harden up)

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwkOAueZbBY[/video]

It seems the problem is with outdated employment law not doctors.

Fortunately for me in Spain you’re legally allowed to take time off work for medical visits – obviously in practise if you abuse this right you’ll soon get a black mark against you in work, but the occasional visit is completely normal and acceptable.

Somehow I doubt the current UK government will be changing the law to allow that, though!

Tom_1987 – are you for real? What a load of bollox. 😐

doctors and teachers are pandering to peoples spoilt sense of entitlement. There’s a fine line between listening to the public ends and enabling the spoilt whining of people who think they know better.

FFS. 🙄

GPs have too much power and its going to their heads. Its just a referral service

Yup, totally standing by that rather trollish comment of mine.

Everyone thinks that they’re experts, teachers get it in the neck from people who think they know better, doctors get it in the neck from people who think they can out diagnose them and scientists get it in the neck from prats who think their quickly thought out diatribes render climate change science bunk or that animal testing serves no useful purpose what so ever.

I wanted to change something within human biology, so I studied and took a degree in it. I don’t expect climate scientists to tell me how to do my job, if you don’t like something – actually study the subject you’re talking about and change it from within.

I’m not the only one either

http://www.livescience.com/9616-modern-problem-expert.html

Its just a referral service

No, General Practice is definitely not just a referral service, and never really was. You are forgetting that a lot of people presenting to GP don’t need referring on, and also that GPs manage a huge amount of chronic disease.

I’d quite happily pay for a private GP, To me it’s the one point in the system where if you want better customer service it’s really worth paying for. However there aren’t any near me

No, General Practice is definitely not just a referral service,

I think the user you are responding to is a banned troll with a new username, save your breath.

I’d quite happily pay for a private GP,

I’m pretty sure you can if you wish. Not had bad service myself from most GPs though, it’s the next level of care that’s much more hit and miss IME.

doctors and teachers are pandering to peoples spoilt sense of entitlement. There’s a fine line between listening to the public ends and enabling the spoilt whining of people who think they know better.
FFS.

He’s right though. Why even visit doctors if you know more than them?