Problems seeing GP

littlerock

I have an ongoing medical condition for which I was scheduled to have a minor operation on Monday. However pre admission tests revealed my blood pressure was too high. Op has been rescheduled to the end of August and I was told to go back and see my GP urgently about possible causes and how to get it down.

I rang the surgery and explained this and was told my GP was in all day today and had several slots free and I should present myself there at 08:30 am or call from 8:30am and ask for an urgent appointment with her today, explaining the reasons.

I got the surgery at 08:21am today and was 6th in line. When I got the counter, at 08:30am , I was told all the slots that day with my GP had gone. (I know not all were booked by the other patients as I was sitting near the desk and could hear the names of the GPs being allocated.)

I explained why I needed a personal appointment - long complex medical history, known to GP, needed to sort out BP related to it for hospital, also needed examination (female) to see if any physical changes. Could I make one for next available day?. No, I could not. I was told any GP could read my notes and sort out my BP.

I said it would take longer than 10 minutes and they would not be familiar with my history. Receptionist shrugged, I have offered you a GP. Its up to you if you accept or not. That's all there is.

I said I had tried to book on line but no appointments available. She said that was because on the day appointments are not bookable, on line, only advance ones. When is my GPs next advance one? There isn't one, she is fully booked for the next 3 weeks, you will have to wait until the next 3 week slot opens in September.

I should add they are actively advertising for more patients.

We are pretty much in the GP dark ages round here, despite being in a pleasant part of London. Our OOH services was worst performing in the country a couple of years ago, there is no local late night service, only one walk in clinic, with long waits and no telephone triage or telephone consultation services.

I feel pretty frustrated all around.

Undervalued

I sympathise!

Here is a thread I started for similar reasons a couple of weeks ago....

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6028182/doctor-first-or-should-it-be-patient-last

POPPYOSCAR

Did you take the appointment with another GP?

I would do and whilst there explain exactly what happened and how unhappy you are that you can not see your own GP who knows your whole medical history.

This does seem to be happening in many areas.

I usually see our practice nurse who has been more helpful to me than the GP. It is also much easier to get an appointment with him.

cannugec5

Here we have a compulsory telephone consultation before a face to face is granted. We are registered to the practice not an individual GP and are unable to request any one in particular (other than gender).

However my husband had surgery cancelled when his pre-op check discovered that his BP was high. It took 2 years to control the BP and only then did they re-book the op. Which he had quite successfully I might add.

I am amazed they have re-booked you so soon.

Robin9

Same here - I had a letter from my GP saying he wanted to see me. Best the receptionist could offer was 3 weeks. Why the doctor couldn't have picked up the phone rather than writing and made the appointment himself I don't know.

littlerock

The other GP offered was a locum and there seems to be a high turnover of these, so I am not optimistic that complaining to the locum would have much impact.

I was a bit put out to be told that any GP could read my notes and sort out my BP. This harks back to worst type of doctor's receptionist.

Undervalued

littlerock wrote: »

The other GP offered was a locum and there seems to be a high turnover of these, so I am not optimistic that complaining to the locum would have much impact.

I was a bit put out to be told that any GP could read my notes and sort out my BP. This harks back to worst type of doctor's receptionist.

I'm not a doctor but I suspect that generally a patient remembers far more about a GP appointment than the doctor can possibility be expected to.

So, whilst most of us find it reassuring to see "our GP", unless you are an extremely regular patient he / she will have seen literally hundreds of other patients since your last appointment. In which case won't "your GP" be going 99% by what is in the notes rather than what s/he remembers?

But yes, I do know how you feel and I am sure most of us feel the same.

littlerock

I managed to get an urgent appointment with my GP 8 weeks ago. Needing to see her again, and not being able to get an appointment, I eventually wrote and asked her to call me, , which she did about a month ago. We agreed on what I should do next (op) and I wrote to her earlier this week telling her I was going in for the op next Monday.

So while I agree in general terms, in this case I have been having regular dealings with my GP, despite some difficulty, over my case, up to now.

There have been a number of surveys in the last few years saying patient care and outputs are much improved by patients regularly seeing their own nominated GP. Also this is valued by most GPs. See this https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/may/10/patients-same-gp-nhs

POPPYOSCAR

littlerock wrote: »

I managed to get an urgent appointment with my GP 8 weeks ago. Needing to see her again, and not being able to get an appointment, I eventually wrote and asked her to call me, , which she did about a month ago. We agreed on what I should do next (op) and I wrote to her earlier this week telling her I was going in for the op next Monday.

So while I agree in general terms, in this case I have been having regular dealings with my GP, despite some difficulty, over my case, up to now.

There have been a number of surveys in the last few years saying patient care and outputs are much improved by patients regularly seeing their own nominated GP. Also this is valued by most GPs. See this https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/may/10/patients-same-gp-nhs

I take it you have gone privately then?

littlerock

I phoned for another appointment and despite phoning the. minute the lines opened, found myself 14th in the queue. When I got to the front, I was offered an appointment same day with a senior nurse practitioner, "who can treat your blood pressure". When I presented myself, she denied knowing anything about blood pressure and said I had only been sent to her because they had run out of appointments for the day....,

Tigsteroonie

littlerock what meds are you on? Marley was put on sodium diclofenac many years ago as the painkiller while waited for a kidney stone op; only to then be rejected at the pre-op due to high blood pressure. It took many weeks of meds to bring his BP down to a level where they were happy to operate. He's recently had a recurrence and is again waiting an op, but this time - maybe it's a case of medicine moving on - the GP said he wouldn't prescribe sodium diclofenac because it's known to raise BP!

TL;DR - OP check with your GP that it's not one of your temporary meds that is causing the HBP and, if it is, ask for an alternative.