How to find a good GP?

Pollycat

nakie999 said:

The tricky part with NHS practices now is that you rarely get proper continuity unless you’re willing to wait ages for a specific GP. The 10-minute cap makes it even worse when you’re dealing with anything ongoing. Some people mix NHS appointments with a private GP simply because it gives them space to actually talk things through. I’ve used Linbury Doctors for that: longer appointments, same doctor, and no rush, which made the whole process a lot smoother for me.

You're responding to an old thread - dating back to Feb 2024.

NECROPOST 

Murphybear

user1977 said:

Maybe she was just having a bad day? I don't think you have a right to get a GP you like....

We had a fabulous GP but he had a long journey cross country to get to the surgery so got a transfer to one nearer home.  We were assigned a new GP who was new to the surgery.  My husband asked if he could have a different one who had treated him occasionally and this was no problem.  

Murphybear

regency_man said:

DullGreyGuy said:
What a good GP is can vary between patients... my wife likes one of ours because you tell them you think you have A and think you need a prescription for B and a lot of the time thats what you walk out with. Personally I prefer a different one which can be a bit curt but rather than just give you a prescription for B they send you for a barrage of tests to ensure it really is A. Others like a third doctor who totally ignores the clock and is happy chatting for 30 minutes about your new kitchen but is frequently running 1-2hr+ late.

Well our family doctor was definitely more of the third type, you never got into his office sooner than 30 minutes after your appointment time, though I'm not sure this is my preffered 'type' either.  I'm little more like your wife, if I'm going to the doctor I've already exhuasted everything available on NHS online and made absolutely sure it's not just some over-the-counter medicine I need. 

All I really want is a doctor who is interested in furthering the process of your diagnosis or treatment, even if that means taking up a few extra minutes, rather than ending an appointment just because the alloted time is up.

I took a morning off work and drove a 50 minute round trip, for absolutely nothing.

Our GP was like that but no one minded.  He took enough time to discuss the reason the patient was there and what was the best thing to do about it.  It often took longer than the allotted time so he was often running behind.  However sometimes a patient wanted something simple it only took a couple of minutes.  My husband and I always go in together for both our appointments, our GP is always happy with this.  Last time after he had dealt with my husband he asked me how I was as I have a few medical issues including diabetes.  After speaking for a few minutes he said he’d need to see me and after checking his computer asked if could see him at 2.00 pm the following day.  Some GPs are worth there weight in gold 😺