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An on the ball GP

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Clifton

Clifton

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
I'm sure we all hear horror stories about weak community diabetes care, perhaps because of an over stretched NHS which appeared to be unprepared for the tsunami of diabetes that was coming their way.

My GP practice has one weak member of staff, but is apparently a locum shortly on her way to be replaced with a new full time DSN.

I'm mightily impressed with the proactivity, in-person and digital health care initiatives from my practice:

- Monthly phone call from the treatment room to see how I'm getting on.
- Spare Accu-Chek Mobile BG monitor issued along with "one time" supplies which will last me till July.
- Podiatry appointment set up.
- Retinopathy eye check set.
- Quarterly in-person reviews in the diary.
- Two phone calls from the adjacent pharmacy to check how I'm getting on with my meds (Ampiril and Metformin).
- Diet education and enrolment in a digital diabetes support programme run by Oxford University.
- A referral follow-on for Dupuytren's contracture appointment already in the calendar.
- A 45% discount voucher for a blood pressure machine.
- A small box literally crammed full with samples of medicated foot cream.
- 25% discount voucher for Asics trainers.
- Low carb cooking classes! (I'm useless as the other ½ can testify).

I hope everyone here has the same standard of care and I know i am very grateful for everything they're throwing at me.
 
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Blimey, that sounds comprehensive. I don’t have a spare meter, haven’t had feet checked in about 3-4 years, have never been on any education, reviews are annual, but I have had my retinopathy appointment. The low carb cooking classes sound interesting I’ve never heard anyone mention that before.
 
Another “blimey” from me! My surgery is nothing like that. Perhaps your surgery should lead the way and educate other surgeries as that all sounds very good!
 
it just goes t show how patchy services are and I'm sure it's not just in diabetes.
I lived in Brighton for 20 years and services were excellent even when they were taken over by my GP. I have noticed a difference since moving back to a rural location.
 
My GP surgery has been closed for a year now have to go to one miles away other side of Derby. Keep getting told “we are busy doing Covid jabs at the Covid centre” but when you go for your jab it’s all nurses no GPs. Perhaps they been abducted by Aliens.
 
Had both of our jabs at the local GP 'hub' - guess where that is? Yep, our GP surgery. You can't get through on the phone, you can't access test results, you can't do this that or the other. If you're lucky you can get a phone call back. If you're very lucky it will be a native English speaker without a significant accent or speech defect who doesn't drop their voice - or move their mouth away from the mouthpiece - during the conversation then if it really IS your lucky day - they listen to what you are attempting to explain to them. They very very rarely actually do a face to face. I've currently got a lump appeared which is (TMI) literally between my legs. I'm actually 'sort of' looking forward to ringing about this one. Even if we had an Anglepoise lamp, neither me nor my husband or younger members of our family (most of which are actually girls) are medically qualified, and 'lumps' usually need to be both seen - and tentatively felt - as far as I know ......
 
My GP surgery are useless . When I go to pick up my prescription I’m lucky if it is correct . I’ve been told I’m no longer diabetic by the receptionist who gave me my hba1c result ( I’m type 1) then had the nurse ring to do an annual check she said my hba1c was excellent for a type 2 . To be honest I just hope and pray that I only have to go there very often
 
Nothing like that for me, you are very lucky but that is how it should be country wide.
 
Wow what an amazing surgery I have not seen a doctor or a nurse since I was sent to hospital with high levels in December spoken to the nurse twice on the phone she cancelled my appointment and has not phoned me back phoned up the doctor for an appointment but didn’t get one I think you very Lucky
 
It is wonderful that you have had such a great start. The cynic in me wonders if they know you are a QC. 😉 Hard to imagine they have all those samples etc for every newly diagnosed diabetic patient. 😳
It is very hit and miss though across the country. I have a rural practice which is very good, but not quite to the standard you describe. I was still misdiagnosed as Type 2 initially but I can't really blame them for that and they did at least keep an open mind about me perhaps being Type 1 and the practice nurse was having regular case conferences about me with the consultant during those first few weeks, so there are at least mechanisms in place for staff to seek advice and support from the specialists when they need to. Of course that will only happen if you don't get an HCP who thinks they know it all and doesn't seek that guidance and we all know there are some in the system like that.

There should be a system for awarding GP surgeries credit ratings for specific conditions by organisations like Diabetes UK, so that patients can nominate a particularly good practice or clinic for an award and publicize it and maybe share best practice, so that other GP practices can get some ideas on what works best from a patient perspective.
 
trophywench said:
'lumps' usually need to be both seen - and tentatively felt - as far as I know ......
Click to expand...
My dentist recently spotted a lump on my tonsil and strongly recommended I saw a doctor about it asap.
My surgery originally said the next face to face appointment was 3 weeks away but they would set up an appointment with a triage nurse. She decided I needed a phone appointment with a doctor if I could take a photo. Thankfully, my boyfriend achieved it and I spoke to the doc. She asked to see me face to face at 8:30am the next morning.

The moral of this is
- lumps do not necessarily need to be seen - a photo may be all that is needed.
- if doctors decided a face to face appointment IS necessary after seeing the photo, they can arrange them.

Thankfully, the conclusion of the face to face was a small benign polyp but I am still incredibly grateful for the dentist to point it out and follow up personally with a phone call to check it had been seen.

And, it was no hardship to me that half of the people I spoke to did not speak English as a first language and had an accent. Apart from highlighting my ignorance of only being able to speak one language and my admiration for anyone who can speak a second or third language.
 
I very much doubt that @Clifton got some special treatment because of the letters after his name. Much more likely that all those years developing the skills needed to become a successful QC - the ability to listen, extricating information from people, the ability to evaluate what you are being told on the fly and the ability to persuade without being overbearing, works wonders in places outside the courtroom - including dealing with a doctor's surgery.

The lesson is, if you are having problems with your surgery, you should be asking what can you do to improve things. Changing the way the surgery behaves generally will require a lot of heavy lifting on your part but maybe you can get what you want by changing your approach, something you have some control over.

Just a thought.
 
Excellent post above @Docb
Totally agree!
 
Docb said:
I very much doubt that @Clifton got some special treatment because of the letters after his name. Much more likely that all those years developing the skills needed to become a successful QC - the ability to listen, extricating information from people, the ability to evaluate what you are being told on the fly and the ability to persuade without being overbearing, works wonders in places outside the courtroom - including dealing with a doctor's surgery.

The lesson is, if you are having problems with your surgery, you should be asking what can you do to improve things. Changing the way the surgery behaves generally will require a lot of heavy lifting on your part but maybe you can get what you want by changing your approach, something you have some control over.

Just a thought.
Click to expand...
...that and the surgery is terrified of being sued for malpractice.
 
rebrascora said:
It is wonderful that you have had such a great start. The cynic in me wonders if they know you are a QC. 😉 Hard to imagine they have all those samples etc for every newly diagnosed diabetic patient. 😳
It is very hit and miss though across the country. I have a rural practice which is very good, but not quite to the standard you describe. I was still misdiagnosed as Type 2 initially but I can't really blame them for that and they did at least keep an open mind about me perhaps being Type 1 and the practice nurse was having regular case conferences about me with the consultant during those first few weeks, so there are at least mechanisms in place for staff to seek advice and support from the specialists when they need to. Of course that will only happen if you don't get an HCP who thinks they know it all and doesn't seek that guidance and we all know there are some in the system like that.

There should be a system for awarding GP surgeries credit ratings for specific conditions by organisations like Diabetes UK, so that patients can nominate a particularly good practice or clinic for an award and publicize it and maybe share best practice, so that other GP practices can get some ideas on what works best from a patient perspective.
Click to expand...
Very good post! Like anywhere, it's down to a personal relationship and chemistry. And they didn't know at the time what I do for a living! I would hope it wouldn't make a blind bit of difference anyway as we all should receive the same consideration no matter! Here's to Aneurin Bevan!

I built a bridge with the team and they go out their way to help everyone from what I can see with a fine standard of care across the board. They are also very digitally savvy which is an incredible boon.

I think in terms of the samples doled out, it was timing, nothing to do with the large box of Hôtel Chocolat goodies I dropped in 😉

Agree with you on the league tables too.
 
Take a photo - don't you usually need that bit of you properly in the light to take a photo? I mean brill light in our bedroom (on the front of our bungalow) which is on a main road with a bus stop in front of the house and a public footpath down one side, so I'm not lying on the bed with my legs splayed and the curtains open for Pete to take a photo of my pubes to send to a doctor!
 
trophywench said:
Take a photo - don't you usually need that bit of you properly in the light to take a photo? I mean brill light in our bedroom (on the front of our bungalow) which is on a main road with a bus stop in front of the house and a public footpath down one side, so I'm not lying on the bed with my legs splayed and the curtains open for Pete to take a photo of my pubes to send to a doctor!
Click to expand...
Camera (and phones) have flashes to provide light without exposing yourself to your neighbours waiting for a bus. Flashes work even when you close the curtains.
There is not a lot of light in the back of my mouth. Even sitting in the window ... or in my garden would help ... so I had to use the flash.
 
Sounds like a great surgery you are seeing @Clifton
 
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