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Major step forward for patients

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trophywench

trophywench

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
As NHS England decrees we have the right to see our GP face to face.
 
That sounds good, GPS are the ones I find it more useful to see face to face, as it’s hard to explain new symptoms over the phone. For my consultant I’m happy with video call as it’s just a chat theres no describing of rashes etc and he’s said I can keep it as a video call permanently.
 
Makes no difference for some at my surgery they just look at the PC screen anyway so I might as well video call them. I will only see one DR and she is brilliant she can actually communicate with humans but she is P/T so it's hard to even get a call back.
 
My surgery were doing phone first only appointments well before the pandemic for Doctors. So I am not getting excited by this.
 
My surgery started doing this last Feb. Before that you might have to redial up to 80 times before you got in the queue. Up to December they did allow you past the front door if you had an appointment. Now they are ONLY doing Covid jabs. Pete had to pick up a blood test form rom there that the hospital asked them to arrange but he had to phone the GP to ask them to do the form which the doorkeeper handed to him, then he had to come home and ring the surgery to make an appointment to get the blood test as no-one else would give him one. GP has referred him to the hospital chest clinic, got Choose & book letter on Satruday so goes online and completes those questions and reply is 'No appointments available'. So rings hospital who say, that's correct. We will refer it back to GP.
 
I just wish someone would listen to his damn chest.
 
Until I moved GP practice due to the outstanding lack of care and ending up with Harold Shipman's twin brother as a GP, I had not seen a GP for over 15 months. This was even with blood tests showing I had a pancreatic problem and very unwell with it.

Spoke to new GP and he was shocked at my lack of care and treatment. Saw me within a day of speaking to him and an urgent referral made that same day to the regional pancreatic centre.

Old surgery was 5 weeks wait to speak to a GP!
New surgery you ring at 8.30AM and a GP rings you back within an hour. If you want an afternoon apt you ring at 2pm. If you need to be seen then you are seen within days.

To say I am impressed is the understatement of the year.
 
Sounds amazing @Pumper_Sue !

I wonder when annual reviews will start coming around again? (my weight, BP, toe tickle, A1c etc are handled by the GP surgery).
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Sounds amazing @Pumper_Sue !

I wonder when annual reviews will start coming around again? (my weight, BP, toe tickle, A1c etc are handled by the GP surgery).
Click to expand...
I have phone apt with DSN for pump review, which is either 6monthly or yearly. I refused point blank to see nurse doom and gloom at previous surgery due to her negative attitude.

It will be interesting to see what the new practice is like for reviews 🙂 A1c and other bloods were not a problem when I asked for them.

As long as I can have my bloods done then as far as I am concerned it's my diabetes and I manage it myself unless I have a problem, then I ask for advice 🙂
 
Since I’ve moved home in March I’ve had to change GP surgery. I needed to speak or see a GP this week. Spoke to one over the telephone who said I must be seen face to face.

I was asked if I minded coming in and seeing one of the GP trainees, I was reluctant but agreed, after all without us patients how do they learn?

Very impressed I was, kind, sweet, caring and compassionate, reassured me all the way, was thorough with her examinations and tests and ordered me some bloods and said she would book me in for another CT.
 
Sadly makes no difference at our surgery. Cant even get a telephone appointment. Was messaged in April to contact for my first annual review. Rang and told no appointments for blood tests or reviews and to ring again 2 weeks later. Did this and got blood test appointment in July but no follow up review available and told to ring again in 2 weeks to see if they have appointments then. I know i have good control of sugars but need kidney, thyroid and cholesterol follow ups and medication review after results from January.
I suppose they are prioritising serious illness and these aren't considered that. I do hope things improve or at least return to what they were at some stage.
 
I had a blood test at the surgery ahead of my diabetes review with the consultant. No great problem. I’m fully vaccinated, they are fully vaccinated. It strikes me that some GPs are slacking in their duties when the risk of disease transmission is tiny. They never behave like this during the annual flu epidemic.
 
No prob with either of the nurses but the senior one has to do all the blood tests now they aren't doing ECGs etc - so if you know you will need stitches removing, best book up for it before you go in to have your op is all I can say as an appt for a routine blood test will be at least a fortnight hence. Felt sorry last year to see ladies having to go for preg scans there on their own - and some of them subsequently posting on the website and giving them a half of one star review for being rude - presumably the website does not permit you to give a 'no star' review. 2 years ago so before masks Pete went to see a doc about his chest and she rang the senior nurse and said she was sending Pete up to her in the lift and wanted him to have immediate nebulisation, which was done. Now you can't enter the building without a mask. Can you get a mask exemption and if so, how?
 
My surgery doesn't do blood tests so you had to go the the Cov walk in centre or hospital but we discovered a pharmacy where you can book a test and take the form from the G P. All very efficient.
My daughter says it has been hard to see expectant mums having to go through pregnancy without support either to share their joy or to cope with bad news.
 
trophywench said:
so if you know you will need stitches removing, best book up for it before you go in to have your op is all I can say
Click to expand...
When I rang up for stitches removal after an op last year, the receptionist wanted to know why it couldn't be done over the phone.

I said no problem just find an HCP with 7 mile long arms who could shove em down the phone and do the job.
Was then given a lecture about being facetious 🙄
 
@trophywench A fortnight i can take, its nine weeks i found hard to believe. I did email GP and query why so long and was immediately given Early June blood tests with review a week later. A lot of people and elderly without internet would just accept and not query. Quite worrying if people with possible serious illnesses are being fobbed off and told to ring back in a couple of weeks by receptionists then a long delay to be rang back by nurse or GP. I just can't understand that dentists looking closely into people mouths are operating pretty much as normal and i can get a quicker appointment with them. I agree with @mikeyB that some (not all) GPS are slacking in their duties or passing a lot of face to face contact to nurses.
 
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