Two weeks to speak to my GP!

[Greymouser]

As this regarding driving, as well as my annoying GP surgery, I though I had better post it here.

I had a seizure in July, ( which started this little roller-coaster called diabetes, for me, ) which meant I had to surrender my driving license, or suffer terrible consequences, according to my doctors! I can now apply to get that license back, as it is less than eight weeks until the six months, that I had to stop driving, is up. I looked on the DVLA website, phoned them up and they are sending out the form tomorrow. The thing is, it says on the DVLA website that I should ask my doctor if she thinks I am now fit to drive, before filling in the form, fine. I went to the surgery today, to try and speak to her, only to be told I cannot for almost 2 weeks! That is the first telephone consultation she has available! 😱 Out of curiosity, I asked how soon until I could see her face to face, only to be told " not for the foreseeable future, she is that busy! " 😱😱 " Quite possibly the New year! " 😱😱😱

So what am I supposed to do? Do I just fill the form in before speaking to her, or wait and lose valuable time for the DVLA to judge me? I want my license back!😡

 

[grainger]

Do they have an email address so you can ask her via that - then request she responds either via email unless further info is required then she could call you back?

 

[Wirrallass]

.......or ask for a telephone appointment. If you get no joy then write to the surgery manager.

 

[Ditto]

Two weeks for a telephone appointment! Pathetic. I'd change your surgery if possible.

 

[Greymouser]

Not really possible Ditto, at least not until after I get my license back. I need her good word and cooperation, to get the DVLA on side, she could make things difficult, as could a different Doctor, that does not know either me or the case. We were thinking about changing before July, but the fact that the surgery is only about 400 metres from our home, persuaded us to not change. Along with the fact that the other surgeries in town are little, if any better. My whole situation is getting me very down to be honest. I feel trapped. Driving is just a tiny part of that too.

 

[trophywench]

That's roughly similar to delays at our surgery. Nothing unusual these days I'm afraid.

 

[Greymouser]

Still having trouble seeing my GP, but at least I now have my driving licence back! Yeh!

 

[Davein]

You'll have to do what I did and locate to a more remote part of the country if you want a chance of being seen by a GP. I've never understood why they don't open 7 days a week but like everything else in short supply we have to wait our turn in the queue.

 

[Ralph-YK]

2 weeks to is a long time to get even a phone consultation.
My practice, it can be two weeks to see a GP (that is actually see). Although I basically don't get to see the same one. I might see one maybe twice in one year (I've had lot's and things going on so have had loads of appointments). Phone consultations can be the same day (from who evers on).
At my old GPs, it was maybe 2 weeks for an appointment. To see the same GP a month or maybe up to 6 week.
A big part of phone consultations (as far as I know) is to fit people in between sooner. Either asses them or give advice to cover till they can actually be seen.

 

[trophywench]

Last time I saw a GP was last September as I needed a GP to chase up my cataract referral which had been refused saying I didn't meet the Guidelines, even though I did! ie it wasn't a medical consultation and should never have been necessary in the first place, so a waste of time when there are ILL people who need to see GPs.

 

[Amigo]

Last time I saw a GP was last September as I needed a GP to chase up my cataract referral which had been refused saying I didn't meet the Guidelines, even though I did! ie it wasn't a medical consultation and should never have been necessary in the first place, so a waste of time when there are ILL people who need to see GPs.

As a matter of interest Jenny, why didn’t you meet the criteria for the cataract op? I ask because I need one and am debating whether to pay if it’s going to involve a long wait and a load of faff!

Sorry to hear you’re having a right runaround Greymouser but glad you’ve got your driving licence back now.

 

[Wirrallass]

In view that it takes some time to see a doctor, I think we should make an appointment in any event 2-3wks hence then if we need that appointment we don't have to wait to see a doctor. If by that time we don't need to see a doctor then we can cancel that appointment thus giving another patient a chance to see one. Then repeat the crafty sequence as and when!!🙄🙄

 

[trophywench]

@Amigo - I DID meet the criteria, it was simply that the central place GPs in Coventry send referrals to, a central 'clearing house' sort of thing, the Choose & Book 'hub' - said I didn't. Either an accidental mistake or a deliberate one? Both of us, and my GP wondered out loud if the waiting lists were getting a bit too long so they were chucking some folk who weren't about to drop dead of whatever the referral was for, back.

No optician or GP is likely to refer you for anything at all these days, if you simply do not meet whatever the criteria are for that procedure - if he does he gets a ticking off from whoever it is, which ranges from a smacked hand to compulsory re-training, as appropriate.

Anyway somewhere in the deepest depths of the NHS England website - or it might be the Choose & Book website - you can look up the waiting lists for whichever hospitals you'll get the choice of - both the initial appointment and procedure. With my local it's been 4-ish weeks for the initial one then 18 weeks for the op - but that 18 weeks dates from when the referral was accepted by 'the hub' - this time it was the first week in November they finally accepted I was eligible so my initial apt was 4th December and my op date was 14th February. I was warned if I needed to cancel for any reason, to do so before the actual day even if it was only a couple of days cos if you have to cancel on the day - but still want it done, the 18 weeks starts over again. I did have to cancel - it was due on the Weds - they rang me at just turned 9am on the Monday to check if I'm OK and still planning on turning up - however I said regrettably I was absolutely full of cold so couldn't guarantee I could keep my head absolutely still for 20 minutes, so they'd saved me the trouble of finding the number and ringing them to cancel. She cancelled it and earlier this week I had a letter to say now Thurs 15th March.

I daresay you'd be seen quicker privately and less wait for the op and you can also opt for 'sight defect correcting' lenses if you can afford them whereas they are just 'plain glass' equivalents in the NHS. I don't know what it costs now, but Pete's mom had one of hers done privately 20/30 years ago - GA and overnight stay of course, back then - £3,000.

If it's just blooming annoying it's a bit different to 'can hardly see a hand in front of my face' as to whether it's worth it!

 

[Amigo]

@Amigo - I DID meet the criteria, it was simply that the central place GPs in Coventry send referrals to, a central 'clearing house' sort of thing, the Choose & Book 'hub' - said I didn't. Either an accidental mistake or a deliberate one? Both of us, and my GP wondered out loud if the waiting lists were getting a bit too long so they were chucking some folk who weren't about to drop dead of whatever the referral was for, back.

No optician or GP is likely to refer you for anything at all these days, if you simply do not meet whatever the criteria are for that procedure - if he does he gets a ticking off from whoever it is, which ranges from a smacked hand to compulsory re-training, as appropriate.

Anyway somewhere in the deepest depths of the NHS England website - or it might be the Choose & Book website - you can look up the waiting lists for whichever hospitals you'll get the choice of - both the initial appointment and procedure. With my local it's been 4-ish weeks for the initial one then 18 weeks for the op - but that 18 weeks dates from when the referral was accepted by 'the hub' - this time it was the first week in November they finally accepted I was eligible so my initial apt was 4th December and my op date was 14th February. I was warned if I needed to cancel for any reason, to do so before the actual day even if it was only a couple of days cos if you have to cancel on the day - but still want it done, the 18 weeks starts over again. I did have to cancel - it was due on the Weds - they rang me at just turned 9am on the Monday to check if I'm OK and still planning on turning up - however I said regrettably I was absolutely full of cold so couldn't guarantee I could keep my head absolutely still for 20 minutes, so they'd saved me the trouble of finding the number and ringing them to cancel. She cancelled it and earlier this week I had a letter to say now Thurs 15th March.

I daresay you'd be seen quicker privately and less wait for the op and you can also opt for 'sight defect correcting' lenses if you can afford them whereas they are just 'plain glass' equivalents in the NHS. I don't know what it costs now, but Pete's mom had one of hers done privately 20/30 years ago - GA and overnight stay of course, back then - £3,000.

If it's just blooming annoying it's a bit different to 'can hardly see a hand in front of my face' as to whether it's worth it!

Thanks for explaining Jenny. Sounds like these appointed ‘overseeing monitors’ who look at GP referrals and throw some back (jus to justify their existence).
I’ll look into the waiting times here and then decide. I think it’s at least £2,000) per eye privately but I need them done and sorted before the chemo time approaches.

 

[mikeyB]

When I had a grand mal epileptic fit in Tesco, (BG 1.1) the DVLA knocked the licence off for a year. Since that time, every three years when my licence came up for renewal, I got the epilepsy form to fill in. And every time I wrote that I don’t have epilepsy. They’re not easily convinced at the DVLA.🙄

I didn’t mind the 1 year ban, it’s perfectly reasonable in the circumstances.

 

[Greymouser]

I didn’t mind the 1 year ban, it’s perfectly reasonable in the circumstances.

Its logically reasonable; expected even, but it doesn't half make things difficult! Public transport round my parts is not the best, ( nor the worst I am sure, ) but I care for a wheelchair user, full time and a wheelchair and public transport just do not go well together! We coped, but goodness me were we relieved when I got my license back! 😉

 

[mikeyB]

Where I am going to live, every single bus lowers down to the pavement to allow wheelchair users on board. All Manchester tram stations have a marked area on the platform for wheelchair users to get straight on into the wheelchair area of the tram. In Oban, hardly the centre of the universe, all pavements have been relayed to be wheelchair friendly, and the vast majority of shops are accessible.

Things are getting better. As a full time wheelchair user myself, I keep a close eye on things. I am unable to drive, and nor can my wife. Nobody ever said life had to be easy, but you play the cards you are dealt.

 

[Dave W]

Where I am going to live, every single bus lowers down to the pavement to allow wheelchair users on board. All Manchester tram stations have a marked area on the platform for wheelchair users to get straight on into the wheelchair area of the tram. In Oban, hardly the centre of the universe, all pavements have been relayed to be wheelchair friendly, and the vast majority of shops are accessible.

Things are getting better. As a full time wheelchair user myself, I keep a close eye on things. I am unable to drive, and nor can my wife. Nobody ever said life had to be easy, but you play the cards you are dealt.

Are you coming back to the mainland Mike?

 

[mikeyB]

Yup, had to move really, there isn’t the infrastructure on the island for disabled living

 

[Greymouser]

Well Mikey, we live in Cheshire, but yes we too have adapted buses and bus stops, which is good. The problem I have found is not so much the infrastructure, but the people, a minority certainly, but still. I have had loads of "conversations" with people explaining why they should collapse their pram, or move their shopping trolley to let a wheelchair on, it is tiring after a while. Bus drivers sometimes are great, sometimes not too, which makes things even more difficult. Some taxi drivers too, are less than helpful. When a bus is only every half hour, ( or even an hour, ) it is annoying to have to wait for the next one, because of lack of space and the one wheelchair space being unavailable. Pavements too are adapted to make things easier for wheelchair users, but that assumes that someone doesn't park over the sloped bit. I have even see Police officers do this!

As you say though, nobody said life had to be easy, we must play the cards dealt. It would be nice though, if sometimes there were fewer people who cheat. 😉🙂

( You have given me something to think about though, thank you. 🙂 )