Oh dear Julia!!!

[ohnonotshoppingagain]

DOCTORS!!!!

Excuse me for shouting, but don’t Doctors in General Practice remember they have a duty of care?

I have had many reasons to have a consultation since November 2019. However, all I get is a return telephone consultation much to my anger, right up to and including last week.

What bugs me is that we are all living under the same rules, doctors and nurses in hospitals are still having tactile face to face consultations wirh patients, not forgetting that doctors are also attached to nursing homes for visits, as well as small community hospitals.

So..........why are GPs so special, I for one don’t get it

 

[SusieSue]

DOCTORS!!!!

Excuse me for shouting, but don’t Doctors in General Practice remember they have a duty of care?

I have had many reasons to have a consultation since November 2019. However, all I get is a return telephone consultation much to my anger, right up to and including last week.

What bugs me is that we are all living under the same rules, doctors and nurses in hospitals are still having tactile face to face consultations wirh patients, not forgetting that doctors are also attached to nursing homes for visits, as well as small community hospitals.

So..........why are GPs so special, I for one don’t get it

Shop staff, especially those in supermarkets who have carried on even when the pandemic was at it's worse, have face to face interaction with more people in a day than most GPs do in a week!

On a recent visit to my surgery to pick up a prescription the waiting room was closed, patients had to wait outside to be called in, not much fun when it's raining.

I wasn't allowed in the dispensary, I had to go around the back of the building and knock on the window, the staff are happily protecting themselves while making the patients suffer, and you can bet surgery staff were the first to get vaccinated, I know one of the cleaning staff at the surgery and she had her jab very early in the campaign.

Incidentally I recognised one of the receptionists in my store last week, she was wearing a mask but not her teenage children.

 

[Twilight]

DOCTORS!!!!

Excuse me for shouting, but don’t Doctors in General Practice remember they have a duty of care?

I have had many reasons to have a consultation since November 2019. However, all I get is a return telephone consultation much to my anger, right up to and including last week.

What bugs me is that we are all living under the same rules, doctors and nurses in hospitals are still having tactile face to face consultations wirh patients, not forgetting that doctors are also attached to nursing homes for visits, as well as small community hospitals.

So..........why are GPs so special, I for one don’t get it

You carry on shouting & I'll join in. My mother's GP suspected that she had cancer when he looked at her nails, he sent her for tests immediately & within two weeks she had extensive surgery. Unfortunately the diagnosis came to late but when she thanked him for giving her more time than she expected & mentioned her nails he said that he'd been trained to use all his senses when treating patients. You can't do that in a phone call.

 

[JFB]

Ditto. I have one I bought years ago. When I first bought it I used to use it but for the last few years its been in my small bedroom folded up with a blanket over it. I'm like you I've taken up walking and go down to the beach for some fresh sea air.

If anyone wants the machine they can have it but you would have to collect it

Me too. I am tempted to put mine on eBay and give £ to charity but can't face the whole process.

 

[Brissles]

I think the world and his wife would agree with you OHNO. The GP arm of the NHS is beyond diabolical now. A few years ago they couldn't believe their luck when the government in power at the time gave them a massive pay rise (they didn't ask for) and reducing their workload at the same time !!!

Due to a massive house building programme throughout the country, the infrastructure already in place ie schools and surgeries, have not been upgraded to accommodate the huge influx of new families on these gigantic housing estates. (who said the UK is full ? biggest laugh of the century that one) This is compounded with older GPs retiring and fewer doctors wanting to work in the community.

Nevertheless, our health is not something that can be dismissed by a faceless phone call deciding whether you need face to face consulting or not. We should not be begging to be seen or told by receptionists that you need to get in a telephone queue to actually get an appointment. How have we arrived at having to take a photograph of our injured body so it can be diagnosed ? The whole system stinks.

Even surgery nurses that I've spoken to are disgusted, inasmuch they have to see patients up close and personal, yet doctors are tucked away talking on the phones !!

 

[merryone]

Me too. I am tempted to put mine on eBay and give £ to charity but can't face the whole process.

I've got to admit that I've never bothered to give Ebay a try (as a seller) I find the process a little daunting, and I've donated many an expensive item to a charity when the item's been portable enough for me to take there under my own steam. I have also left very expensive stuff outside my house with a note to tell people to help themselves and that has included bulky and expensive exercise equipment. If it's been gathering dust and taking up precious space in my home for years and making me unhappy then sod it...get it gone. It would be nice to be able to recoup some of the money I've wasted on buying the item/s but that comes with its own hassle, so I console myself in the knowledge that a charity will benefit, or just someone else will be thrilled to find it and make good use of it. Quite possibly an ebayer could pick it up and make money themselves, however I'm better off not thinking about the money, just thinking about how much better life would be without it! Thankfully I've learned my lesson now and am extra cautious when I'm buying big and expensive items. If I'm in any doubt - I don't buy!

 

[Twilight]

I think the world and his wife would agree with you OHNO. The GP arm of the NHS is beyond diabolical now. A few years ago they couldn't believe their luck when the government in power at the time gave them a massive pay rise (they didn't ask for) and reducing their workload at the same time !!!

Due to a massive house building programme throughout the country, the infrastructure already in place ie schools and surgeries, have not been upgraded to accommodate the huge influx of new families on these gigantic housing estates. (who said the UK is full ? biggest laugh of the century that one) This is compounded with older GPs retiring and fewer doctors wanting to work in the community.

Nevertheless, our health is not something that can be dismissed by a faceless phone call deciding whether you need face to face consulting or not. We should not be begging to be seen or told by receptionists that you need to get in a telephone queue to actually get an appointment. How have we arrived at having to take a photograph of our injured body so it can be diagnosed ? The whole system stinks.

Even surgery nurses that I've spoken to are disgusted, inasmuch they have to see patients up close and personal, yet doctors are tucked away talking on the phones !!

Appalling. Those now training probably aren't interested in general practice as it's not sexy, who would want to deal with croup & haemorrhoids when you can do complicated surgery & be seen as a hero? I've never had faith in any GP I've ever seen; we had one who said everything was either a virus or hormone related & another one was very keen on doing an internal examination regardless of the issue.

 

[boffy]

I think the world and his wife would agree with you OHNO. The GP arm of the NHS is beyond diabolical now. A few years ago they couldn't believe their luck when the government in power at the time gave them a massive pay rise (they didn't ask for) and reducing their workload at the same time !!!

Due to a massive house building programme throughout the country, the infrastructure already in place ie schools and surgeries, have not been upgraded to accommodate the huge influx of new families on these gigantic housing estates. (who said the UK is full ? biggest laugh of the century that one) This is compounded with older GPs retiring and fewer doctors wanting to work in the community.

Nevertheless, our health is not something that can be dismissed by a faceless phone call deciding whether you need face to face consulting or not. We should not be begging to be seen or told by receptionists that you need to get in a telephone queue to actually get an appointment. How have we arrived at having to take a photograph of our injured body so it can be diagnosed ? The whole system stinks.

Even surgery nurses that I've spoken to are disgusted, inasmuch they have to see patients up close and personal, yet doctors are tucked away talking on the phones !!

This is going to be common practice now. I managed to get to see a nurse and I was given two items a mask and wipes. One to clean the seat in the reception area and one to clean the seat when I got to see the nurse. I have to say its put me off visiting.

 

[Dame Fondacox]

While I can fully appreciate a GP not wanting to give a F2F consulttion to someone with covid symptoms, there's no excuse for not seeing other patients. I happened to catch a bit of the Jeremy Vine Show this week and the GP panellist said that they can see patients if they deem it to be essential. Their arrogance in avoiding contact and issuing prescrptions over the phone is startling, when the chemist staff still have to hand them over the counter or deliver them to their homes in some cases.

 

[stratobuddy]

I've got a similar machine that does everything that the AeroPllates does and FAR MORE as well, it is effectively a multi-gym. And I bought it from Q at about 1/3 the price of the other one.

It is permanently up, and I use it regularly for inclined crunches and situps, which are far more strenuous than doing them on the level.

I also have a non-impact walker/strider (again from Q) that also exercises your arms. I use that whenever the weather is not good enough for walking. This is also permanently up.

And I keep on a strict calorie controlled diet, I eat whatever I like, but keep below 2500 cals per day, and my weight has been constant for years. I was probably eating 5000 cals previously, then I started to put on weight, so went on the diet. At first, I felt very hungry, but I soon get used to that, and now I don't feel hungry.

The advantage of calorie control is that you can eat anything, so if I fancy loads of chocolate I have it

 

[Twirl58]

What do GPS do these days? I am sure very valuable things but seeing patients face to face is not one of them.I think a lot of routine tasks which would have at one time been covered by a Dr. are now being dealt with by clinical people of different specialisms.There is some concern with my Cholesterol reading so I am booked in for a telephone conversation with a Clinical Pharmacist in 2 weeks.

I have been on Statins for years but when first diagnosed my diet following Weight Watchers was as good as you could get.My first statin I couldn’t take as it got to the level I had difficulty getting out of a chair.They changed that and dropped the dosage & no problems since.My high Cholesterol I was told was hereditary rather than diet.I still have a good diet but during lockdown and other stresses I have lapsed a few times but I don’t think anything major.It does give you a wake up call though and that is no bad thing.

Yes I agree. I always thought that my diet was reasonably healthy until I had my cholesterol checked!
I bought a Collins Cholesterol Counter book and really studied labels.
Yes it can get boring but I have never had to take statins and I lost 3 stone.
I have gained a stone but can't really blame lockdown - I was just greedy.
My husband and I get up at 6am every morning and practice yoga and he is 76!
I have to be careful because I have dehydrated discs, arthritis in my spine, cervical spondylosis, hip problems and radicular nerve damage but I find that most moves can be easily modified to take this into account.
Interestingly my GP told me that the menopause increases cholesterol and so does hypothyroidism which I also have

 

[maymorganlondon]

I don’t think I have specifically had vitamin D checked, but each year from September until April for years, I have taken vitamin D suppliments, so perhaps not low, but I could always ask!

My friend had to have mega doses to restore her vit D. 10k IUs per day to start with then dropped down to a more conventional level.

Me too. I am tempted to put mine on eBay and give £ to charity but can't face the whole process.

Given the turn in the conversation towards the GPs, I thought you were talking about putting your GP on eBay...and I thought, maybe a good idea!

I know it is lumping all GPs in together, and there are probably many who still see their patients. A number of us are considering moving practice, but "out of the frying pan, into the fire"; "better the devil you know"; and "be careful what you wish for" all spring to my mind...
I think those of us who are assertive can probably overcome the barriers GPs have now erected, except when we are I'll we are at out lowest ebb.
The ones I worry about are those who cannot advocate for themselves, or lack someone to ride into battle for them.
The GP service needs an overhaul before huge chunks of the population lose their one gateway into health services. This isn't about national policy, but about local providers' mindset.

 

[Bea Frugal]

I saw my gp entirely by accident. I tried to make a phone appointment but couldn’t even do that - if you don’t get through on the crack of opening time you’ve missed your chance - so I had a chat with the nurse who decided she wanted to see me. When I got there she couldn’t work the piece of kit she was trying to use so she made a call and in waltzed the doctor! I was so surprised I didn't gather my wits in time to take him to task. Actually I’m of the generation who is conditioned to respect doctors and teachers so I just didn’t dare - I might have been blacklisted! I just quietly fume while my blood pressure takes off.

 

[Deleted member 21102]

GPs (Gone Practitioners):

From the Hippocratic Oath:
I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.

Really? You're all still part of the human race with special obligations that you can fulfil only over the phone? So you have not only special obligations, but also special powers to diagnose and heal remotely?? Wow!!! Not even hospital doctors can do that. You are indeed special and worthy of respect.

So my friend's partner who was remotely prescribed painkillers for a swollen, painful, red knee after an op benefited from your special powers, did he? The same person who can't get to the surgery and has now waited over 12 weeks to have his second vaccine by the district nurse (probably because the GP has this special obligation not to visit people at home thus putting pressure on district nurses).

This whole nonsense is screaming out for government intervention.

 

[Twilight]

Given the turn in the conversation towards the GPs, I thought you were talking about putting your GP on eBay...and I thought, maybe a good idea!

I know it is lumping all GPs in together, and there are probably many who still see their patients. A number of us are considering moving practice, but "out of the frying pan, into the fire"; "better the devil you know"; and "be careful what you wish for" all spring to my mind...
I think those of us who are assertive can probably overcome the barriers GPs have now erected, except when we are I'll we are at out lowest ebb.
The ones I worry about are those who cannot advocate for themselves, or lack someone to ride into battle for them.
The GP service needs an overhaul before huge chunks of the population lose their one gateway into health services. This isn't about national policy, but about local providers' mindset.

Spot on MML. I think there are many patients who have been without a voice over the past 14 months; my sister spent the last two months of my brother in law's life living with him in a 'super hospital', what she witnessed was disgusting & if someone I loved broke their arm falling out of bed & their calls for help were ignored by staff who were watching an eBay auction I'd have gone to the media as well as my solicitor.

 

[Dame Fondacox]

Dentists are seeing people for and routine treatments again. I got a phone call in Februray inviting me to come in for a check-up. The receptionist checked my temperature and I was told beforehand I could either keep my coat on or place it in a plastic crate, and that was it.

 

[Letz-be-avenue]

My dentist isn't seeing anyone for non urgent appointments, you can only see the hygienist and pay £60 for the pleasure, they told me its government ruling but I really don't believe them, they will see you if you are a private patient of course

 

[missbabs]

I would give my right arm just to be able to take my three little Yorkshire Terriers for a walk. Instad, I pay someone to take them three times a week. Apart from having osteoarthritis, I have no idea what is wrong with me, but life is no fun. I’m 72 now and was always reasonably fit and walked for miles, I don’t recognise my life now, but I have suddenly in the past months got terrible balance problems, so acared I fall all the time. Very down because of all these changes, and feel vulnerable.

All I would tell Julia is be careful of your boasting because I never said so at the time, but I looked better and was fitter than you boast of being now. You need to take some length off your hair too.

Julia your health and look can change in a heartbeat!

Just a thought,have you tried acupuncture?

Yes, I remember it being posted on here a few years ago.
It was the police mug shot when she was arrested for drink driving.
She looked dreadful.....as you would in such circumstances

I detest drink drivers

She did what??!! This I did not know,fake cow!

 

[Lemonpop]

What do GPS do these days? I am sure very valuable things but seeing patients face to face is not one of them.I think a lot of routine tasks which would have at one time been covered by a Dr. are now being dealt with by clinical people of different specialisms.There is some concern with my Cholesterol reading so I am booked in for a telephone conversation with a Clinical Pharmacist in 2 weeks.

I have been on Statins for years but when first diagnosed my diet following Weight Watchers was as good as you could get.My first statin I couldn’t take as it got to the level I had difficulty getting out of a chair.They changed that and dropped the dosage & no problems since.My high Cholesterol I was told was hereditary rather than diet.I still have a good diet but during lockdown and other stresses I have lapsed a few times but I don’t think anything major.It does give you a wake up call though and that is no bad thing.

I've not had my asthma or prescription review since February 2020 and no idea when I will get it. Wouldn't be surprised if Gps will do as many telephone appointments as possible in the future.

I think the world and his wife would agree with you OHNO. The GP arm of the NHS is beyond diabolical now. A few years ago they couldn't believe their luck when the government in power at the time gave them a massive pay rise (they didn't ask for) and reducing their workload at the same time !!!

Due to a massive house building programme throughout the country, the infrastructure already in place ie schools and surgeries, have not been upgraded to accommodate the huge influx of new families on these gigantic housing estates. (who said the UK is full ? biggest laugh of the century that one) This is compounded with older GPs retiring and fewer doctors wanting to work in the community.

Nevertheless, our health is not something that can be dismissed by a faceless phone call deciding whether you need face to face consulting or not. We should not be begging to be seen or told by receptionists that you need to get in a telephone queue to actually get an appointment. How have we arrived at having to take a photograph of our injured body so it can be diagnosed ? The whole system stinks.

Even surgery nurses that I've spoken to are disgusted, inasmuch they have to see patients up close and personal, yet doctors are tucked away talking on the phones !!

I totally agree and we can't get an appointment with a nurse either.

 

[alter ego]

Shop staff, especially those in supermarkets who have carried on even when the pandemic was at it's worse, have face to face interaction with more people in a day than most GPs do in a week!

On a recent visit to my surgery to pick up a prescription the waiting room was closed, patients had to wait outside to be called in, not much fun when it's raining.

I wasn't allowed in the dispensary, I had to go around the back of the building and knock on the window, the staff are happily protecting themselves while making the patients suffer, and you can bet surgery staff were the first to get vaccinated, I know one of the cleaning staff at the surgery and she had her jab very early in the campaign.

Incidentally I recognised one of the receptionists in my store last week, she was wearing a mask but not her teenage children.

The staff AND their families - even those under 40 and with no underlying health conditions and even those who have already had Covid - at my surgery.