News topic re doctor's appointments and targets

WillowTheWhisp · 29-04-2005, 12:12

Tony Blair has been heckled by a woman complaining that she cannot make a doctor's appointment longer than 48 hours in advance due to the government targets that all patients should be seen within 48 hours and Tony Blair is gobsmacked because he had no idea that people couldn't make advance appointments!

He should take a look at Peel House. 48 hours isn't in it. You have to ring up or present yourself at the surgery on the day itself and hope you manage to get in! If you're lucky you get an appointment that day but that day only and it's probably going to be with a nurse who will then decide if you need to see a doctor.

The rest who are unlucky have to go away and try again the next day, and the next and so on. 48 hours? We'd think it a luxury if we could book an appointment 24 hours in advance let alone 48.

cashman · 29-04-2005, 12:29

peel house is a nightmare pensioners stood in the rain at 8-00 in the morning to get in at 8-30 to make an appointment.they can't get through or haven't got a phone.if they go at 8-30 many times the lines to big,and all appointments for the day have gone.this is fact its happened to me.its an absolute disgrace. i complained to a lady doctor about this and was told this was the wrong place to bring this up.well after being cold and wet for 40 mins or so what the hell would you do.

Gobsmacked · 29-04-2005, 12:41

If that was the wrong place to bring it up did she offer any suggestion as the where the right place was?

accyplus · 29-04-2005, 12:59

Your lucky to get through when you ring Peel House,when you do you are asked to hold and listen to green sleeves for 10 minutes,you can no longer see your own doctor any more,when you ask for a call out,the receptionist wants to know what is wrong with you to see if you warrant a call out.
The set up down there is bloody abysmal.

cashman · 29-04-2005, 13:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gobsmacked

If that was the wrong place to bring it up did she offer any suggestion as the where the right place was?

no she didn't and i was too annoyed about the pensioners who got soaked as well,unusal for me but i was quite stressed.

-pixie · 29-04-2005, 14:10

Peel House is run by a set of complete muppets, masquerading as receptionists. Someone needs to tell these women that they do not have any medical training/qualifications and therefore have no right to tell you when or if you can see a doctor. They should not be asking what is wrong with you - its none of their business.

I resort to cheating to get an appointment. I either tell them that some test results have returned and Doctor X wants to see me about them or that I had an emergency doctor out last night and he has recommended I see my GP. That seems to be the only way I can make appointments for my family without them asking questions.

The way I see it, is if I am worried enough to take the time off work to see a doctor, then I want to see a doctor, not a receptionist.

T.C. · 29-04-2005, 15:18

I'm only glad that my missus and me aren't under the care of Peel house, I think we would be kicking up daisies now. I called to see my G.P. a week last Monday at 8-30am, and I saw the doctor at 8-45am. He prescribed steroids for my asthma, and an appointment to see him again on Thursday of this week, when he changed my inhaler. My wife , unfortunately was diagnosed with diabetes this week, found after the annual check carried out by staff at Myrtle House, and this practice only has two doctors and three nurses, and receptionists who are human and listen to what patients have to say. I thank my lucky stars. T.C.

WillowTheWhisp · 29-04-2005, 15:30

Here's a "muppet" story for you. My daughter developed breathing difficulties following her accident, was seen by a hospital specialist and prescribed an inhaler for use as and when necessary. Letter sent to Peel House.

I went to PH to re-order a prescription for her when she was getting to the end of the one she had and the receptionist at PH told me there was nothing about it on the computer. I said she'd been prescribed by the hospital and the hospital had written to them about it. Receptionist checked th hospital letter and found refrence to the inhaler so requested a prescription from GP.

I went back 3 days later to collect the prescription (as you do) and found that although one had been issued, there was nothing on the counterfoil for ordering again so no doubt we'll have the same palaver next time!

ossyclogger · 29-04-2005, 15:37

I've been at Myrtle House for 54 years now and never had a problem getting to see a doctor. Maybe they could set up training courses for other practices.

lettie · 29-04-2005, 15:47

Unfortunately there are a limited number of good GPs in this country therefore the numbers are very limited around here. The good ones tend to be at Peel House and Myrtle House. These GP's will assess you properly and try to give you the correct treatment. Some of the others will pass the buck and try to send you to the hospital when there is next to nothing wrong with you, or alternatively will write a prescription as soon as you walk in the door in order to shut you up.

From my point of view we get dozens of women each week who end up in our unit with simple urine infections who have been seen by the GP and sent to the hospital because the GP's don't want to know them once they're pregnant. We even had a GP send a woman to us with heartburn!!! I kid you not...... We rarely get women sent to us in this way from Peel House or Myrtle House which are both busy practices with good reputations.

From working on the community for 8 years I can also vouch that these surgeries are full of timewasters. People with nothing seriously wrong with them who could take a couple of Paracetamol at home, but no....... Let's see what the quack says about my cold. People clutter the surgeries for sicknotes in order to claim benefits. The new in thing is stress or depression and these consultations take time. I met a lass a few weeks ago who is on incapacity benefit for depression aged 20. When I asked her if there had been a major event in her life which accounted for her depression..... abuse, terminal illness, bereavement etc. she answered "no." Funnily enough this lass is pregnant, one of the features of true depression is loss of libido, there appears to be nothing wrong with hers. It's timewasters like this who monopolise the services and take attention away from the genuinely ill or depressed.

Peel House has a good reputation and some decent GPs that is why it is so difficult to get appointments. They have a massive caseload and their fair share of timewasters. Bear in mind that timewasters are very convincing and will often concoct a story in order to get an appointment, therefore denying an appointment to somebody genuinely ill.

cashman · 29-04-2005, 15:59

my doctor at peel house lettie is brilliant,the complaint i have is the system,i.e.pensioners stood in the cold and rain hoping to get an appointment,this to me has nothing whatsoever to do with timewasters of which i agree on that point.i suspect you are viewing this with a little bias.

WillowTheWhisp · 29-04-2005, 16:06

It's all very well Peel House having good GPs if you can't get to see them.

Do you actually get to see your own GP Cashman? I've seen somebody different every time I've gone.

On the subject of timewasters I was talking to someone the other day who took her child there because she had a sore throat. If mine have a sore throat they get a lemony drink or a lozenge to suck.

lettie · 29-04-2005, 16:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by cashman

my doctor at peel house lettie is brilliant,the complaint i have is the system,i.e.pensioners stood in the cold and rain hoping to get an appointment,this to me has nothing whatsoever to do with timewasters of which i agree on that point.i suspect you are viewing this with a little bias.

Hehehe, you're right there Cashman. My department is full of them, people who call ambulances to come to the hospital with minor disorders of pregnancy which are completely normal, backache, sickness etc. It gets up our noses and takes our time away from the people who are genuinely in need of our services. It makes us wonder whether the people of this country have gone soft and how they would cope if they lived in remote areas ie, Aussie Outback..

cashman · 29-04-2005, 16:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

It's all very well Peel House having good GPs if you can't get to see them.

Do you actually get to see your own GP Cashman? I've seen somebody different every time I've gone.

On the subject of timewasters I was talking to someone the other day who took her child there because she had a sore throat. If mine have a sore throat they get a lemony drink or a lozenge to suck.

the only time i haven't seen my own is when he's on holiday, i'll qualify that by telling you i'm down there in the queue just before 8-00 for the privailge if i need to go.

WillowTheWhisp · 29-04-2005, 16:16

WOW! I needed to see GP following a hospital referal (from yet someone else other than my own GP) and had a letter from them asking me to make an appointment so off I duly trotted for the queueing up outside experience and even then I had to see a doctor I'd never set eyes on in my life before, who funnily enough turned out to be Busman's doctor (someone Busman has never actually seen himself!)