Understanding the NHS surgeries

[thecaretaker]

I haven't posted about this, but I'm a diabetic. 3 weeks ago, out of the blue my GP surgery decided to reject my repeat prescription for insulin. I tried ringing them and couldn't get through. So I emailed the surgery to find out why. Had an email back from the receptionist to say she will pass my email on to the GP. Without my knowledge, they did place an order for collection at the pharmacy I collect from. Thankfully, they had my phone number and sent me a text. The doctor never contacted me or give me any explanation why she rejected it.

The following week, I placed another order for insulin only to have it rejected again. Again I emailed explaining that I am now completely out of insulin. Still no explanation as to why it was rejected.

Thankfully, I am still under the hospital for my diabetes and while I was out taking my car in for a service, my wife contacted the hospital to say how worried she was about me. By lunchtime, I had a call from the hospital. Within an hour of that call, he had contacted my GP, increased the repeat prescription and an order of 4 boxes of insulin was ready to pick up from the pharmacy.

Had I not been under the care of the hospital who were really fantastic, I don't know how I would have got on. I'd probably still be without insulin. I still don't know the reason why the GP was rejecting my repeat prescription. I have a few possible thoughts on that, but basically I'm pulling at straws.

The care I've had from the hospital has been exceptionally good thankfully. It's just the GP I've had issues with. I hate being ignored and I can see why some people become angry and take it out on surgery staff.

The guy at the hospital is ringing me on Friday to see how I am getting on.

[Handyman]

For sure it has gone downhill in recent years. I used to get really good service at my gp surgery. Now I (eventually) get a telephone appointment and speak to a sarcastic and patronising doctor telling me to look up my symptoms on Google and fobbed off with pills. Might as well not bother and just go and ask a pharmacist. This is what this feeble excuse for a government calls a health service and raises our taxes to their highest level for over 70 years for.

[inspector]

And, in the past, if you went to see the Doctor and you told him you had googled your symptoms he/she would throw a wobbly and tell you THEY are the doctor and it was not a good idea to Google them.

[Handyman]

And, in the past, if you went to see the Doctor and you told him you had googled your symptoms he/she would throw a wobbly and tell you THEY are the doctor and it was not a good idea to Google them.

True, and looking up your symptoms doesn't always help and can be quite scary. I think it is even mentioned in the old novel Three Men in a Boat the dangers of looking in medical textbooks as you start imagining you have every illness under the sun. On the other hand, if you have got something serious and you self-diagnose and write it off as 'just a bit of a cough' etc. it might be too late to do anything by the time you actually see someone. This happened to someone I knew a few years ago, when they finally got a referral to the hospital they were given a few months to live and then sadly died a couple of days later.

Someone should tell whoever makes all those adverts about immediately going to see your gp about any symptom what the reality of the situation is as they look a bit ridiculous and it comes off as a big waste of money.

[magpie]

According to the news today they are going to name and shame GPs that don't physically see patients l, not sure how that is any kind of solution, probably just another useless/pointless thing like school league tables

[Nail]

In some situations remote access to the GP works well- I've used it and been pleasantly surprised. I know it won't suit all cases but for that particular one for me it was better than trying to get there.

[Vera]

In some situations remote access to the GP works well- I've used it and been pleasantly surprised. I know it won't suit all cases but for that particular one for me it was better than trying to get there.

This is true, I have had medication reviews done over the phone and it was both convenient and didn't waste too much of the doctor's time.
However for something like a rash or other physical conditions then it is absolutely necessary to have face to face consultations otherwise how do they know they are not missing something more sinister?