So i went to the optician for a regular eye test .he advised me I have bleeding behind one eye and he would write to the doctor . I waited a week then went and asked at reception had they received it ,after 15 minutes of tutting and sighing she found it on the computer and said ,You don't need to do anything about it ,Its says nothing here , I don't think so I said they don't idly write letters to doctors for nothing please make me an appointment . We have none until the 28 th you can ring on the 28th and make one .Or ring in the morning (today) I rang this morning ,nope we have nope appointments today .Ring tomorrow at 8 am . We only have a few each day you have to be early . You can ring 15/20 times in a morning to get through its absurd .
What is going on with the Doctors : So i went to... - PMRGCAuk
What is going on with the Doctors
Oh I would be reporting her. She is doing a very bad job and you should not tolerate it xxx
They are all the same if you complain the doctors just mumble something about re training and staff shortage I have looked for another doctor but if you ask for word of mouth. E very one else seems just as bad. It's dreadful here
I can`t say our surgery is that bad...and a doctor will always ring you if they can`t see you on the day.
A relative of mine rang her surgery yesterday after coming home from Mexico with a nasty virus to be told on phone recording....you are 22nd in the queue!....she felt too ill to wait....and is trying again today....I told her if she worsens to go to A& E...…..
No ours don't ring and if you are in a bad way you are just told to go to A@E who then get snippy and I don't blame them ,they are taking to overload off the doctors when this happens .That is not what they are there for . The drop in centre would not see me because it is not in their remit and as the optician has asked for a referral possibly for a scan ? that is what I should have . I have rung the Rheumatology dept helpline just in case it is something to do with the medication they will ring me back ,That's how that works .They are really good . This should have been a simple case of a referral I would have thought .If she has a virus from Mexico I would say go to A@E straight away ,Don't wait .
Isn't it ridiculous .
Certainly is...and I fear it will worsen....My D-In-Law rang 111 for her 82 year old mother to be told a doctor would ring her back...he never did...so who can we rely on?...frightening really.....
That is dreadful ,that age should be given priority and so upsetting for her mother ,Its a shambles .
She had collapsed on the bathroom floor......told her she needs to ring 999 if it happens again....but her mother wouldn't let her......she hasn't been to the doctor's for 22 years!..........terrified of anything like that.....
Oh I am so sorry ,thats awful
I’m so sorry for you. That is so wrong.
It’s ridiculous but also dangerous xx
Oh my gosh are you serious!!!! 22nd in queue!!!! It could have been life threatening!!! I am in shock.
You do begin to feel as though they have the opinion ''Well it isn't affecting me so ,hey no problem '' 22 nd in the queue is horrendous . Ours has a cut off at some point and then you have to ring again and again .
But that doesn’t make sense these are sick people not customers queuing up for a new release mobile phone! Is there really no way round it? It is horrible xxx.
Oh dear so in that case you must develop a thick skin and be very determined to get your appointment. Be deaf to their rudeness and lack of care. Just refuse to move or hang up until you get one. It’s disgusting
Thats what you have to do here its first come first served .I will be at the surgery as soon as they open tomorrow ,It,s useless ringing it,s always engaged with all the other patients trying to get an appointment .We have a serious shortage of Doctors here apparrantly . So that is how all our local doctors are functioning .Its a constant complaint .
I will be at the surgery in the morning before they get chance to start answering the phones and get an appointment that way ,Its unseemly to have to be rushing to get there first .That is all I can do along with others who look like they are in the 1930s queueing for a days work at the docks m'lud please sir can I ave an appointment ,cap in hand and pleading . If the doctors were doing there job they don't need to waste appointment time anyway ,Just refer me as the optician as asked . Bad practice just causes more work .
Patricia I had heard about this happening in the uk but I didn’t want to believe it. As you say it’s unseemly and undignified and like the films of rationing. How do they expect people to queue up like this for medical treatment it is utterly inhumane and degrading. But I don’t see any alternative at this time. You will have to bite the proverbial bullet and do whatever it takes. Grit your teeth and get that appointment. I feel so sad for you it is revolting to be treated like this. Please let us know how you get on xx
I will be there tomorrow lol charging over the weak and vulnerable to get my appointment. Thats how they make you feel. I have had a friend a year ago tell me this was how her doctors was but shamefully I thought she was eggagerating. Now here is standard practice
You feel like that I’m sure. You must feel like you are taking a seat on a lifeboat from a weak person. It’s not your fault!!! You deserve and need that appointment!! Xxx
I would be inclined to “advise” receptionist that “left untreated this eye problem could cause real problems, even leading to sight loss, and if it does you will report surgery, particularly her, to the general medical council for gross negligence” .
Either that or ask to speak to practice manager, with a similar remark.
That usually makes them spark.
I will be sending them a letter regarding any repercussions I will hold them responsible for a lack of Duty of Care that last time I bothered the Practice manager with ''Why have you not referred me to the Ortho as requested for the Massive rotor cuff tear that the physiotherapy dept sent a letter about ''She was defensive unapologetic and defiant until I mentioned that the Rheumatology dept has asked me to query because 6 weeks after the letter had been sent by them ,It had not happened . She looked at it again and blamed the doctor for not doing it and the doctor blamed the staff for not doing it . Unbelievable . In our area we seem to have nothing better .Every body is complaining about thier doctors being the same .No alternative ,
Hi again,
Unfortunately you are not alone! It takes about 3 weeks to get an appointment here, but at least you can get a 5 minute telephone “appointment” fairly easily, which is something.
We shouldn’t need to have to complain, but sometimes it’s necessary, even when you don’t physically have the energy to!
Trouble is lack of resources (again) and the difficulty in recruiting young GPs - not glamorous enough apparently! aligned with more working part-time. Plus many of the staff are under-valued and disillusioned - doesn’t make a good working environment. The powers to be don’t want to know either!
Yes sadly the best Doctor we have is part time meaning it's almost impossible to get an appointment with her she is so popular .
Patricia are you in Hertfordshire? My English friend who told me similar stories was in Stevenage.
No I am in Cheshire .It's in the North West of the country .
I lived in Lancashire for 18 months in the mid seventies. It was beautiful yet terrifying as I was almost destitute. Loved the locals but the weather was brutal! Is it economically depressed where you are? It seems the nhs is run almost like a whole lot of small businesses these days which is so wrong. It should be equal wherever you live xxx
HA hahaha I live in semi rural place near Cronton in Widnes . Its really nice here , when I grew up here it was rural but I was happy with that I loved the country side .I had to move to the town when I got my first house and I wasn't happy with that ,I hated living in the the town but economics dictate 
,Its a matter of likes and dislikes isn't it .My sister hated it and wanted to live in the Town ,My other sister escaped to London and loved it . All of us different .No the area I live in is not depressed although I suspect property comfy and pension poor .
It’s morning here in Melbourne. Did you get the appointment??? Xxx
Not near/in the footballers enclave I trust!
My son’s on the border with Derbyshire.
No - but her local rugby team is called the Vikings...
Yes that's right .
Ahh, but which Rugby? Proper or league?
Rugby League
Oh dear...never mind 🤣😂
Hahaha oops OK !
No - definitely not Proper! Isn't her fault though so we won't hold it against her.
It used to be like that at my parent's GP.
Two doctors had been caring for my father for years and both knew that on top of everything else he now had terminal kidney failure. Both had said they would come to him when necessary as they knew he wanted to die at home.
The trouble started when I needed them I couldn't get any one to answer the phone. I hang on for 20 mins. getting more and more stressed and the queue didn't seem to be getting shorter. I was in the early stages of PMR ( tho. I didn't know ) and had been up all night with dad and was very distressed. My son said he'd deliver an urgent note by hand. He gave it to the receptionist and said please very urgent etc must get it as soon as poss.
Later that day I had to call the ambulance and Dad went to hospital and Mum went into a state of utter confusion for the rest of her life.
Two days later one of the doctor called to say he had just found the note in his in tray and how sorry he was not to be able to come when we needed him, he was very fond of dad.
I complained about the difficulty of reaching him and he was as upset as I was.
Not long after things changed and the receptionists were given a new code of conduct. The queue for the phone improved and computer appointments became available.
The stress of dealing with this and a mother with dementia { which they also knew about }
was too much for me and I believe was a contributing factor in my developing PMR.
I had been close to a mental breakdown before and this felt the same.
Yep I get the stress element I cared for my wheelchair bound mother for 33 years aged 10 to 43 ,Mother in Law with dementia for 9 years at the latter end of looking after my mother doing part time jobs to survive and bringing two lovely sons up who I will always be proud of and grateful for the pleasure of . You get sick of people thinking you can do this ,They couldn't .No you did this ,they didn't . Its just the luck of the draw but yes I think all my health problems stem from lifting ,stressing and overcaring . Still I am ok and don't look back with any guilt ,I remember a friend saying years ago ,The only reason you havn't had a breakdown is because you didn't have the time lol . So roll on tomorrow and let,s see what that brings . Hope this dosn't sound like a whine it's just a (yes you are not alone we do understand sort of thing) I have a life now despite the stupid PMR n other stuff . I am 67 next month . Life is good .
Yes hope all goes well
Go back to the optician - and ask for clarification as to the urgency.
Your practice should be offering you an urgent appointment to discuss it. Not that the GP can do much more as they can't examine the back of the eye properly. However, your optician will be able to tell you whether this needs to be an emergency or whether it is something that can be routinely dealt with in a few months time...
If the optician says it could be an emergency, get a letter from them saying so and take it to the Manchester Eye Hospital A&E department. My optician in Scotland sent patients with emergency situations directly to A&E at the local hospital: he rang the hospital to say they were on their way and wrote a referral.
Whatever the rights or wrongs of the state of the NHS in the UK, an attitude like that is not acceptable. DL has also made suggestions - and I would ask the receptionist exactly when she got her medical qualifications to do triage. Then I would make a written complaint to the Practice Manager.
Yes I agree ,point taken I will be outside the surgery fending off all other desperate patients hahaha and get an appointment . We will see what the receptionist should have said .I suspect she had no idea and just fobbed me off . Not her decision was it .
Probably not entirely hers, but there are receptionists, and then again there are receptionists!
I'm in Genoa at the moment which seems fairly civilised. Sometimes I think the UK is turning into a third world country 😪. I wonder sometimes if the UK Doctors are paid so much that they only have to work part time. 🙄
At my daughter's practice there are 16 different doctors - at least 8 of them are couples who jobshare. Not sure what else they do - probably OOH cover for megabucks...
The doctors in U.K. are paid so much they can afford to work part time and retire early. It is the nurses etc who have small salaries.
I don't know what;s happening but its getting difficult to access many things now .
I feel the same, things are not looking good. I fear that our country has lost its way 😶
There was a thing on TV about ops they are no longer doing on the NHS and also drugs that are no longer offered to those who normally get them free such as children and people over 60. I think it is going to increase. On the other hand I get folic acid on prescription and I checked the other day and discovered I could get three months supply for just over a pound over the counter. I dread to think how much the NHS are being charged for it.
The pharmacists are supposed to tell you if it is cheaper to buy OTC. They don't of course - they wouldn't get their dispensing fee...
I think they just do that if the person does not get drugs for free. I think the doctors are getting better at stopping cheap drugs going through as prescriptions nowadays though. It is my cleaning lady’s husband who is a coeliac and gets an enormous amount of gluten free stuff free who gets me. They get so much she uses it too. Spaghetti, Italian bread, and things like that not just plain bread. That must cost a fortune from the pharmacist as they are not exactly grocers. I think it may be stopped soon though. Not like years ago when they gave you the gluten free flour to make your own bread.
I thought that was being stopped. The pasta is OK - and it is fair enough she shares his rather than cook two lots. But I can't imagine why ANYONE would want to eat the bread - I go without rather than eat it!
It is the Italian bread she shares and the rolls. She was quite annoyed because they are cutting back on some things. I totally agree it tastes disgusting in my opinion I bought some shortbread biscuits recently and could not understand why they tasted vile and then discovered gluten free stamped on them. I am amazed they ever allowed so many non gluten things to be available on prescription. My cleaning lady gets this stuff weekly and it looks like she has been on a large shopping trip. The fact that she needs them so often presumably because of freshness, means even more cost to the NHS.
The amount of bread they are allowed is ridiculous! G/F jaffa cakes are better than ordinary and is it Mrs Crimble that has some good stuff if you like that sort of thing. But the shortbread is usually gritty as they use rice flour which is quite coarse.
Personally I would prefer to just pack in gluten products and live without them. If people are so desperate why can’t they just go to Tesco and get them? I suppose soon that will happen judging by the things being stopped by the NHS. I cannot believe they were paying for dandruff shampoo and sunscreen.
Sunscreen is fair enough for people with photosensitivity, like lupus patients. They need Factor 50 at all times when they leave the house or it can cause a flare - and they often aren't working as they are too unwell. But DANDRUFF shampoo?????? Really?
Sounds just like my Doctor's so I assume you go to the same one 😪 it's just a nightmare. The receptionist says go on line at 10 am or 2pm and choose an appointment. They must be having a laugh, seldom anything there. I'm thinking of writing to my MP but he's a MP🙄
This sounds quite serious to me Patricia,and l am noticing a change at my doctors practice.They will always give an appointment if really necessary,and the doctors do phone if that is preferred to actually attending the surgery,so l cannot complain about the receptionists .However,there seems to be less GP,s and more locum doctors,familiar doctors seem to either be on holiday or left the practice.The problem with your eye should have been treated urgently.lt does seeem to be driving patients to A &E,but what else can you do ? Incidentally,we have to phone the surgery at 8 .am,to be considered for an appointment,it means waiting a while before they answer as everyone is trying around the same time. I wish you a good outcome regarding your eye.
Patricia white it is vitally urgent that you see either the optician or the hospital eye department tomorrow. PMRPRO is absolutely correct. If an optician/optometrist says you have either fluid or blood at the back of your eye they should have fast track referred you to the Hospital. If they don't do that they need to write a letter to the Hospital Eye Department and ask you to take it there yourself - all large hospitals have emergency Eye Departments. You should be seen by a retinal specialist within a handful of days (it used to be two days). IF you need treatment it should be given within two weeks. Treatment is by tiny injection to the white of your anaesthetised eye. It does not hurt and is over very quickly. Phone the Macular Society on 0300 3030 111 if you want to confirm what I have said.
Hi
One GP practice where I live are no loner booking appointments in advance
Its all phone and book on the day
And like you when you do manage to get through thier all gone
It's just ridiculous isn,t it
Up date after 27 rapidly repeated calls each one but the last disconnected ,as I was on my way to the doctors for a two pronged attack on reception lol Hubby who was on phone duty in car managed to connect and get an appointment this morning .How do the elderly or infirm manage top get on .Its ok with a mobile you just keep repeating every time you are cut off . If you didn't experience it ,you wouldn't believe it would you ?
Wow, don’t think I’ll be returning to England!😏 I’ve had the same doctor for over 25 years, my husband, daughter and son-in-law are with him too. Appointments within 3 days unless urgent. Phone messaging at any time (Dr rings back within the hour)!
I have been with these for over 20 years. Its becoming a universal problem where I am sadly
Last update ,I have seen a Doctor who checked the records and said there was no sign of my opticians letter having been assigned to a Doctor ,So she dealt with it there and then , Suspect glaucoma (old age again maybe ) I now have a referral which if I had taken the receptionists word ,I would not have had . Sigh , oh well all sorted so far until referral date in November .
If it is glaucoma you should be seen right away before (more) damage occurs. Was the urgency of the situation made clear when the referral was finally given?
Nope ,I have a referral appointment for November ,there is no sense of urgency at all with any of our doctors in any situation,They all seem quite unable to take ownership of anything .It was as if almost a couple of years ago they all agreed unanimously to be vague and not responsible .The PMR had been roughly 2 years without treatment . Just ''here have some more painkiller and go back to work ''I was frightened to death at the time ,I though I had MS or something it was that bad before my trusty optician sent a letter to them . I have more faith in the optician than them .
If it is raised pressures then if they are only slightly raised there is no desperate hurry. But your GPs sound a right set...
But most opticians can do the eye pressures test - which answers the glaucoma question. And they would have said raised pressures, not bleeding surely?
I really would nip back to the optician and ask their advice. Eyes are very precious.
I will I am confused ,the optician did an eye pressure test at the time .
But told you it was bleeding? How bizarre...
I know I am very confused with it all. Called at opticians they use locums all the time. They are going to give me a copy of the letter. After they have made sure it's OK. Twilight zone comes to mind.
I await the next segment of the saga with bated breath!
Me too...
Ha ! the plot thickens ....The optician requested a scan because he saw evidence of bleeding behind my eye ,as I had previously had suspected temporal arteritis ,better safe then sorry . Yep happy with that ,However there was no mention of glaucoma at all on the letter .So the conclusion Dr Watson is as follows
I have a doctors receptionist who cannot see what is in front of her .
A doctor who sees words that are not there . An astonished optician who was just being careful. and an appointment with the eye specialist at St Helens hospital .
It all seemed soooooo simple .
“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” It's simply elementary, my dear reader . Yup !
Honestly - maybe the optician should send complimentary appointments to both receptionist and doctor!!
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