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I’ve been at the same GP practice for 20 years. It used to be great, same 3 GP’s and a junior GP in training that would change every year. They genuinely knew me, one of them, like me, was into photography, we’d take about what we’d been photographing and what kit we had. The other GP knew I ran a business and would ask how it was doing.
They all retired or moved on, the practice has been taken over by a company that runs about 15 practices. Whilst it’s easy to get an appointment, it’s all locums. Over the past few years I’ve not seen the same GP twice. The practice now feels like a McDoctors.
How does your GP practice compare.
Enyaq EV
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@jojoe I think it’s pretty much the same where ever you live. The days of indepentant GP practises have now long gone. Along with the personal touch and seeing the same GP.So most practises are former groups of independant Practises. It is the only way they can survive today.
Joss
Current car: BMW X2 sDrive 20i M Sport 5dr Step Auto In metallic Portimão Blue. 04:10:2025
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Don’t think I’ve seen any of ours in over 3 years. Can’t get an appointment even when the surgery is empty. Last time was September 2020 when the diabetic nurse took my foot pulse and found my AF, she thought I was going to throw a clot there and then!. Managed a couple of phone appointments after I was put under the heart failure team to discuss their findings but that’s about it.
Please excuse spelling/typos. Apart from being a clot it turns out I had one on my cerebellum that's now causing various problems!
@Joss, you’re right, I think I’m just getting older and looking back at how it used to be.
@Phaedra, That sounds bad, one benefit of the practice being owned by a big group is that they employ dozens of GP’s and you can always get an appointment. That said, you’re on hold at 8am for a while. Mrs Joe was 28th in the queue at 8am this week, she got through at 8.35am and got an appointment at 3.20pm same day.Enyaq EV
I’m not a 100% sure there are GP’s working in practices any more, not seen mine for years although their name is on a board in the reception but what’s in a name.
I do see nurses for blood test annually but my other half had a cut on her leg back last Summer that would not heal so booked an appointment with her doctor and she seen a paramedic though there was no problems with that as they knew what they were doing and out patients at a central hospital was arrange to sort.
So do we still have GP’s in our clinics, from where I’m sitting I would say I just don’t know. ?♂️?
Most appointments are by phone, including 2 related to blood pressure. I think we have a GP appointed as ours but if we want to see her it’s an additional 2 or 3 week wait over seeing whoever we can in around 4 weeks time. We have an online application process, you fill in a form online and it gets sent to a doctor who prioritises what you’ve written. If they don’t think there’s any urgency, then you’ll have an appointment 7 or 8 weeks away, even slightly urgent ones are 3-4 weeks. same day appointments or symptoms that trigger a same day response are directed to the 111 service. Essentially they offload that to the overworked hospitals.
What’s worse is that’s the best GP group in our town, the other you have to fight like hell to get an appointment at all.
My recent woes started with online forms getting 8 week appointments as a bad back isn’t urgent. When things started getting desperate, I get referred to 111 and even 999. I then had a phonecall from a random GP about some bloodtests when I’d been in hospital for 2 weeks.
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I'll try to give my honest opinion but am always open to learning.Mark
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