I occasionally wake up absolutely soaked in sweat

[Kingfisher101]

A man here died through not getting seen by the G.P. He had a straightforward ear infection that was right deep in the ear and he got fobbed off and fobbed off and he died when he should have just had a course of antibiotics. Disgusting really.
I'd say I need to be seen or rung back whatever and if you dont help then I will have not alternative but to go to A and E and tell them there you are not helping. Dont let yourself or your loved one die through not getting any help.
111 is absolute garbage, they just tell you to go to A and E anyway.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

A man here died through not getting seen by the G.P. He had a straightforward ear infection that was right deep in the ear and he got fobbed off and fobbed off and he died when he should have just had a course of antibiotics. Disgusting really.
I'd say I need to be seen or rung back whatever and if you dont help then I will have not alternative but to go to A and E and tell them there you are not helping. Dont let yourself or your loved one die through not getting any help.
111 is absolute garbage, they just tell you to go to A and E anyway.

When I used the online 111 last year the advise was to dial 999, 5 minutes after I put the phone down the ambulance was outside, my Good Lady was treated in the house then transported to hospital under blue lights, we spent the rest of the day in A & E waiting for a bed and she was in hospital for 2 weeks, 111 is not garbage.

 

[richardfm]

A man here died through not getting seen by the G.P. He had a straightforward ear infection that was right deep in the ear and he got fobbed off and fobbed off and he died when he should have just had a course of antibiotics. Disgusting really.
I'd say I need to be seen or rung back whatever and if you dont help then I will have not alternative but to go to A and E and tell them there you are not helping. Dont let yourself or your loved one die through not getting any help.
111 is absolute garbage, they just tell you to go to A and E anyway.

111 isn't garbage. They don't just tell you to to A&E.

 

[Kingfisher101]

111 isn't garbage. They don't just tell you to to A&E.

They have when I've rung.. People dont even bother with it, Its that bad.

 

[numbnuts]

My surgery is crap, I had a phone call appointment about my medications for my diabetes...... I got an email saying “I had a look at your medications and they look fine to me” two days earlier I was vomiting blood due to metformin. I phoned the surgery to complain all I got was go to A&E.

Another time I have two sores on my hips the doctor took photos on them to send to dermatology to find out what is causing it...............that was five months ago and no reply due to the fact that there is a waiting list of 18 months at the hospital, I'm going to do another econsult on Monday.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

They have when I've rung.. People dont even bother with it, Its that bad.

It is not bad.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

I think it's down to your area, our surgery used to be great, but they expanded & took on 4 more areas & I suspect far too many patients. They have now pulled out of 1 of the areas stating they haven't the resource to support it. Hopefully this will allow them to improve the service,

 

[richardfm]

It is not bad.

It sounds as though @Kingfisher101 had a bad experience so assumes it is bad for everyone. I know this is not the case.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

It sounds as though @Kingfisher101 had a bad experience so assumes it is bad for everyone. I know this is not the case.

I was thinking the same, I was in the situation where I wasn't sure if I needed a doctors appointment or an ambulance, the 111 advice was spot on and enabled us to get my Good Lady the treatment she needed when she needed it.

 

[presta]

The other half ???? It is literally the advice given on the NHS website which is what I was quoting!!

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/night-sweats/

Sorry, it was a bit cryptic.
I feel rather jealous of people who feel comfortable seeing the doctor about something this trivial, which can easily be dismissed with a wave of the hand. I wouldn't dare, because I know that each time I get fobbed off it makes the chances of getting taken seriously next time that much slimmer. Any time I want the doctor I have to wrestle with the decision as to whether seeing him and being fobbed off is more or less harmful to my health than waiting to see if the symptoms worsen to the point that they're undeniable. In the days before I went down with heart arrhythmia I used to try to ration myself to no more than one appointment a year, I nearly fell off my chair when I found out that the average is 5-7.

Same here, but it's "ring at 08:00", then all lines are engaged, then it's "ring tomorrow" ad infinitum.

You have to hangupredialhangupredialhangupredialhangupredial non stop as fast as you can, starting at 07:59:59, and keep going until you get "You're 20th in the queue". It costs about £15-£20 in phone calls.

Doesn't your practice have online booking for non same day appointments?

That went out of the window when covid arrived.

pneumonia and TB were diagnosed

I think I recall my mother saying my father used to have night sweats when he had TB. I remember the endless x-rays as a young kid when he got it the second time.

If access an issue, put it in writing to your GP. Bypasses reception

I doubt it will if they're all locums, and there's nobody specific to address it to.

Mine is introducing Anima next week, sounds similar/same?

That's what we have now. Regardless of whether you go online, phone up, or visit the surgery, the receptionist goes through the same Anima triage questions, and then they decide whether you get a telephone appointment. When all the appointments are gone the system is switched off until the next day, just like with the old 8am telephone scrum.

When I used the online 111 last year the advise was to dial 999

Last time I called 111 they sent the ambulance, and the paramedics took me in with an ECG showing elevated ST interval. A&E just sent me home telling me to see the GP, whose response was:

I'd say I need to be seen or rung back whatever and if you dont help then I will have not alternative but to go to A and E

My health is going downhill to the point where I'm in iminent danger of not being able to look after myself at home alone. When I told the GP this, she just told me to wait until I can't cope by myself any more, then go to A&E.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

My wife has been unwell for a while and it is next to impossible to contact or book her GP. They have thrown up all the barriers. She's currently running out of important medication. Her GP should have her notes from the consultant and should be able to prescribe. She's been trying all week to get in touch but they won't respond by phone.

My own GP in contrast is merely incredibly difficult to contact.

It's utterly hopeless.

For repeat prescriptions, try downloading the Patient Access App on your phone, register, look under your medications menu, ask for a repeat.
Ask a local pharmacy to collect the prescription from the doc's surgery for delivery by them if the service is available or collection by you.
On the app there's a space for notes to the surgery: ask them to give the prescription to the chosen pharmacy's driver.
Give at least 48 hours for the prescription to be issued, factor in the days when the driver goes to the surgery, you can ask at the pharmacy.
Good luck!
This worked for me, my GP is also impossible to get to.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

For repeat prescriptions, try downloading the Patient Access App on your phone, register, look under your medications menu, ask for a repeat.
Ask a local pharmacy to collect the prescription from the doc's surgery for delivery by them if the service is available or collection by you.
On the app there's a space for notes to the surgery: ask them to give the prescription to the chosen pharmacy's driver.
Give at least 48 hours for the prescription to be issued, factor in the days when the driver goes to the surgery, you can ask at the pharmacy.
Good luck!
This worked for me, my GP is also impossible to get to.

We use the NHS app to order all our medication, it was a pain to set up but it makes life easier.

 

[gbb]

My health is going downhill to the point where I'm in iminent danger of not being able to look after myself at home alone. When I told the GP this, she just told me to wait until I can't cope by myself any more, then go to A&E.

She wouldn't be on my list of doctors to see anymore after that.
Does your practice have more doctors,I know mine, you can ask to see a particular doc, or any that's available, or even a practitioner nurse who I always found very sympathetic and good.
And keep banging away, sometgings gone very wrong with the doctors side of the NHS in my opinion, its like they've rolled down the shutters since covid.

 

[PK99]

We use the NHS app to order all our medication, it was a pain to set up but it makes life easier.

Me too.

I have 10 scrips on 3 Monthly repeat. All out of sequence. Re-ordering takes 30s over breakfast. Pharmacy texts a day or so later and I walk round to collect.

One BP med was recently on national shortage and most suppliers showed it as 'out of stock' Pharmacy (part of large chain) pulled out All the stops to find a supply for me.

 

[FishFright]

111 isn't garbage. They don't just tell you to to A&E.

They were good for me too , giving me good advice to reduce the symptoms and made me an emergency appointment with an out of hours doctors service.