Oh Dear! The local Doctor Surgery!

Following a prescription review, obeyed the Dr's instructions & booked in for a blood test, yesterday, at Ascot, then used my new Blood Pressure monitor, which the Doctor advised me to buy, to supply readings via the surgery on line web page.

Got an email, yesterday, saying the Doctor would be calling me today (hour unspecified).

Went on the phone, to the surgery, to tell them I was unavailable today, and, just as the phone line opened, at 8 am, the phone went dead twice, and on the third attempt, told me I was number 15 in the queue.

That's remarkably fast, at opening time!

Hung up the phone and went back to the online website, filled in all the docs, again, but specifically asked them to switch my appointment to Tuesday.

A swift reply told me there would be a Doctor call, next Wednesday, in response. (I'm away on Wednesday).

So, Back to square one.

Note - If I miss the call I'll get a quick ban!

So now, I'm faced with sitting here all day when all I want to know is whether my readings got to them OK!

It seems clear, these days, that there are two levels of health service.

The Hospitals, which I have recently found to be excellent, and the Local Doctors Surgeries, too busy to face the public, and too protected to avoid pressure.

Apologies for the rant - but, hopefully, there will still be some, of you, clapping on the door steps.

Re: Oh Dear! The local Doctor Surgery!

Easy, change doctors.

Re: Oh Dear! The local Doctor Surgery!

That's not an easy thing to do at the best of times, here, Bruce, never mind when they are trying to cope with a pandemic. Doctors listings are full right across the board in most places, and because we have to be within the surgery area, choice is also hard to come by. I know in my own surgery, even though we have been assigned "our" doctor, very often your case will be dealt with by another one who you are not familiar with.

Re: Oh Dear! The local Doctor Surgery!

Its nigh on impossible to do that here, Bruce, as Pixie has said.

in my surgery there are notices up on the walls saying they are not taking on any new patients unless you have just moved to the area and not registered anywhere.
So if we already have a doctor, we cannot just change to another practice - unfortunately.

Re: Oh Dear! The local Doctor Surgery!

They way to do it is de-register and then say you are not registered to the practice you want to go to.

Re: Oh Dear! The local Doctor Surgery!

You rant all you want if it helps, Ted.

I fully sympathise and agree.

Re: Oh Dear! The local Doctor Surgery!

Oh OK, I didn't realise that. Here you can change doctors anytime you like as long as their books are open.

I was forced to change mine recently (actually probably a year ago) when my long time doctor closed his practice and moved to work part time at a medical centre a 20 minute drive away. I shopped around a bit and found a doctor I liked about a 5 minute walk away (my old doctors surgery was across the road from me and I had been with him for over 30 years).

It is annoying to change doctor but you don't really want to be with a doctor that you don't like/trust or empathise with.

Re: Oh Dear! The local Doctor Surgery!

yes but Bruce can you imagine the absolute chaos in a country of 65 million approx all changing doctors when they felt like - the NHS would collapse?

Re: Oh Dear! The local Doctor Surgery!

But everybody wouldn't change their doctors would they? only a very small proportion who were dissatisfied with their current doctor. I can't see why it would be any different to any other county where people change their doctors. There are plenty of countries with universal medical care it is not something unique to the UK.

Re: Oh Dear! The local Doctor Surgery!

I suggest you google "why person in UK are not encouraged to change doctors" - it is a long and complex topic starting in 1940 something when the NHS commenced - a history lesson!