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Tedc
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Berkshire, UK
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18-12-2020, 01:34 PM
1

The Demise Of The Family Doctor?

Frequent conversations, these days, about the way that Family Doctors have changed their availability during the Coronavirus time frame.

Opinions range from those who remember Doctors, back in the day, who really put themselves out to stay in close touch with their patients, through to others who believe that Doctors have made themselves, virtually, untouchable, even for every day advice & guidance.

A recent comment was that Family Doctors have been "Help Desk" operatives, for quite a while, in that they took calls, by phone, searched the net, & found Specialists, etc., to pass the calls to, and then "Goodbye".

Do we still need Family Doctors?

If they have the choice to lock themselves in, at home, should the rest of the staff not be able to do the same?

I have been well satisfied with the 111 service whereby somone does the check list, works out what you need, and then sets you up to get it.

The future seems obvious.

Internet, or suffer!

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OldGreyFox
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South Yorkshire
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18-12-2020, 10:47 PM
2

Re: The Demise Of The Family Doctor?

With a rapid increase of the population, and not much incentive for anybody to become a doctor, they have been overwhelmed Ted. Just in our little village which has quadrupled in size in the last twenty years, but the surgery is the same size with the same number of doctors. In fact, we have less doctors now than we had twenty years ago, as doctors have retired or moved away they have not been replaced.
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19-12-2020, 12:04 AM
3

Re: The Demise Of The Family Doctor?

What do you think about this then, Ted.

Earlier in the year I kept getting chest pains, or perhaps it would be more accurate to describe it as 'discomfort.'
After a battle with the surgery's receptionist, she finally arranged for a GP to ring me back later that day.
When he rang, he told me to go to A & E and ask for an ECG.
So off I went.

l when I got there and was finally called in after a couple of hours waiting, the hospital doc was very sharp with me, and asked what I was doing there, and why had I gone, and seemed quite annoyed.
I was upset enough as it was without her being so ratty with me.
I said would she please not have a go at me as I didn't just drift in off my own bat - I was sent!
Her reply was . . . " What are these doctors doing all day? They are perfectly capable of giving an ECG themselves!"
Not my flipping fault though!

I have since heard of other cases the same. It seems the hospitals are not happy with so many docs sending patients off to busy A&E's when they should be dealing with these patients themselves.
Fortunately I was ok after various tests.

Then a few months later, I hurt my back. I was sent for x-ray (again without GP seeing me).
The x-ray showed problems so I was referred for physio.
Physio rang me to make an appointment to ring me back to make an appointment! (True).

When they rang the second time, they told me they would send me some back exercises to my mobile phone!
I asked how the hell was anyone going to see i was doing them correctly and safely over the phone???

It's an ongoing saga still . . . . .
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19-12-2020, 12:57 AM
4

Re: The Demise Of The Family Doctor?

Originally Posted by OldGreyFox ->
With a rapid increase of the population, and not much incentive for anybody to become a doctor, they have been overwhelmed Ted. Just in our little village which has quadrupled in size in the last twenty years, but the surgery is the same size with the same number of doctors. In fact, we have less doctors now than we had twenty years ago, as doctors have retired or moved away they have not been replaced.
Foxy, lt makes you wonder how doctors coped before the appointment system came in.
I remember the days when if you felt ill, you just went to the doctor’s surgery. You sat in the waiting room until it was your turn.
There were no Rottweiler receptionists in those days!
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19-12-2020, 01:01 AM
5

Re: The Demise Of The Family Doctor?

Originally Posted by OldGreyFox ->
With a rapid increase of the population, and not much incentive for anybody to become a doctor, they have been overwhelmed Ted. Just in our little village which has quadrupled in size in the last twenty years, but the surgery is the same size with the same number of doctors. In fact, we have less doctors now than we had twenty years ago, as doctors have retired or moved away they have not been replaced.
The same situation prevails in our village, too ..... and the doctors aren't particulary interested in individuals, just numbers and throughput .....
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Somewhere rural 'out in the sticks', UK
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19-12-2020, 11:33 AM
6

Re: The Demise Of The Family Doctor?

Originally Posted by OldGreyFox ->
With a rapid increase of the population, and not much incentive for anybody to become a doctor, they have been overwhelmed Ted. Just in our little village which has quadrupled in size in the last twenty years, but the surgery is the same size with the same number of doctors. In fact, we have less doctors now than we had twenty years ago, as doctors have retired or moved away they have not been replaced.
In the part of the country I live another phenomenon appears to have taken place with doctors and local surgeries. It's now all big business and many surgeries have merged creating an enormous organisation. This is used by many local villages, probably as there are no other GP surgeries.

However, as I post this it's Saturday and not one of those surgeries is open, all are closed until Monday morning, despite having a total of 200,000 patients and 80 Partners, which I guess are GPs.
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Tedc
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Berkshire, UK
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19-12-2020, 11:36 AM
7

Re: The Demise Of The Family Doctor?

Originally Posted by OldGreyFox ->
With a rapid increase of the population, and not much incentive for anybody to become a doctor, they have been overwhelmed Ted. Just in our little village which has quadrupled in size in the last twenty years, but the surgery is the same size with the same number of doctors. In fact, we have less doctors now than we had twenty years ago, as doctors have retired or moved away they have not been replaced.
Strange isn't it?

My thinking is that, if the Doctors in the Surgery are their own bosses, which I am fairly sure they are, why would they not be hiring new Doctors as the workload grows?

Last time I looked it up, the surgery was run like a business and the Doctors were the Directors.

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Tedc
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Berkshire, UK
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19-12-2020, 11:45 AM
8

Re: The Demise Of The Family Doctor?

Originally Posted by Mups ->
What do you think about this then, Ted.

Earlier in the year I kept getting chest pains, or perhaps it would be more accurate to describe it as 'discomfort.'
After a battle with the surgery's receptionist, she finally arranged for a GP to ring me back later that day.
When he rang, he told me to go to A & E and ask for an ECG.
So off I went.

l when I got there and was finally called in after a couple of hours waiting, the hospital doc was very sharp with me, and asked what I was doing there, and why had I gone, and seemed quite annoyed.
I was upset enough as it was without her being so ratty with me.
I said would she please not have a go at me as I didn't just drift in off my own bat - I was sent!
Her reply was . . . " What are these doctors doing all day? They are perfectly capable of giving an ECG themselves!"
Not my flipping fault though!

I have since heard of other cases the same. It seems the hospitals are not happy with so many docs sending patients off to busy A&E's when they should be dealing with these patients themselves.
Fortunately I was ok after various tests.

Then a few months later, I hurt my back. I was sent for x-ray (again without GP seeing me).
The x-ray showed problems so I was referred for physio.
Physio rang me to make an appointment to ring me back to make an appointment! (True).

When they rang the second time, they told me they would send me some back exercises to my mobile phone!
I asked how the hell was anyone going to see i was doing them correctly and safely over the phone???

It's an ongoing saga still . . . . .
That's terrible, Mups, in two ways.

First way is because, if you have chest pains all of the real guidance says you have to get treatment as soon as possible.

The second way is that these medics, overworked as they may be, should never be chastising anyone for seeking advice, being nasty is going to make the patient think twice before coming forward next time .

There's a real fault, in the system, if the Triage part doesn't work.

111 staff seem to do this better!

Hope you are OK now Mups.

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Tedc
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19-12-2020, 11:49 AM
9

Re: The Demise Of The Family Doctor?

Originally Posted by Baz46 ->
In the part of the country I live another phenomenon appears to have taken place with doctors and local surgeries. It's now all big business and many surgeries have merged creating an enormous organisation. This is used by many local villages, probably as there are no other GP surgeries.

However, as I post this it's Saturday and not one of those surgeries is open, all are closed until Monday morning, despite having a total of 200,000 patients and 80 Partners, which I guess are GPs.
Very worrying, isn't it?

When I was on the doorstep, clapping for the NHS, I had yet to learn that some Doctors are not so worthy.

However, the Partner system seems to make the "Business Men", which may be where the flaw is?
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Tedc
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Berkshire, UK
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19-12-2020, 11:51 AM
10

Re: The Demise Of The Family Doctor?

Originally Posted by Artangel ->
Foxy, lt makes you wonder how doctors coped before the appointment system came in.
I remember the days when if you felt ill, you just went to the doctor’s surgery. You sat in the waiting room until it was your turn.
There were no Rottweiler receptionists in those days!
I remember tgose Rotweillers!

Some time ago, our patients ganged up and demanded that one of them got fired.

And fired they were.
 
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