Dr Zoe Williams shares top tips for anyone struggling to get a GP appointment
ONE of the most common frustrations I see from Sun readers is being unable to get a GP appointment.
I’ve heard of people on hold for almost an hour, only to be cut off – so I do understand it can make you feel like giving up.
But, there are things everyone can do to get the right help as fast as possible.
First, if you can, submit an online appointment form and make a prescription request via your GP surgery’s website to save you waiting on the phone.
Secondly, it might be that other medical professionals could help you – a physician associate, nurse or physio for example – and see you sooner than a GP.
NHS 111 can provide self-care advice, help connect you with an emergency GP, dentist or direct you to urgent treatment centres, minor injury units for sprains, broken limbs, burns or bites, or sexual health clinics.
And now, most pharmacies – from Boots to independents – offer the Pharmacy First service.
Even if your symptoms seem minor or an inconvenience, any that persist for more than two to three weeks that are unusual and out of the ordinary for you, should always be checked.
Here is a selection of readers’ frustrations with GP services . . .
Q. IN your column you often say to see your GP, but at our practice, it is impossible to see or even speak to one.
There are never appointments left.
I’ve been at the same surgery my whole life and it never used to be this way.
A. Unfortunately this is a familiar story across the country.
Last year’s patient GP survey found one in five people could not get through or get a reply from their GP practice when they last tried.
Alongside that, overall satisfaction with general practice fell to 72 per cent, from 83 per cent the year before.
It’s upsetting and frustrating for patients as well as GPs and practice staff because it’s not their fault, and they’re struggling while doing everything in their power to support patients the best they can.
So what has gone wrong? In short, the demand massively outweighs the number of available appointments.
GP teams countrywide are delivering a million appointments a day – that’s half a million more per week than before the pandemic.
This, at least in part, is due to the backlogs in hospital care, and people tend to live longer now.
Since 2010, the number of people over 70 has grown by a third, and they have five times more appointments than young people.
Add to that the fact that fewer doctors are working in general practice since before the pandemic.
You may have heard the term “care navigation”, an initiative GP practices are being encouraged to take up.
Essentially it means your request for an appointment will be triaged so you can connect with a member of the primary care team, who can best help you, without seeing the GP first.
It’s estimated 15 per cent of current GP appointments could be navigated to self-care, community pharmacy, admin teams or other healthcare professionals such as physios, mental health experts and paramedics.
What can we all do as patients to help?
Be willing to give more information to the receptionist so they can help you, and be willing to see other professionals when offered this.
Finally, please don’t take your frustrations out on the GPs or practice staff, because it’s not their fault.
GPs (and our families) are patients too, who don’t get to jump the queue at our practice.
We need to be registered at a different practice to the one we work for, so face all the same challenges.
KNEE OP DELAY IS AFFECTING MY LIFE
Q. ON one of my knees I have a completely ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, but it’s taken a year from first seeing a physio at the GP practice to getting a hospital orthopaedics appointment.
Now I face a long wait for surgery, but I have no idea even if I will definitely get it.
I am 28 and it is now affecting my life.
Do I have any right to ask the hospital to bring this forward, due to the 18-week guidance?
I know I am not an urgent patient but I don’t want to be forgotten. I try my best to strengthen the muscles in the leg at the gym.
A. The NHS sets an 18-week guideline for the maximum waiting time from referral to treatment for non- urgent conditions, but this may not always be feasible due to resource constraints and urgent cases taking priority.
However, given the impact on your life, it’s reasonable to discuss expediting your appointment with your GP or orthopaedic team.
They need to understand how it affects you to make an accurate judgement of your needs.
There’s no guarantee of speeding things up due to varying factors, but you do have the right to advocate for yourself and express your concerns.
Continue with strength exercises to improve knee stability and alleviate symptoms while awaiting your appointment.
If your symptoms worsen or new concerns arise, contact your GP for further assessment.
Tip of the week
TAKE advantage of the new Pharmacy First service that launched in 2024 to avoid waiting for a GP appointment.
A pharmacist can now write a prescription for a urinary tract infection, sore throat, sinusitis, shingles, insect bite, impetigo and ear infection.
I CAN’T BOOK TO SEE GP TO SORT PAIN
Q. I AM 87 and quite fit.
I’m still driving and enjoying life apart from back pain in my left side.
I’ve tried to get in to see my GP but whenever I call I’m told I’m 18th in the queue and I can never get through.
A. Please see above for my previous answer about the pressures on general practice.
Having said all of that though, there are things you can do.
If you have access to the internet and are computer literate, you can usually do an online consultation.
If you’re driving and can get to the surgery, popping in might help too.
You’re asking about a GP appointment but it might be that a nurse practitioner can help your case and prescribe medication.
You can often access those appointments a lot easier.
You don’t say where you are in the UK but in some areas, you can also self-refer to a physiotherapist who might be able to help identify the cause of your back pain.
In the meantime, it’s worth doing some self-care.
Have you changed anything that could contribute to the pain?
Do you have a new armchair or car that could have an uncomfortable seat position?
When did you last change your mattress?
They should be changed every six to eight years to ensure you don’t compromise support from it.
It might be worth trying some over-the-counter remedies too.
There are patches, sprays and gels you can apply topically to help with the pain.
If you ask your chemist for a consultation they should be able to help with something to ease the pain while you wait for your appointment.
And while I have assumed this is musculoskeletal, it’s important to mention that back pain on one side can be from the kidney, and new back pain in the upper spine which doesn’t go away, should always be checked out fairly urgently.
BEEFING UP WITH BUGS
THE market for insects is growing as an alternative protein source to meat.
Critters are protein-rich, easier to farm, lower in fat are environmentally friendly and could help tackle obesity, experts claim.
Adding insects to flour could help people here overcome their reluctance to eat them, scientists say.
However, people are disgusted by the thought of eating them, according to a survey presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Venice.
Of more than 600 Brits quizzed in 2019 and 2020, 47 per cent said they would not be willing to eat insects.
Dr Maxine Sharps, of De Montfort University in Leicester, said the “disgust factor” is one of the most important challenges to face if insects are to become part of a Western diet.
She adds: “The disgust factor associated with eating whole insects could be overcome by incorporating insect flours into processed foods.
“This has been done successfully with rice products fortified with cricket or locust flours in other parts of the world.
“There may eventually be no choice, with climate change and projected global population growth.”
Study author Dr Lauren McGale, of Edge Hill University in Lancashire, added: “Insects are a potentially rich source of protein and could be a solution to the double burden of obesity and under-nutrition.”
C-SECTION JABS ‘VITAL’
CHILDREN born via C-section are at greater risk of catching measles, a study suggests.
Vaccination was 2.6 times more likely to be “completely ineffective” in C-section babies, compared to those born vaginally.
They are therefore more susceptible to the disease.
Professor Henrik Salje, of Cambridge University, said: “With a C-section birth, they take longer to catch up in developing their gut microbiome, and the ability of the immune system to be primed by vaccines against disease.”
Researchers looked at data of more than 1,500 children in Hunan, China.
A second measles jab was found to induce immunity, therefore the research team say it is “vital” that children born by C-section receive two doses.
Professor Salje said: “A lot of children don’t end up having their second measles jab, which is dangerous.
“Infants born by C-section are the ones we really want to be following up to make sure they get their second measles jab, because their first jab is much more likely to fail.”
Children in the UK are given a jab at age one and a second at three years old and four months old. But world vaccine rates for measles are the lowest since 2008.
In the UK, where a third of women have C-sections, less than 90 per cent of two-year-olds have had one dose, and 86 per cent of kids aged five have had two doses.