GPs not taking on patients - how's that even legal?

fritzelly

What would Irish doctors do in the UK where everyone gets free GP visits and still manage to have a nice lifestyle from the NHS payments?
Or should the question be why don't we have it here - we pay the same from our wages

Del2005

Dr Brown wrote: »

They should only be talking to their Doctor about their medical condition.

In an ideal world. People waiting for the bus should have the money ready to pay, especially when they complain to the driver that they have been waiting 5 minutes!, or at the till they shouldn't be having a conversation with the cashier either but unfortunately a lot of people are C yoU Next Tuesdays, especially when it costs them nothing. And if the doctor kicks out a patient for talking crap you can be certain that "Talk to Joe" will make a huge issue out of it while ignoring the doctor's valid reason for kicking them out.

Don't forget that the vast majority of our emergency services time is taken up by a tiny minority of the population, doctors are part of the front line emergency services.

bobbysands81

Had the same issue as the OP in Waterford. Couldn’t get a GP in Waterford City to take us on so had to go to a GP out in Mullinavat.

Non-medical card holder.

fritzelly

Del2005 wrote: »

For every 1 patient that manages to find the correct diagnosis from the Internet a doctor has to listen to hundreds with the completely incorrect diagnosis. So unfortunately it's the other patients to blame not the doctor.

Or they actually listen and probably save someone's life instead of just making assumptions without any real diagnosing and handing out some ol' drugs to get rid of them

http://www.thejournal.ie/readme/column-the-doctors-wouldnt-listen-and-why-would-they-im-not-a-doctor-3404849-Jun2017/

la ultima guagua

fritzelly wrote: »

What would Irish doctors do in the UK where everyone gets free GP visits and still manage to have a nice lifestyle from the NHS payments?
Or should the question be why don't we have it here - we pay the same from our wages

?????????

not unusual to have to wait several weeks to see an NHS GP

fritzelly

la ultima guagua wrote: »

?????????

not unusual to have to wait several weeks to see an NHS GP

And that is much different from here how? Unless your a medical card holder as demonstrated by previous posts

madmaggie

splinter65 wrote: »

There’s no respect for GPs at all amongst patients who don’t have to pay.
It’s like anything else that you get for nothing.
It’s worthless.
I dread going to my GP despite having some serious conditions because of the embarrassing whining and moaning out of the waiting room.
These patients don’t care that you have other patients. They don’t even see your other patients in the waiting room.
It’s all me me me.

I have a medical card, and most certainly do not abuse it.

On the other hand, I know people who go to the GP for a prescription for a 5 euro cough bottle, which then costs them 2.50.

My former GP took a great deal of time and trouble over each and every one of his patients. He worked himself into the ground. His replacement keeps to a strict appointment system, and has lost patients in droves. People had become used to attending the surgery almost as a social outing, having a grand chat in the waiting room, and then another half hour with the doctor.

screamer

Dr Brown wrote: »

screamer wrote: »

Isn't there an online GP service. TBH I think it's going that way anyhow. I'd hate to be trying to get a second opinion when you can't even get a first one. As for people with medical cards or doctor visit cards I agree they choke up doctors surgeries cause they don't have to shell out 60 euro a time and don't want to shell out the 3 euro for a bottle of calpol when the doctor can prescribe it for free. It's high time a nominal fee was introduced to curtail this ridiculous behaviour and exhorbitant cost and as I've said before make entrance to medicine less elitist. That's a huge problem too in the supply of doctors.

That dosen't make much sense anything they get on the medical card will cost E2.50.

Nobody is going to queue to see a Doctor just to save 50cent.

I know of someone who regularly goes to the emergency out of hours doctors to get prescriptions for exactly this calpol. I also know of people who go to their GP for prescriptions for medicated shampoo that'd cost them 6 or 7 quid....but nope cheaper to go get a prescription. It's a widespread attitude amongst the free for all brigade.

Emmser

I'm not a medical card patient but I too found it difficult to secure a GP. However, I have to say that Mid Doc is a godsend. Maybe if you believe it to be serious you could try something similar in your area after hours? Do you know if there is a service OP?

I'm also not a GP but doesn't this blame game go on in every profession? GP's are not gods, they are humans. Humans make mistakes and not all humans are cooperative and nice, the same as doctors. Maybe if one isn't happy with their GP they could try change if they felt they weren't being listened to? Or ask to see a different GP in the practice?

I certainly wouldn't stick with a GP for years if I firmly believed they weren't listening to me.

It's like going to a hairdresser and getting a bad hair cut, I wouldn't go back a second time!

Gaia Mother Earth

Rang 3 GPs before I could get one to take me on in the North West. I had moved area and I was heavily pregnant and they still wouldn't take me on. 1 put me on a waiting list and I didn't hear anything thereafter.

It's a nationwide issue. The population has soared and services has not caught up. It's not the GPs fault, they still need to provide a service to the patients they do have.

Del2005

fritzelly wrote: »

Or they actually listen and probably save someone's life instead of just making assumptions without any real diagnosing and handing out some ol' drugs to get rid of them

http://www.thejournal.ie/readme/column-the-doctors-wouldnt-listen-and-why-would-they-im-not-a-doctor-3404849-Jun2017/

I had a knee injury. After getting the results of the MRI I Googled it. I should have been in intense pain and unable to walk, I wasn't in pain and apart from not being able to bend the knee I could walk. So if I went with Google I should have been crippled with pain which I wasn't, even though the specialist commented on the amount of fluid in my knee so it was a bad injury As I said for every patient that gets the correct diagnosis from Google a doctor has to deal with hundreds who don't, so yes doctors make mistakes but that is due to workload and that's why they are rejecting new patients or quiting.

Toastytoes

Chiparus wrote: »

And the fact that people buy health insurance to jump the queue.

We have a two tier health system, it needs to change.

Some of us buy health insurance because we don’t qualify for medical cards despite paying a fortune in income tax. You can jump the queue too, you just have to put your hand in your pocket to do so.

Atlantic Dawn

2 years ago just after the Christmas break I was looking to get an appointment with a new GP as a result of my own GP retiring. I rang about 10 GP's surgeries in the locality, none could see me for at least a week as they were fully booked and not taking new walk in clients who had not registered with them before. What I found most shocking was that not a single one of the receptionists even asked me what was wrong with me or recommended any alternative care, luckily it turned out to be an injury a physio took care of.

Chiparus

fritzelly wrote: »

Last time I was in the doc's many years ago he took 5 mins to tell me what I knew (tonsillitis), prescribed some drugs and sent me packing counting the 50 euro (or punts then).
Two weeks later the process was repeated after diagnosing I still had tonisllitis in 2 minutes, sent packing 50 quid worse off again.
Ended up going to the hospital to have the largest needle injection I've ever seen (couldn't even talk at this point as my jaw was almost totally locked up) - even the nurse said you don't want to watch this going in - few days later was pretty much gone. Suffered nearly a month of tonsillitis, eating thru a straw, due to bad judgement by a doctor
That's my experience of doctors in Ireland and not one I want to repeat, even less so these days

Perhaps you did have tonsillitis that progressed to a tonsillar abscess ?
https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/peritonsillar-abcess#1

Causes of a Peritonsillar Abscess

A peritonsillar abscess is most often a complication of tonsillitis. The bacteria involved are similar to those that cause strep throat.



Then you had needle drainage of the abscess?

https://www.aliem.com/2009/09/trick-of-trade-peritonsillar-abscess/

splinter65

Dr Brown wrote: »

They should only be talking to their Doctor about their medical condition.

Well that’s not what happens in reality Dr Brown.
You complained that the GP needs to have respect for the patient and listen to what they are saying.
And in the next breath you say that the GP should take no more then 15 minutes with each patient.
Which is it?

Chiparus

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

2 years ago just after the Christmas break I was looking to get an appointment with a new GP as a result of my own GP retiring. I rang about 10 GP's surgeries in the locality, none could see me for at least a week as they were fully booked and not taking new walk in clients who had not registered with them before. What I found most shocking was that not a single one of the receptionists even asked me what was wrong with me or recommended any alternative care, luckily it turned out to be an injury a physio took care of.

Are you expecting the receptionist to give you medical advice?

ABC101

The shortage of GP's will continue to get worse.

1) High rates of personal income tax.
2). Difficulty in dealing with HSE bureaucracy.
3). Agressive hostile media which looks for scapegoats when something goes wrong.

As a result a lot of the younger GP's have emigrated to nations with better working conditions. In my own GP practise 3 young GP's have left Ireland.

Until things change we just have to suck it up.

up for anything

screamer wrote: »

As for people with medical cards or doctor visit cards I agree they choke up doctors surgeries cause they don't have to shell out 60 euro a time and don't want to shell out the 3 euro for a bottle of calpol when the doctor can prescribe it for free.

Ah yes, because everyone with a medical card or a GP visit card has children! Seriously, read back what you wrote. Way to go to generalise.

My GP surgery is brilliant and generally a same day appointment can be gotten if needed.

Fann Linn

up for anything wrote: »

Ah yes, because everyone with a medical card or a GP visit card has children! Seriously, read back what you wrote. Way to go to generalise.

My GP surgery is brilliant and generally a same day appointment can be gotten if needed.

Every under 6 child has a medical card.

odyssey06

Chiparus wrote: »

Are you expecting the receptionist to give you medical advice?

I don't think anyone expects specific medical advice from receptionists, but perhaps information on alternative locations \ avenues where medical attention may be sought?

quadrifoglio verde

screamer wrote: »

I know of someone who regularly goes to the emergency out of hours doctors to get prescriptions for exactly this calpol. I also know of people who go to their GP for prescriptions for medicated shampoo that'd cost them 6 or 7 quid....but nope cheaper to go get a prescription. It's a widespread attitude amongst the free for all brigade.

I find that an awful waste of time....calpol isn't covered on the medical card.
No liquid paracetamol is covered actually.

However I see plenty of people who get it for exputex, imodium, motillium, solpadeine and paracetamol. How much is that, nah, I'll ring the doctor and get him to do a prescription for me.

pc7

Fann Linn wrote: »

Every under 6 child has a medical card.

Every child under 6 has a GP visit card, there is a difference.

splinter65

Chiparus wrote: »

Are you expecting the receptionist to give you medical advice?

This is more of it. My friend is a receptionist in a big GPs practice with a strict appointment system.
When patients ring up and are given an appointment that doesn’t suit them, they start telling her their complaint in an effort to get bumped up the list and get angry when she tells them she’s not medically trained.

AndrewJRenko

screamer wrote: »

I know of someone who regularly goes to the emergency out of hours doctors to get prescriptions for exactly this calpol. I also know of people who go to their GP for prescriptions for medicated shampoo that'd cost them 6 or 7 quid....but nope cheaper to go get a prescription. It's a widespread attitude amongst the free for all brigade.

I'm not quite sure I believe that this happens regularly, but if it does, the problem lies with the GP. They are the gateway to the service, and they should say No occasionally.

splinter65

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

I'm not quite sure I believe that this happens regularly, but if it does, the problem lies with the GP. They are the gateway to the service, and they should say No occasionally.

Say no to certain people and they’ll be on Liveline complaining to super sympathetic J Duffy that their GP doesn’t care about their kids.

Dr Brown

splinter65 wrote: »

Well that’s not what happens in reality Dr Brown.
You complained that the GP needs to have respect for the patient and listen to what they are saying.
And in the next breath you say that the GP should take no more then 15 minutes with each patient.
Which is it?

I didnt say they should spend no more than 15min with the patient I said thats enough time for the patient to explain what the problem is.

If they want to spend more time with the patient great but they need to listen to what their medical complaints are.

Dr Brown

up for anything wrote: »

Ah yes, because everyone with a medical card or a GP visit card has children! Seriously, read back what you wrote. Way to go to generalise.

My GP surgery is brilliant and generally a same day appointment can be gotten if needed.

There seems to be an assumption among some people that medical card patients are basically scum.

Chiparus

Dr Brown wrote: »

I didnt say they should spend no more than 15min with the patient I said thats enough time for the patient to explain what the problem is.

If they want to spend more time with the patient great but they need to listen to what their medical complaints are.

Many GPs are realising that if they see too many patients they will miss things and take shortcuts. End up loosing their jobs.

They should only see 10 patients a day not the current 40+.

Expect 4 week waiting times for GPs in the near future, its already happening in the UK

RobFowl

Dr Brown wrote: »

I was told that GP's get 300Euro for each medical card patient.

Thats not bad money for patients who only go to the doctor about once a year.

You were told nonsense.
The fee is 150 a year for under 6's and for others varies from 46 to 270 a year depending on age.

splinter65

Dr Brown wrote: »

I didnt say they should spend no more than 15min with the patient I said thats enough time for the patient to explain what the problem is.

If they want to spend more time with the patient great but they need to listen to what their medical complaints are.

It’s enough time for YOU to explain what the problem is.
Look around the waiting room next time you are there.
Not everyone has spent hours researching their symptoms and come to a diagnoses.
There are people who:
Don’t speak English
Can’t read or write
Don’t have specific symptoms just a feeling if malaise or “tired all the time”
Are elderly with numerous complaints
Have a lot of emotional problems and find the GP sympathetic
Have memory/dementia issues and need more time
Are coming to get results from tests which may be bad news.
And more.
None of these people can be told to hurry up or come back another day.