GPs to work in the evenings and at weekends.. should they not always have?

old golfer · 21st December 2007, 19:11

The government has stepped up the pressure on GPs to work in the evenings and at weekends so what are you not allowed to be sick outside these hours
Ministers have warned they will push through a tougher deal if GPs do not agree to an extra three hours a week.
Doctors are willing to open for longer, but disagree over how long it should be for and the penalties for not doing so.
Gordon Brown has made extending GP hours a priority, although a survey of 2m patients earlier this year showed 84% were happy with opening.

It comes after GPs have seen their pay rocket by 30% to £110,000 a year in the first two years of their new contract which started in 2004.
The British Medical Association, the doctors' trade union, has said it is happy to do extended hours without any extra money, but only wants to offer two extra hours a week for every 6,000 patients.
The average GP has a list of 2,000 patients meaning doctors would only need to do an extra 40 minutes

My Heart bleeds for them or maybe it does not outside evenings and weekends......

KirstyJay · 21st December 2007, 21:22

and this comes at a time when my village has discovered that the newly built local health centre will not be opening after all, as there is a shortage of staff...

Why? Because they all go to the UK to earn higher wages. Grrrrrrrr.

kathml · 22nd December 2007, 00:18

Not so long ago our local surgery operated perfectly well with 2 doctors 1 receptionist who knew everyone by name & a part time nurse a home visit was no problem usually the same day if not the next out of hours visits were common

Now we have 4+ doctors 5/6 nurses 4/5 receptionists etc no out of hours shorter surgery hours & don't under any circumstances ask for a home visit unless you are totally disabled & even then its a nightmare eg why can't you come in ans I'm disabled in a wheelchair can't get into a normal car would need patient transfer or ambulance even then it took 5 days this was for my 91 year old mother because of this she ended up in our local cottage hospital for 12 weeks costing the NHS thousands where if the doctor had come when asked or the next day this could probably have been prevented

Don't get me wrong the attention when you finally get it is great its the initial struggle

hopper · 22nd December 2007, 00:55

I have to say that our local doctors are great, I have never had to wait long to see them (however I have never had to have a home visit) and they are very friendly and know their patients.

I will take an appointment with any of the 5 should I need one, sometimes I think the problems arise when someone ONLY wants Doctor A and wont see Doctor B.

If I have a gripe with them its that I cannot pre-book an appointment for a follow up visit, I have to book one on the day BUT this is a because of all the 'no shows' at pre booked appointments.

Other than that, I think our highly educated, dedicated Doctors are well worth their £100K plus a year when you think that a footballer earns that in a week.

macbee48 · 22nd December 2007, 01:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by kathml

Don't get me wrong the attention when you finally get it is great its the initial struggle

I understand your frustration. Unfortunately I believe the difficulty in getting a doctor to come for a home visit is due to the number of tossers who expect a doctor to come out in the middle of the night because someone in the house has a sore foot or suchlike.

A few years ago I could pick up mobile phone conversations on my scanner. I heard one woman trying to get a home visit at 1.00am because her daughter had a headache.

That's why you can't get a home visit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hopper

Other than that, I think our highly educated, dedicated Doctors are well worth their £100K plus a year when you think that a footballer earns that in a week.

Agreed!

Janet · 22nd December 2007, 01:26

GPs have already done roughly a 10 year apprenticeship before they get into a surgery, so their salary could perhaps be seen in terms of having to make up 10 years on junior doctor rates (and hours). A friend of ours has had housecalls in the small hours of the night for earache, housecalls where he's been physically attacked, and housecalls where he had difficulty in getting the "patient" to lie down to be examined because she was watching television.

As Michael says, with housecalls like that, is it any wonder that Doctors are reluctant to make them? This means that people who genuinely need them suffer too.

Benboy · 22nd December 2007, 01:48

Yep, and that's when the ambulance gets called out.

mac · 24th December 2007, 19:44

Here in Ireland it is near impossible to get a home visit. About 7 or 8 years ago I got glandular fever. My temperature was sky high and I was halucinating. The doctor told my wife i would have to be brought to the surgery (As a family we have never before or since asked for a home visit). My wifes brother and herself carried me into the car into town and into the surgery ( I know nothing about this). The doctor turned round and said it was dangerous to have me out I should be in bed getting treatment!!!
Now when a new doctor comes into the area he does doctor on call until he builds up a doctor base. It costs 50euro to visit the doctor and 80euro for a home call!!! Plus we have to pay for a prescription so a visit to a doctor plus tablets for tonsilitus (which I get 2 or 3 times a year would could cost me about 90euro compared to 16 here in Germany. (I am all paid up with tax in both countries

macbee48 · 24th December 2007, 20:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by mac

It costs 50euro to visit the doctor and 80euro for a home call!!! Plus we have to pay for a prescription so a visit to a doctor plus tablets for tonsilitus (which I get 2 or 3 times a year would could cost me about 90euro compared to 16 here in Germany. (I am all paid up with tax in both countries

I think you just put me right off a united Ireland mac.

mac · 24th December 2007, 20:31

The health care system in the south leaves a lot to be desired. I hope that with the big improvement in the economy this is one area where money will be spent. Our local hospital in Monaghan has been down graded so that now all emergencies have to go to Cavan or Drogheda both nearly an hor away on bad roads. This includes emergency births. One lady was turned away from Monaghan Hospital because there were no staff to help her. Her baby was born and died on the way to Cavan. These are not isolated cases but shows that the new found wealth is not being spent on the people