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[Ju Ju]

At the same time, there have huge advancements in treatment and understanding of many conditions.

For example, as a child, I had severe asthma and the medications available were not very effective and some caused death. My sister nearly died from using the current inhaler, that was withdrawn from use soon after. My father had to get my sister to the local cottage hospital, several miles away, before an ambulance could pick her up to take her to a bigger hospital further away. No ambulance available to come to get to our house. No, we didn't live in the depths of the country, but in a town close to other towns.

 As a child, I was unable to take part in sports. Today's medication would and does control my asthma most of the time. As a young adult, every spring, I would make a trip to the doctors as I felt the beginnings of worsening symptoms because of allergens. Every spring, the doctor would listen to my chest, not hear any wheezing and announce me fine and send me on my way. A week later, I would have to return, wheezing and poorly, before I would be given the much needed medication and would have to take time off work. Frustrating. Nowadays, not only is medication better, asthma patients are encouraged to manage their own asthma and have an action plan and are regularly monitored. I am listened to and respected.And if symptoms deteriorate as they did for me 3 years ago, I was scooped up by an ambulance, 24 hours in a high dependency ward, 24 hours monitored in a normal ward, then home and monitored by several doctors at the surgery. Quich efficient service from the NHS and from a hospital that does not fare well in league tables.

Yes, there are many problems with the NHS, mainly funding, but I am alive because of it. I would not go back to the 'good old days.'

[wombat62]

Things seem to be getting worse and worse over there! I know when I moved towns over 10 years ago I had a hard job finding a new surgery but luckily ended up with a really good practice. But a few practices have closed and there is no where for the patients to go.

Over here in Oz all medical services are private with the exception of public hospitals. We have Medicare we sets out a table of fees and will put those fees towards services, however, there can be a gap which the patient or health care fund fills. So it costs $80 to see a doc but Medicare says it should be $37 so I pay the gap. We do have docs who will only charge what Medicare says but they aren't usually that good!

The other advantage is that you can rock up and see any doctor anywhere, we're not controlled by areas etc. My docs also has a really good online booking system so you don't have to do the receptionist thing!

We also pay for Medicare through tax although it's not as high as NI. The one advantage here of having so many providers is that there are no long waits and results are usually back within the day, which means you get to a diagnosis quicker but I guess you'd need deep pockets if you had an ongoing or major illness so I'm not quite sure what happens then.

So like everything it has good points and bad and it takes a long time to get your ahead around the system!

I do hope you can get a doc sorted out soon though Groundhog.

[toffeecushion]

Thanks all.  I don't think we have the option of moving surgeries as out postcode decides what surgery we go to. 

You can register at any practice now.

Taken from the NHS website 'Since January 5 2015, all GP practices in England have been free to register new patients who live outside their practice boundary area.

This means you can register with a GP practice somewhere that's more convenient for you, such as a practice near your work or closer to your children's schools. This will give you greater choice and aims to improve the quality of access to GP services. Use the Services near you facility to find out what people say about a GP practice.'

But are you in Wales, may be different

[walking the dog]

My gp told me it was up to the practice to decide if they kept you on if you moved out of their catchment due to practicality of home visits etc not that you would get one!

[coldethyl]

Two partners have left my practice since March- the lovely locum took a post elsewhere. My previous lovely GP took early retirement two years ago. Now the practice has two senior male partners who are awful, one ok woman , one woman I'd rather not speak to again this side of forever and a motley crew of female part timers. You can ring on day and get duty dr or own if lucky to phone back but your own rarely has appointments free. If you want to see a specific GP it can be weeks or months. I had bloods taken middle of July and first follow up was mid August. Got letter at weekend to say my annual diabec review due but no Diabetic nurse now as doctors are doing the follow up post bloods. So that's going to work well.

[CLKD]

As long as your GP/Locum/night-Cover GP is prepared to travel for house-calls, you can register with a Practice within reasonable distance.  I think that we get 'any' GP that is covering over-night should it be necessary but can see a GP in the Practice within 24 hours in the day. 

I have a Surgery in the village and another in the town 4 miles away [same GPs], there's another Surgery with different GPs 4 miles in the other direction ……. plus good Pharmacies for advice though Lloyds seems to be tied in with GP Practices these days.

In parts of Norfolk the on-call night-cover GP can travel 40+ miles to visit patients in their homes, to areas they are un-familiar with  which is why people call for Paramedics.

[walking the dog]

That's what I meant 'prepared to travel ' mine aren't so cant register outside the area they cover

[Katejo]

At ours, it's usually 3 or 4 weeks to get a non-urgent appointment with a random GP (longer if you want a specific one), or you can turn up when the doors open at 0730 and wait ....  You can only raise one issue at a walk-in appointment, and if you have a 'complex issue' or more than one thing to discuss you have to make a double appointment through the telephone system.  It's not great, and extremely difficult for those of us who work full time a distance from home.

My practice only allows 1 issue at any appointment. No such thing as a double appointment and all but impossible to get a named doctor. I wish i could make an appointment  3 weeks ahead but they only book up to a week ahead. If you fail one week, you have to try the following week.
I hate it  if the doctor is due to ring me because they won't give an approx time of the call. If I am at work, I miss it.

[CLKD]

I can book ahead on line.  Whether this is good/not as it fills up spaces 

GH - what did you decide to do?

[Katejo]

I can book ahead on line.  Whether this is good/not as it fills up spaces 

GH - what did you decide to do?

In theory I can book online but most of the time there are no appointments  available and users are told to contact the surgery. On the rare occasion that 1 is free, it is bang in the middle of the day so useless for commuters. It is only a token service because they have to appear to offer it.

[CLKD]

We are lucky.  Our GP began opening his Surgery here [satellite branch] at 7.00 a.m. 2 mornings a week and has slots until 8.00 p.m. in the nearby town, to accommodate working folks.

[Taz2]

Ours opens from 7.30 to 7.00 four days a week but there's still no appointments for a couple of weeks.

Taz x

[groundhog]

Hello all - well CLKD I managed to get to see my consultant and self medicated by taking antibiotics I had in the house.  Turns out that was the right thing as i do have a low level infection - I did manage to get a blood test on Monday even though the request was completed by the receiptionist - she just copied the old blood form.  I did get a phone call today from a doctor somewhere in Wales,  certainly not my practice.  She had access to blood test results so could advise me.  I was lucky in that I managed to also see my consultant but it's not ideal.  The MP is involved and there is to be a 'meeting'.  Seems August holidays have tipped the balance from the practice scraping through to not coping at all.
Worrying.  I just hope our A&E doesn't close but I would never abuse that but reassuring they are there in case of need xx