Getting to a doctor these days

Firetrap

Not sure if this is the right forum for this but anyway, here goes. If a moderator wants to move this, feel free to do so.

Yesterday morning (Saturday), I needed to go to a doctor because of my asthma flaring up on the night before. Because of unavoidable family stuff, I wasn't in a position to even go looking for a doctor until about 10:45. I rang up my GP and the receptionist told me the doctors were finished for the day(!) and gave me an 1850 number to ring to access after hours care. To cut a long story short, it turned out that I had two choices - I could either go sit in the A&E in the local hospital or drive to any one of three towns, all of which are about 20 miles away.

In the end, I opted for the clinic 20 miles away because at least then I had an appointment and wouldn't have to potentially sit for hours in A&E. If the sign in this particular A&E is to be believed, non-emergency patients should expect to be waiting for a minimum of 3 hours.

What's annoying me is that I had to jump through such hoops just to see a doctor. I was also shocked that in a town which has lots of GPs, that the place I was told to go to was the A&E in the local hospital. I thought A&E was for emergencies, not people who simply need to see an ordinary GP.

I told my story to a couple of friends who've got similar stories of being treated like dirt by receptionists because they didn't have appointments and being told they'd have to wait for hours (and ending up doing so), having to ring around to a few places before finding a doctor who'll see them and being given appointments for the next day. Surely doctors are there for our benefit, not the other way round.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the whole thing. I'm shocked that by 11 in the morning the doctors are finishing up and that after this time is considered to be after hours.

What shocked me even more was the system actively sending people who aren't emergency cases into A&E. Didn't the Dept. of Health run television ads telling people to go to their GP instead of clogging up A&E?

Terry

right. i've no advice for you other than medical advice is not permitted here.

you are free to rant about the healthcare system in this country, but medical advice from anyone is completely forbidden. we are not doctors.
also, don't name names.

b3t4

Suffolk Street Surgery opens from 10am - 2:00pm on a Saturday.

I see where you're coming from though. I needed to go to the doctor over the weekend but because I missed the times above I didn't bother. I went to a pharmacist instead who helped me out.

A.

Kwekubo

There's a couple of "walk-in" surgeries around where I am that open on Saturday afternoons, but I'm guessing they're harder to come by outside of Dublin/Cork etc.

Stephen

Was the 1850 number they gave you for Caredoc by any chance? I've only had to use that once before (late night) but I got on fine.

Firetrap

No, it wasn't Caredoc but something along the same lines in another health board region. It's good that it does exist but if I hadn't got a car, I'd have had no choice but to queue in A&E (which incidentally has lots of signs up about the winter vomiting bug and is a kip) rather than driving to a dedicated clinic in another cachment area. It's amazing what a person will do when they're desperate...

I just think it's crazy that if you can't get to a doctor at a time that suits the doctors, that these hoops have to be jumped through. GPs are supposed to provide a public service. The public don't always get sick to suit their schedule. I would understand this out of hours business a bit better if I'd needed to see a doc on a Sunday or at 10 O'Clock at night. Not on a Saturday morning.

~Leanne~

I have had to use the Out of Hours GP a few times. Had to ring the 1850 number to book an appointment etc and was always taken within the hour.

It was unfortunate you had to wait so long but i dont think this happens in all out of hours centres.