Doctors open til 7pm??Why not?

cesc77

On the banks opening later.There is no reason that surgeries cannot stay open to accommodate the working person.These guys are paid by us so why do we have to take time off/day off for a doctors appointment?Seems that they operate these hours so that prospective Doctors will not be deterred from working here.God forbid a Dr has to work to 7pm to look after the person who pays his wages.

I know that most of the infirm are mooching about within the regular hours but they are also mooching about in the early evening so it has to be to keep Doctors educated within this country,to stay working here.

Oranage2

cesc77 wrote: »

On the banks opening later.There is no reason that surgeries cannot stay open to accommodate the working person.These guys are paid by us so why do we have to take time off/day off for a doctors appointment?Seems that they operate these hours so that prospective Doctors will not be deterred from working here.God forbid a Dr has to work to 7pm to look after the person who pays his wages.

I know that most of the infirm are mooching about within the regular hours but they are also mooching about in the early evening so it has to be to keep Doctors educated within this country,to stay working here.

What age are you? 12?

anyway - hospitals stays open and there's a thing called a D doc -

http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/Find_a_Service/LHO/NorthDublin/Family_Doctors_GPs/GP_Out_of_Hours_Service_North_Dublin.html

ballsymchugh

rabble rabble... i've to work all day so that doctor that also works all day should stay open late so that i don't have to take a sick day.. rabble rabble.

cesc77

Are you guys on drugs?What sort of response is that?It was a perfectly reasonable question.Just because some people may not be able to attend appointments due to their commitments which you may not have,doesnt detract from the convenience issue.Not sure what a D doc is.I live in the North and we havent got a crumbling healthcare system just yet so in my opinion it should be available to those that fund the very operation.

cesc77

ballsymchugh wrote: »

rabble rabble... i've to work all day so that doctor that also works all day should stay open late so that i don't have to take a sick day.. rabble rabble.

The point is that the Doctor will have a working day starting later to finish later.Repeating 4 words within a sentence doesnt make you humourous.

Oranage2

cesc77 wrote: »

Are you guys on drugs?What sort of response is that?It was a perfectly reasonable question.Just because some people may not be able to attend appointments due to their commitments which you may not have,doesnt detract from the convenience issue.

What issue? - if your sick you miss work anyway so you can easily attent the doctor -

Also if you follow the link i posted above - it's a special doctor that works outside normal hours on the north side of dublin -


If your really sick you can go to the hospital.


Also some doctors do stay open late.

smk89

Whats the problem with taking an extended lunch to see the doctor?
Your problem smells of the "I pay for it, therefore it must fulfill all my requirements". If you want doctors to work to 7 you'll have to pay a hell of a lot more, healthcare isn't cheap.

Potential-Monke

I can see the op's point, but we do have the "D-Doc", or also known as the CareDoc, ShannonDoc, etc. It's an out-of-hours doctors service which costs more but the doctor will call out to you house or you can call into them with an appointment. Simples.

cesc77

smk89 wrote: »

Whats the problem with taking an extended lunch to see the doctor?
Your problem smells of the "I pay for it, therefore it must fulfill all my requirements". If you want doctors to work to 7 you'll have to pay a hell of a lot more, healthcare isn't cheap.

What guff!Do you have experience trying to get appointments at the surgery?

Yeah sure,squeeze me in there in my lunch break.Easily done.

What is the problem with them working around us?My issue doesnt smell but perhaps if you had to have regular visits to the surgery you would be concerned too.Your last sentence is tripe.I had already suggested Doctors hours changing so this doesnt have to be overtime.

Im not talking about out of hours Doctors at all.I appreciate the difference between sniffles,infection,and other things.My point is that working people cannot see their OWN Dr whilst ill,whilst trying to work.To some single celled claimants this may come as a shock,but some of us do want to...err....act the martyr... :< .Bloody valid point.Im telling Kilroy Silk on the lot of ye! oh wait....

mikemac

We have shannon doc around here
I assume D Doc is the exact same

Aoifey!

feelingstressed wrote: »

We have shannon doc around here
I assume D Doc is the exact same

And I'm guessing those 2 are the same as Care Doc?

mikemac

Yep, exact same as Caredoc

They all do the same, just different regions in Ireland

Ye have caredoc there in the sunny south east (as I typed that I thought of strawberries lol ), shannon doc here in the mid-west

stacexD

Reasonable question, 1 hour extra a day or 2 a week would do no harm. The D-doc link that was posted pretty much explains itself when it says it is for people who need urgent attention, hospital is the same.
I think they might just laugh at you if you go into hospital asking to go on the pill, or have a check up.

Azureus

D-doc is useless from my experience-went twice, first time they sent me to the VHI clinic, the next time they referred me to my GP the next day. Helpful. In fairness, they were lovely in there, but they didnt have the facilities to help me in either case.

My GP opens Saturday morning for appointments only, so I think that covers people who cant go Mon-Fri 9-5.

Hersheys

The past few weeks I've been suffering from a recurring problem so I've needed to make regular trips to my GP. It's not nescessarily an urgent problem, as in I'm still able to function most of the time so I can't warrant taking a day off work sick to go to the doctor. So I've had to take extended lunch breaks/work through lunch etc etc in order to see my GP. It would be handy if I could see him after work.

What I would suggest is that doctors that have 2 or 3 doctors working in the practice - one start early (8) and finish at 4, one start at 11 and finish at 7.

candy-gal1

Ive always thought this tbh, Banks and Doctors should be open earlier like 9am or late like 7pm or so. Why wouldnt they be?

Joeyjoejoe83

If you live in the north shouldn't you have doctor on call service? Also that is what hospitals are for.....

P.S my gp stays open to 8pm one night a week....maybe you should get your facts straight.

mariebeth

Don't most places have something like out of hours doctors? We've southdoc in Cork, and anytime that I've had to use them, I've had good experiences.

They were set up in order to solve the problem of GP's being called out on house calls at all hours of the night or being stuck in their surgeries until all hours, which is only fair.

AllYourBass

Joeyjoejoe83 wrote: »

P.S my gp stays open to 8pm one night a week....maybe you should get your facts straight.

In fairness, in my town there are four GP's and only one offers an evening service from 7pm to 8pm weekdays, so it's not a service that is offered across the board, it's completely up to the GP.

syklops

Joeyjoejoe83 wrote: »

If you live in the north shouldn't you have doctor on call service? Also that is what hospitals are for.....

Er, no, this is not what hospitals are for and its attitudes like this which is part of the reason some of our hospitals are in such disarray. Hospitals are for long term sick, and for immediate or specialist care.

If you are sick, not life threatening, but you are in discomfort, there should be somewhere you can go to get treatment. Sending people with colds, flus and other germs into Hospitals where people are recovering from operations or sick in other ways is a really, really,bad idea.

Joeyjoejoe83 wrote: »

P.S my gp stays open to 8pm one night a week....maybe you should get your facts straight.

Well aren't you f**king brilliant?!? How negligent of the OP not to check that YOUR GP wasn't open before opening the thread. :rolleyes:

biko

How about this? Post in your regional forum or Health Science asking what GPs around your area have late opening hours?

drkpower

biko wrote: »

How about this? Post in your regional forum or Health Science asking what GPs around your area have late opening hours?

While good advice, in many cases, a patient isnt just looking for A doctor, they are looking for THEIR doctor (or at least a doctor from the their practice). And that isnt just them being precious; for many patients, being sen by a doctor who knows them/their history is vital.

For practices with a few GPs, this question is very straightforward to anser: They should be open earlier, through lunch, and particularly later.

But this wont be practical for one-man-operations (or two or three man). A particular problem is the admin and nursing staff. One and two man operations will have one secretary and maybe a practice nurse. While the 2 or 3 docs can work a system where they start and finish late, the secretary/nurse cant cover all of the surgery hours. Perhaps there is scope for them to do overtime one night per week, but much more than that and you are getting into quite long hours. Remember, GPs and practice nurses/secretarys often have to work well beyond surgery hours to deal with paperwork, phone calls and other matters. Such practices rely on (and work in or pay for) out-of-hours services which, whilst not ideal, do mean that a GP should be available 24/7 for most of the population of the country.

bleg

Because doctors have more sense than to have their jobs determine theory lives, unlike pharmacists whose opening hours are a race to the bottom.

maglite

candy-gal1 wrote: »

Why wouldnt they be?

Because they don't need to. They make enough money during "normal business hours" gone be the days when doctors and Nurses were a vocation.

They have turned into a business and see no ethical reason to offer the historic level of care they once did. Good luck getting a modern GP out at night to a sick child. They instead refer you to an Out of Hours service to be seen by a doctor with no knowledge of your past medical history or refer you to an ambulance or A&E.

So in short they make enough money as it is and don't see a fiscal benefit in opening longer

drkpower

maglite wrote: »

Good luck getting a modern GP out at night to a sick child. They instead refer you to an Out of Hours service to be seen by a doctor with no knowledge of your past medical history or refer you to an ambulance or A&E.

Do you think that your specific GP should have to/should be expected to see your sick child at night, bearing in mind that your child might get sick any night, at any time of that night?

stupidusername

I agree with the op. and i don't get everyone's reaction to it

I was on meds whereby my doctor would only prescribe them one month at a time, so had to keep returning. I'm working now and for a bit I had to take time off for this. Which yeah isn't too bad, only it's a two hour wait, and I don't work in town so it does mean taking a whole afternoon off work. so between this and sorting things with social welfare who also only open select hours (9.30 - 4) and needing to sort some stuff in the bank (10 - 4) I've had to take a **** load of time off work. It is bollocks. I'd expect outside of a city, but in Dublin I really thought it'd be better. and no I can't just go to a doctor that's open late as with a medical card you can't switch whenever you like.

*prepares self for 'SW scrounger should be glad to get anything for free' comments*

It isn't unreasonable to expect a fair share of doctors surgeries and other services to open past 5pm. AND there are many people on medication that doesn't mean they're sick exactly, just need it for some reason or other. It's not a matter of emergency only cases. we live in a developed country, we should have ease of access to services.

papajimsmooth

Why dont you simply take the morning of and work late...

Oranage2

Oranage2 wrote: »

What issue? - if your sick you miss work anyway so you can easily attent the doctor -

Also if you follow the link i posted above - it's a special doctor that works outside normal hours on the north side of dublin -


If your really sick you can go to the hospital.


Also some doctors do stay open late.

You DO realise that there are plenty of reasons you might need to visit the doctor without being 'sick', as in not able to work? I have to go about once every two weeks for check-ups and tests. My life would be so much easier if my GP was open even once a week until 7 or 8pm.

smk89 wrote: »

Whats the problem with taking an extended lunch to see the doctor?
Your problem smells of the "I pay for it, therefore it must fulfill all my requirements". If you want doctors to work to 7 you'll have to pay a hell of a lot more, healthcare isn't cheap.

Most people can't take an 'extended lunch'? I don't even get a lunch break at all. I have to take a whole morning off work for a routine GP appointment. I don't see what's so unreasonable about expecting one doctor to do a slightly later shift once or twice a week. Something like 11-7 on Wednesdays. It seems insane that essentials services are unavailable to the majority of the population unless they make special arrangements.

Shenshen

I'm with the OP on this one.
I have to take a day of work every 6 month to get a new prescription for the pill. Nothing more. I'm not sick, so it's not a sick day. It's a day I have to take out of my holiday entitlements.

No, I can't go at my lunch break, because my lunch break is nowhere near long enough to allow for me to travel back into town for the better part of an hour (if I'm lucky), sit around the waiting room for an hour or so, and then travel back to work an hour (if I'm lucky).

I usually try and get appointments in the morning with a view of making it only a half-day off work, but the last time I was kept waiting for 3 and a half hours. I missed the last bus that would have taken me to my work place, and had to pay for a taxi. 100 Euros gone on one GP visit.

Mr. Presentable

Change your doctor, TBH.

Most areas have surgery times that vary. My local GP is open mornings and afternoons two days, morning and evening two days, afternoon and evening on one, and also a weekend morning.

Oh, and I am in Dublin FWIW

ballsymchugh

Leonard Flaky Hat wrote: »

You DO realise that there are plenty of reasons you might need to visit the doctor without being 'sick', as in not able to work? I have to go about once every two weeks for check-ups and tests. My life would be so much easier if my GP was open even once a week until 7 or 8pm.



Most people can't take an 'extended lunch'? I don't even get a lunch break at all. I have to take a whole morning off work for a routine GP appointment. I don't see what's so unreasonable about expecting one doctor to do a slightly later shift once or twice a week. Something like 11-7 on Wednesdays. It seems insane that essentials services are unavailable to the majority of the population unless they make special arrangements.

maybe your gp wants to work a regular day like you too. if they need something done, they'll have to take time off work to do it.
as well as that, most gps are self employed, so when they take time off work to get something done within business hours, they also have to take the hit.
you can guarantee that the one gp that stays open late will be too busy and you still won't be able to book an appointment for a few weeks in advance anyway.

Shenshen

Shenshen wrote: »

I'm with the OP on this one.
I have to take a day of work every 6 month to get a new prescription for the pill. Nothing more. I'm not sick, so it's not a sick day. It's a day I have to take out of my holiday entitlements.

No, I can't go at my lunch break, because my lunch break is nowhere near long enough to allow for me to travel back into town for the better part of an hour (if I'm lucky), sit around the waiting room for an hour or so, and then travel back to work an hour (if I'm lucky).

I usually try and get appointments in the morning with a view of making it only a half-day off work, but the last time I was kept waiting for 3 and a half hours. I missed the last bus that would have taken me to my work place, and had to pay for a taxi. 100 Euros gone on one GP visit.

3.5 hours are you kidding? Is there a WW clinic nearby? Never waiting more than a few mins there. Change your doctor - no point giving them repeat business for keeping you waiting like that.

Shenshen

candy-gal1 wrote: »

Ive always thought this tbh, Banks and Doctors should be open earlier like 9am or late like 7pm or so. Why wouldnt they be?

Because they never want to see anybody except for the unemployed and the elderly.

Shenshen

bluewolf wrote: »

3.5 hours are you kidding? Is there a WW clinic nearby? Never waiting more than a few mins there. Change your doctor - no point giving them repeat business for keeping you waiting like that.

I don't have a great many to choose from, unfortunately. I would if there was one I could get to as easily as I can get to the one I'm with now. Rural Ireland and rural Nigeria can be quite disturbingly similar in that respect...

Mr. Presentable

Shenshen wrote: »

I'm with the OP on this one.
I have to take a day of work every 6 month to get a new prescription for the pill. Nothing more. I'm not sick, so it's not a sick day. It's a day I have to take out of my holiday entitlements.

No, I can't go at my lunch break, because my lunch break is nowhere near long enough to allow for me to travel back into town for the better part of an hour (if I'm lucky), sit around the waiting room for an hour or so, and then travel back to work an hour (if I'm lucky).

I usually try and get appointments in the morning with a view of making it only a half-day off work, but the last time I was kept waiting for 3 and a half hours. I missed the last bus that would have taken me to my work place, and had to pay for a taxi. 100 Euros gone on one GP visit.

Edit: Confused info.

Shenshen

Mr. Presentable wrote: »

I thought the pill was over the counter now, sans prescription. Has this not happened yet?

I think you may be confusing the morning-after pill and the regular pill here.
The regular pill is prescription only, and the maximum prescription the doc will give you is 6 months.

ballsymchugh

ballsymchugh wrote: »

maybe your gp wants to work a regular day like you too. if they need something done, they'll have to take time off work to do it.
as well as that, most gps are self employed, so when they take time off work to get something done within business hours, they also have to take the hit.
you can guarantee that the one gp that stays open late will be too busy and you still won't be able to book an appointment for a few weeks in advance anyway.

Well, I'm not providing a public service. When I was, I did work until 10 or 11pm. The vast majority of people who visit the GP are having to take time off work to do it - it makes no sense at all. It's not like taking time off to wait for the internet guy, it's an essential service. I'm considering going part-time (and I'd barely be making enough to live on) because I just can't keep taking time off work to go to the doctor. And I'm a reasonably healthy person. Is that not ridiculous?

bleg

Shenshen wrote: »

I think you may be confusing the morning-after pill and the regular pill here.
The regular pill is prescription only, and the maximum prescription the doc will give you is 6 months.

That's the max they can give you.

Teyla Emmagan

Shenshen wrote: »

I'm with the OP on this one.
I have to take a day of work every 6 month to get a new prescription for the pill. Nothing more. I'm not sick, so it's not a sick day. It's a day I have to take out of my holiday entitlements.

Are you entitled to sick leave in work? If you are then that's what you should be putting your GP visit down to - it shouldn't come out of your holiday leave unless your company has a very funny policy in place. You should look into that.

I had to go to see my GP on Monday because my prescriptions were out of date - the surgery has some rule that if you're on long term prescriptions you have to come in once a year (at the six month mark I just ring his secretary and he writes me another). Anyway, that cost me €60 for less than five minutes - he literally took my blood pressure and handed me another prescription. I am FUMING about it.

On the plus side though he opens evenings 5 days a week (not very late, but up to 7), so there's plenty of GPs out there that do.

MichaelFC

Shenshen wrote: »

Because they never want to see anybody except for the unemployed and the elderly.

Ha Ha Ha! That's where the real money is!

MichaelFC

Leonard Flaky Hat wrote: »

Well, I'm not providing a public service. When I was, I did work until 10 or 11pm. The vast majority of people who visit the GP are having to take time off work to do it - it makes no sense at all. It's not like taking time off to wait for the internet guy, it's an essential service. I'm considering going part-time (and I'd barely be making enough to live on) because I just can't keep taking time off work to go to the doctor. And I'm a reasonably healthy person. Is that not ridiculous?

Too much paperwork after work keeps you in anyway. It's a ridiculous, litigious world out there!

Also, it's not a one-man show. You need a receptionist, secretary and realistically a nurse practitioner to work the extra hours too. Feel free to be first up to take a pop at this group (who seem to insist on seeing their family!?).

Honestly, everyone's just frazzled by 6.30/7pm. 40 to 50 ppl (feels like a million) no mistakes allowed, and you just wanna go home. Is that not reasonable? What happens if I want to see my kids or eat dinner with the family?

Then again, I suppose we're all sub-human, money-grabbing, Mengeles who shouldn't be allowed sleep, let alone go home.

So where do you work again? Is it that Simon Community on Harcourt Street or on the quays towards Blackhall Place? I forget.

Maybe I can use my postgrad thesis to wipe your sanctimoniuos, taxpaying ass.


M

drkpower

MichaelFC wrote: »

........Then again, I suppose we're all sub-human, money-grabbing, Mengeles who shouldn't be allowed sleep, let alone go home.

So where do you work again? Is it that Simon Community on Harcourt Street or on the quays towards Blackhall Place? I forget.

Maybe I can use my postgrad thesis to wipe your sanctimoniuos, taxpaying ass......

Jebus; that's a little bit of an over-defensive rant!

Fluorescence

Why are people rabbling about extra hours? From what I understood, the OP's idea was to change the opening hours - still the same amount of hours worked just later so people can pop in after work. 9-5 might become 11-7, which would suit many many people so much better. For such an essential service, and considering how costly it has become in recent years (almost shamefully expensive to visit a GP these days), I don't think it's asking much to change opening times around. Not when it's such an easy thing to put in place, and would mean so much to so many.

sock puppet

candy-gal1 wrote: »

Ive always thought this tbh, Banks and Doctors should be open earlier like 9am or late like 7pm or so. Why wouldnt they be?

Aren't both services expensive enough as it is?

Fluorescence

Why would it need to cost more if they work the same amount of hours, just at a slightly different time?

sock puppet

fluorescence wrote: »

Why would it need to cost more if they work the same amount of hours, just at a slightly different time?

Well in a bank's case they're hardly going to shut during business hours so extending their opening hours is the only way to go.

As for doctors what if 9-10 am is a busy time for them?

stupidusername

eeek

Fluorescence

MichaelFC wrote: »

Hey, fool. I clocked in a A HUNDRED AND FIVE HOURS last week, Sunday May 1 to 8, 2011 in a popular Dublin city university hospital while my wife fought fires in the GP practice. All in-house, none of your part-time-go-home crap.

I was the one sorting out your Dad's bowel tumour, I held your girlfriend's hand as she went to sleep before I took her appendix out, I explored your junkie brother's abdo cos he just couldn't stab himself properly.

Don't get me wrong, it's a privilege to get junkie snot on my shirt. It's what you pay me for, right?



So tell me how was the weather during the bank holiday weekend, buddy? Nice and sunny? Maybe a quiet little stroll to the welfare office?

I'd tell you not to judge till you walked a mile in my shoes if I wasn't so sure you'd pee your pants.



Oh, well, God forbid, how about, I, eh, should, please, maybe work till 7pm??



F* you and the horse you came in on.


M

I think you're over-reacting. No one here asked that you work longer hours or said your work is not worthwhile. The OP enquired as to why GPs aren't open at hours more convenient for the average working person (ie outside the regular 9-5). Even an hour's difference would mean a lot.

cesc77

MichaelFC wrote: »

Hey, fool. I clocked in a A HUNDRED AND FIVE HOURS last week, Sunday May 1 to 8, 2011 in a popular Dublin city university hospital while my wife fought fires in the GP practice. All in-house, none of your part-time-go-home crap.

I was the one sorting out your Dad's bowel tumour, I held your girlfriend's hand as she went to sleep before I took her appendix out, I explored your junkie brother's abdo cos he just couldn't stab himself properly.

Don't get me wrong, it's a privilege to get junkie snot on my shirt. It's what you pay me for, right?



So tell me how was the weather during the bank holiday weekend, buddy? Nice and sunny? Maybe a quiet little stroll to the welfare office?

I'd tell you not to judge till you walked a mile in my shoes if I wasn't so sure you'd pee your pants.



Oh, well, God forbid, how about, I, eh, should, please, maybe work till 7pm??



F* you and the horse you came in on.


M

What a lovely carer you seem to be.I sense trolling as I asked a perfectly valid question yet you felt the need to insult me and my entire family.......:mad::D

Do you get paid a salary or do you get paid by the hour.Only askin.....Not that it has any bearing on things..............................................:rolleyes:

Im sure you do a sterling job and you whistle as you work.Thank you very much.

Im just asking if someone that works can see their DOCTOR in their own surgery.Not you,you strange person.Please tell me you work in the South?

Your tactic has worked and I now fear going to seek any medical help

I work too,hense the question in the first place.Think about what you write before you insult others.Or perhaps you could find a more fulfilling profession.

mikemac

I won't lie, I didn't read the entire thread

OP, DubDoc, Shannondoc and others right around Ireland are on call and will do a house visit.
It will cost you but if you want a house visit so be it

If it's not so serious they can give advice over the phone

I only know this as I was hotel night porter and when I was asked for docter I gave the number for Shannondoc

MichaelFC

p.p.s.

Damn these ipads.

I don't even know why i'm here. I just wanted to learn more about these HPAT-thingys for a stupid talk.


Apologies all. Will delete message.