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

tkrysiak

Happy New Year everyone !!!

As my username suggests, I am one of the Slav barbarians that have invaded Ireland nearly two decades ago. Dublin is home and has been one for a looong time now, my kids will know no other. Over the years I thought that I have come to understand everything there was about my new home but Today I got a shocker...

...wanted to book a GP visit but all GPs in Skerries refused to take on a new patient (LOL?) Now, do not get me wrong I do understand that GPs are under pressure and that they can be booked for a few days straight but to straight down refuse a new patient all together? Not sure if a doctor in India, China or Africa would even think of saying that to someone seeking a medical attention.

I have done a bit of research and it seems roughly 25% of Irish doctors follow such practice. That's even more shocking!

Are Irish doctors exempt from Hippocratic Oath?

How is that even allowed to happen? I would like to hear some insight, mostly from people involved with medical professions. My engineer's brain fails to process some logical issues at times and that is one such occasion.

tl;dr: WTF? How's that even possible?

strandroad

Do you mean that you would expect them to give you an appointment later in the week if currently overbooked? Yes I would too.

Are you a medical card patient? They may have quotas on MC.

tkrysiak

strandroad wrote: »

Do you mean that you would expect them to give you an appointment later in the week if currently overbooked? Yes I would too.

Are you a medical card patient? They may have quotas on MC.

Nope, I am more than happy to pay them full price for their time. Now I am in a situation where I have moved to a town where my family is refused to see a doctor...

I am more than happy to bring my kid to A&E every time he has a flu or call an ambulance but some poor bloke will bleed out on a sidewalk because of that.

Stheno

tkrysiak wrote: »

Nope, I am more than happy to pay them full price for their time. Now I am in a situation where I have moved to a town where my family is refused to see a doctor...

I am more than happy to bring my kid to A&E every time he has a flu or call an ambulance but some poor bloke will bleed out on a sidewalk because of that.

If they have no more capacity to take on New patients they can refuse to do so

LionelNashe

tkrysiak wrote: »

Happy New Year everyone !!!

As my username suggests, I am one of the Slav barbarians that have invaded Ireland nearly two decades ago. Dublin is home and has been one for a looong time now, my kids will know no other. Over the years I thought that I have come to understand everything there was about my new home but Today I got a shocker...

...wanted to book a GP visit but all GPs in Skerries refused to take on a new patient (LOL?) Now, do not get me wrong I do understand that GPs are under pressure and that they can be booked for a few days straight but to straight down refuse a new patient all together? Not sure if a doctor in India, China or Africa would even think of saying that to someone seeking a medical attention.

I have done a bit of research and it seems roughly 25% of Irish doctors follow such practice. That's even more shocking!

Are Irish doctors exempt from Hippocratic Oath?

How is that even allowed to happen? I would like to hear some insight, mostly from people involved with medical professions. My engineer's brain fails to process some logical issues at times and that is one such occasion.

tl;dr: WTF? How's that even possible?

Have you asked if they would see you on the basis that it's a one-off visit, while you're looking for a GP who has the capacity to take you on permanently?

tkrysiak

LionelNashe wrote: »

Have you asked if they would see you on the basis that it's a one-off visit, while you're looking for a GP who has the capacity to take you on permanently?

Yup, I was refused.

RasTa

Every GP in Skerries refused?

Peregrine

strandroad wrote: »

Do you mean that you would expect them to give you an appointment later in the week if currently overbooked? Yes I would too.

Are you a medical card patient? They may have quotas on MC.

No, as in the clinic isn't taking new patients.

It's happened to me before. I hadn't seen a doctor in around four years. Then I was really sick once and I was told by at least three different clinics that they're not taking any new patients or that a lot of their doctors are on holidays. I didn't see one in the end. Still don't have a regular GP other than one in the clinic in college that I went to a few times.

I got ill on Saturday night. There's a local GP that a few people in my family go to and is now probably my 'family GP'. They were closed Sunday (okay), New Year's Day (fine) and today. Rang another one and they're not taking on new patients.

tkrysiak

RasTa wrote: »

Every GP in Skerries refused?

Every one that was open Today.

tkrysiak

Peregrine wrote: »

No, as in the clinic isn't taking new patients.

It's happened to me before. I hadn't seen a doctor in around four years. Then I was really sick once and I was told by at least three different clinics that they're not taking any new patients or that a lot of their doctors are on holidays. I didn't see one in the end. Still don't have a regular GP other than one in the clinic in college that I went to a few times.

I got ill on Saturday night. There's a local GP that a few people in my family go to and is now probably my 'family GP'. They were closed Sunday (okay), New Year's Day (fine) and today. Rang another one and they're not taking on new patients.

Yup, exactly the same issue here. I mean we have one we used to go to in Dublin but I am not gonna make a journey every time I am sick. I will definitely not make the journey with a sick two year old casue that is just plain mad...

RasTa

tkrysiak wrote: »

Every one that was open Today.

Get onto RTE or some rag newspaper. They will carry this story. Should get an appointment then

Shaungoater

It's seems to be a common occurrence in north county Dublin. There is a new primary care centre in Balbriggan and a new doctor there too, maybe try there? They couldn't be full yet. There is bracken clinic (who are full) and another one just opened whose names escapes me, both in the primary care centre

tringle

Do you have any other family living there? Most gp clinics will take new patients if they already have a family member there. I know my daughter went to her Granny's GP in Skerries just before Christmas

seamus

Ultimately there's a public health and safety issue if a practice were to take on too many patients. During swell periods (like the current 'flu) it would mean that a practice would become overrun and as a result patients may not receive appropriate or timely care. So it would be negligent of the practice to take on more than it can handle.

If you presented at a doctor's practice claiming to be gravely ill, they wouldn't turn you away. That's their obligation. However GPs are wise to this and people who try to pull this trick will just have an ambulance called to bring them to A&E.

I understand the frustration, but I can see it from the other side. Doctors shouldn't be obliged to take on new patients if they don't have the capacity.

tkrysiak

seamus wrote: »

Ultimately there's a public health and safety issue if a practice were to take on too many patients. During swell periods (like the current 'flu) it would mean that a practice would become overrun and as a result patients may not receive appropriate or timely care. So it would be negligent of the practice to take on more than it can handle.

If you presented at a doctor's practice claiming to be gravely ill, they wouldn't turn you away. That's their obligation. However GPs are wise to this and people who try to pull this trick will just have an ambulance called to bring them to A&E.

I understand the frustration, but I can see it from the other side. Doctors shouldn't be obliged to take on new patients if they don't have the capacity.

Thanks appreciate the point of view from another perspective. What pissed me off is that one place gave me a booking for tomorrow but once they heard I actually wasn't their patient they said they couldn't see me!

Either way, something has to change - I bet that is one of the reasons A&Es are completely overrun.

listermint

Seamus I honestly don't believe this has anything to do with health and safety. I've come across the same practice in Wicklow refusing patients. But it appears medical card holders are taken with some nearly exclusively medical card holders.

Ive a suspicion that medical card holders come in frequently so gps can charge for each visit and turn them around quickly as there is less expectation of time spent as they are not paying their own cash.

So the gp could get through 6 medical card holders to 3 paying in terms of time.

It's a suspicion, but reasonable

Icemancometh

listermint wrote: »

Seamus I honestly don't believe this has anything to do with health and safety. I've come across the same practice in Wicklow refusing patients. But it appears medical card holders are taken with some nearly exclusively medical card holders.

Ive a suspicion that medical card holders come in frequently so gps can charge for each visit and turn them around quickly as there is less expectation of time spent as they are not paying their own cash.

So the gp could get through 6 medical card holders to 3 paying in terms of time.

It's a suspicion, but reasonable

You have the payment scheme for GPs completely backwards. No fee for item for medical card holders.

Del2005

listermint wrote: »

Seamus I honestly don't believe this has anything to do with health and safety. I've come across the same practice in Wicklow refusing patients. But it appears medical card holders are taken with some nearly exclusively medical card holders.

Ive a suspicion that medical card holders come in frequently so gps can charge for each visit and turn them around quickly as there is less expectation of time spent as they are not paying their own cash.

So the gp could get through 6 medical card holders to 3 paying in terms of time.

It's a suspicion, but reasonable

GPs get an annual payment for each medical card holder on their books. So no matter how many times a medical card holder visit they do not get any extra money and medical card holders go to the doctor way more often than non holders. If I ring my GP I will get an appointment for the next day as I don't have a medical card, if my brother rings he gets one next week due having a medical card.

c6ysaphjvqw41k

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cruizer101

Might be better posting in North County Dublin forum here if looking for recommendations.

Have to agree does seem bit crazy, live in skerries myself but havn't been to doc in over 20 years, so guessing would be in similar position to yourself if I needed to go.

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Here we go

seamus wrote: »

Ultimately there's a public health and safety issue if a practice were to take on too many patients. During swell periods (like the current 'flu) it would mean that a practice would become overrun and as a result patients may not receive appropriate or timely care. So it would be negligent of the practice to take on more than it can handle.

If you presented at a doctor's practice claiming to be gravely ill, they wouldn't turn you away. That's their obligation. However GPs are wise to this and people who try to pull this trick will just have an ambulance called to bring them to A&E.

I understand the frustration, but I can see it from the other side. Doctors shouldn't be obliged to take on new patients if they don't have the capacity.

It's this same happened us all but one place was able to take us it's an over capacity issue if you ring the hse they will find you a gp in resonable distance as far as I'm aware its there duty then doctor cant refuse if they place you there over prescribed or not but this carries its own issues like above longer waiting times over worked practice etc etc

Lux23

It has happened to me before, I just went somewhere else.

Car99

What would you say is a reasonable amount of time to travel to see a GP?

danmanw8

listermint wrote: »

Seamus I honestly don't believe this has anything to do with health and safety. I've come across the same practice in Wicklow refusing patients. But it appears medical card holders are taken with some nearly exclusively medical card holders.

Ive a suspicion that medical card holders come in frequently so gps can charge for each visit and turn them around quickly as there is less expectation of time spent as they are not paying their own cash.

So the gp could get through 6 medical card holders to 3 paying in terms of time.

It's a suspicion, but reasonable

GPs don't get a a 'per visit' fee for medical card holders. You have it the complete wrong way around.

Lux23

Car99 wrote: »

What would you say is a reasonable amount of time to travel to see a GP?

I guess that depends on where you live and whether you had a car/bike etc.

tkrysiak

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OMG, interview with a GP - scary thought ;-)
On one hand I am glad I am not the only one with the problem - on the other it is scary we are catching up with American healthcare standards...

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tkrysiak

....... wrote: »

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Ya, that was exactly what I meant ;-)

Fuko200

Ive been wondering about this aswell, my OH sprained her foot and was on it for 3 weeks before giving in and wanted to see her gp. They got a new building or something so she hasnt had a chance to attend the new place but when she called for an appointment they refused as she was considered a new patient - even though she wasnt? Is that legal or common?

Chiparus

I don't see what the problem is, if the GP practice is full, how can they take new patients ?


Otherwise waiting times to see a GP would be weeks or longer.
http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/your-practice/practice-topics/access/average-gp-waiting-times-remain-at-two-weeks-despite-rescue-measures/20034534.article