Just when you thought it was hard enough to see a GP....

[Sadurian]

Were are all these Saturday appointment slots supposed to come from?

It either means less slots during the week or expecting GPs (and their supporting staff) to work a 6 day week.

Or somehow magicking up a load of new GPs from somewhere

I suspect it would be the former. One less GP slot on weekdays to prove one for Saturday. It would not actually reduce the number of GP slots, just spread them over six days rather than five.

 

[exbleep]

I suspect it would be the former. One less GP slot on weekdays to prove one for Saturday. It would not actually reduce the number of GP slots, just spread them over six days rather than five.(

The doctors I worked for did a Saturday morning surgery restricted to urgent only. The great British public thought getting a repeat prescription was urgent.

The one who worked the Saturday morning, and the Saturday afternoon on house calls, would then get Monday off which was usually the busiest day of the week.
We also had the "ring at 8" system for a while. We fitted a telephone system that could handle up to 1084 calls (obviously on hold as we didn't have 1,084 receptionists) and it would regularly get clogged and people ringing would have an engaged tone particularly on a Monday.

We binned that system after a few months.

But, of course, the great British public still think they are "entitled". One bloke wanted an "urgent" appointment for his 20 year old daughter ('twas merely advice on acne it turned out) and threatened to go to the "authorities" if we couldn't fit her in. I managed to juggle 3 other patients (one doing the repeat by phone, another switched over to see a nurse and another delaying the appointment for a day) just to fit her in.

The bitch then never showed so another DNA (of which we had dozens every week).

 

[DemsMaShoes]

Nope. Only if they meet all the targets they are set plus the grand a month they have to pay out for insurance and so on. Definitely not a minimum and very few GPs actually do private consultation work.

Between 70k and only the top earners get up to 100k so Min is a bit off. Even then that's only if they meet the full targets introduced by the government.

Plus they pay the full whack (employers and employees) contribution to their pension and some around 1k a month on insurance.

The only "extra" they would get would be if they were providing out of hours cover for a consortium.

Aren't there opportunities for "homers" though?
Such as signing things, injections and various letters?

(I know of one GP who covered the London Olympics.
Poor sod had to cover the beach volleyball.)

I understand, anecdotally, that GP tend to refer people to A&E far more than they used to(?)
Has there role changed to more of one of triage now?

 

[Teeblerone]

While I appreciate your choice in gif.. If you google around for GP vacancies, you will be hard pressed to find anything for less than £80k.

So the minimum is not 80K, let alone 100K.

 

[Civvy Scum]

Nope. Only if they meet all the targets they are set plus the grand a month they have to pay out for insurance and so on. Definitely not a minimum and very few GPs actually do private consultation work.

Between 70k and only the top earners get up to 100k so Min is a bit off. Even then that's only if they meet the full targets introduced by the government.

Plus they pay the full whack (employers and employees) contribution to their pension and some around 1k a month on insurance.

The only "extra" they would get would be if they were providing out of hours cover for a consortium.

70-100k. My heart bleeds something purple for them.

Out in all weathers visiting scores of patients per day. No. Wait.

I'm due my regular diabetic check up. You'd think something like that would happen automatically but no, I have to phone the surgery* to get 2 appointments, one for a blood sample to be taken and the second to see a nurse. Not a doctor.

*There's no point in me doing that, as someone has pointed out up thread by the time you get through, all the slots have gone.

My lot used to do an online thing where you could contact the surgery and they'd respond either by email, phone or drag you in if it was serious enough. Initially the online thing was available 24/7. Then it got swamped (allegedly), so they cut it back to 08:00-11:00, Mon-Fri. Now they've stopped it all together and it's back to the phone system, which they'd gone away from as it didn't work. The only reliable way to get an appointment is to visit the surgery. Which is OK if you aren't at death's door, otherwise...

The practise lists about 10 GPs. Whenever I go, there's never more than 2 or 3 people in the waiting room. So, when do these "poorly paid" GPs actually see patients then?

 

[amazing__lobster]

Min £100K.. Not including the money they make for 'private consultation work'.

Many stay around registrar grade, which is only about 45k a year.

 

[MrBane]

GPs vote for industrial action over being told to work on Saturdays

Apparently, they've "each lost millions of pounds" due to pay erosion over the last 12 years and don't like be told to work Saturdays.

Eeeeh. We've got serveral GP friends who all work part time and pull in close to six figures.

**** them! I tried to get an appointment due to significant amounts of blood pouring out my hoop whenever I pooed.

Hitler on the front desk:

'Do you consider this to be urgent?'

.........

 

[Teeblerone]

Eeeeh. We've got serveral GP friends who all work part time and pull in close to six figures.

**** them! I tried to get an appointment due to significant amounts of blood pouring out my hoop whenever I pooed.

Hitler on the front desk:

'Do you consider this to be urgent?'

.........

desk-hitlers.
should deposited a large sample of the problem on the counter & asked them if they thought it was urgent and important to clear the matter up now.

 

[Just_plain_you]

Many stay around registrar grade, which is only about 45k a year.

salaried GPs who are employees of independent contractor practices or directly employed by primary care organisations. From 1 April 2021*, the pay range for salaried GPs is £62,268 to £93,965.

Pay for doctors

Doctors in training As a doctor in training you’ll earn a basic salary, plus pay for any hours over 40 per week, a 37 per cent enhancement for working nights, a weekend allowance for any work at the weekend, an availability allowance if you are required to be available on-call, and other...

www.healthcareers.nhs.uk

 

[TractorStats]

I understand, anecdotally, that GP tend to refer people to A&E far more than they used to(?)
Has there role changed to more of one of triage now?

I was about to comment when I saw yours. I think you are right and I wonder whether in fact the entire GP model no longer fits modern healthcare because there are so many specialisms and treatments now that a GP has no real chance of doing anything more than dole out pills and send referral letters.

I have a friend who is a primary care doctor in Germany working in 'stomach and gut' problems. The way she describes it is that people choose their primary care doctor according to what they have wrong with them. She only sees people who have come to her for stomach and gut problems. She will then refer on to a specialist at a hospital if she needs to but has a high level of skill herself with access to testing and diagnostic facilities so apart from actual surgery she can pretty much treat a patient from start to finish. She will of course be aware that a patient might need to see a doctor in another discipline, for example, if she suspects cancer. Likewise she gets referrals from other primary care doctors

I no doubt haven't got that description of the German system completely right but I do wonder if we actually need to go to that model topped up with a minor injury unit in each town to keep people away from A&E except for really serious life threatening issues. I also wonder if we might need to go back to cottage hospitals for local outpatient, routine surgery and convalescent care to take pressure off main teaching hospitals.

 

[Glasgow_Jock]

The one who worked the Saturday morning, and the Saturday afternoon on house calls, would then get Monday off which was usually the busiest day of the week.

That's a good point, perhaps offer a mid-week day off to come in a Saturday, though you'd need to get the necessary support staff to enable it I guess.

 

[endure]

If my employer told me that I'd be working Saturdays I'd be miffed too.

Most GPs are their own employers. The vast majority of GP surgeries are owned by the partners and run as a small business.

 

[Civvy Scum]

Desk-Hitlers.

Our surgery had an aging midget, an indifferent piece of work at the best of times. You'd go to reception and she'd be battering away at a keyboard. Would she look up and ask you how she could help? Would she look and say, "I won't be a moment, I've just got to finish typing this"? Nope. Just carried on typing without even acknowledging your presence, until she'd finished typing. Then you could easily tell she was, in her opinion, doing you a favour by talking to you. Ignorant bitch. She's retired now and not missed in the slightest. Not that the service has got any better.

 

[Civvy Scum]

That's a good point, perhaps offer a mid-week day off to come in a Saturday, though you'd need to get the necessary support staff to enable it I guess.

Our surgery closes every Thursday afternoon for staff training, so they don't even put in a full 5 days for seeing patients.

I won't mention the GP who told my mum the problems she was having with her bladder were just due to her age. After much cajoling and badgering the surgery, she eventually got to see a specialist. It was bladder cancer.

 

[anglo]

Hopefully they win, that's what minor injury units are for at the weekend if it can't wait until Monday.

Awaits the deluge of anecdotes about how millions of people have died because of no weekend GP access

What injuries can a minor injury unit treat?

• sprains and strains.
• broken bones.
• minor burns and scalds.
• head injuries (but not if someone is unconscious)
• insect and animal bites and stings.
• minor eye injuries.
• cuts, bruising and grazes.

If you are not injured, they will tell you to go see a doctor

 

[Glasgow_Jock]

Our surgery closes every Thursday afternoon for staff training, so they don't even put in a full 5 days for seeing patients.

Ah same, forgot about that. It's good training is mandated into their normal week unlike mickey mouse jobs where you're expected to do it in your own time for free or if you're lucky TOIL that you can never get back.

 

[Teeblerone]

I dare say some people would be quite suited to a 'Tuesday to Saturday' week or similar.
I know one person who says they do it because they can go to church and then shop when it's quiet, take the kids to school & back, make a decent dinner, chat to them, bit of quiet time etc.
A bit more cash is handy, too.

 

[exbleep]

Aren't there opportunities for "homers" though?
Such as signing things, injections and various letters?

(I know of one GP who covered the London Olympics.
Poor sod had to cover the beach volleyball.)

I understand, anecdotally, that GP tend to refer people to A&E far more than they used to(?)
Has there role changed to more of one of triage now?

Insurances, driver medicals and all the other related bumpf was completed after surgery hours. Many times the GP would be there til 9 or 10 at night completing the paperwork after going through all the blood and other test results.

The extra stuff like this, and certain private vaccines (most are free) brought in about 13k a year. Shared between 6 doctors not exactly a fortune coming in.

 

[amazing__lobster]

salaried GPs who are employees of independent contractor practices or directly employed by primary care organisations. From 1 April 2021*, the pay range for salaried GPs is £62,268 to £93,965.

Pay for doctors

Doctors in training As a doctor in training you’ll earn a basic salary, plus pay for any hours over 40 per week, a 37 per cent enhancement for working nights, a weekend allowance for any work at the weekend, an availability allowance if you are required to be available on-call, and other...

www.healthcareers.nhs.uk

For medics who specialise as GPs.

Registrar salary is a bit more humble: Hospital Registrar Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale

 

[Glasgow_Jock]

What injuries can a minor injury unit treat?

• sprains and strains.
• broken bones.
• minor burns and scalds.
• head injuries (but not if someone is unconscious)
• insect and animal bites and stings.
• minor eye injuries.
• cuts, bruising and grazes.

If you are not injured, they will tell you to go see a doctor

Seems fairly comprehensive. If you have a sudden onset of a particular illness then A & E eh.