Firstly I must say that I hate visiting the Doctor, but not as much as the Dentist.
I reluctantly agreed to a Diabetes Review appointment for 8.15 am on Thursday the 4th of December 2025 (yesterday).
As I always do on such occasions I prepared myself well in advance. I made sure my feet were well scrubbed and my toenails cut (they always look at my feet), all my underwear was clean, my hair washed and brushed, and that I was in an overall presentable state.
It was pouring, so I got soaked as I walked the kilometer or so to the surgery. I arrived a tiny bit early and the door was still locked.
When I was allowed inside, the receptionist couldn't find any reference to my appointment; eventually discovering that it had been cancelled.
"Didn't they inform you?" he asked.
"No!" I replied, biting my tongue.
"I'll make another one for you" he said in his thick Indian accent, and scrolled down his computer screen for about 5 minutes. "How about 10th December at 9.10 am?"
"That'll be fine" I replied. He then gave me a piece of paper noting the date and time.
When I returned home I looked at the bit of paper and saw that he'd written 4th December 9.10 am.
I instantly wrote an Email to them to confirm that my appointment was actually for the 10th. A reply came quite quickly, and confirmed that it definitely was for the 10th. They failed to mention that the receptionist was an illiterate plonker.
I really wish they would leave me alone, and devote their time to people who actually need to see a Doctor. As long as I have my pills, my Diabetes is fine.
I shall go back, reluctantly, on the 10th. I'll sit in their horrible waiting room, filled with cough and sneeze, then have my feet pricked, my blood pressure taken, and (if they remember) to have my Flu Jab.
After all that I should be good for another 12 months.
A sorry reflection on the decline in standards in primary care....
ReplyDeleteIn my youth we simply turned up at the doctor's surgery between the appointed hours (no appointment) and waited in turn to be seen. Always the same doctor for the whole of my 18 years living at home, he remembered things like my brother's broken leg when he was 9...
Now we're lucky to see the same doctor two visit running, the phone line for appointments is permanently engaged, the answering message when you finally get through tells you just about everywhere else to go in the NHS before actually giving you a selection of options, eventually one of those is for appointments, usually a least a week in the future.
Sic transit Gloria mundi
Even in the early 80's, when I was looking after my father, our Doctor would come to the house almost at once. So much has changed, and not for the better.
DeleteIt's the same or worse here. Three weeks for an appointment and by that they mean a telephone call..........Totally useless they are.
DeleteActually, I prefer a telephone call. It means that I don't have to sit around with sick people!
DeleteThey receive a payment for your review, it is like bread and butter money for them, and why they are keen to book you in. It doesn't have to be done by a GP either.
ReplyDeleteThat doesn't surprise me. Much of life is now like that.
Delete"...thick Indian accent". The fellow cannot help being thick. I am sure that there are many thick Brightonians and thick folk in rural France too. Thickness is almost everywhere. Thank heavens that my own medical centre does not operate like that - forgetting to inform attendees of cancelled appointments. Fingers crossed for the 10th.
ReplyDeleteI was quite nice about them above, but in fact I was furious. My time is important to me, and I hate to have it wasted!
DeleteAt least you get to see a GP. I haven't been able to talk to a Doctor in 5 years, I can only get appointments with the Nurse Practitioner.
ReplyDeleteNow that we all have Dr Google in our own homes, do we really need to visit another one?
DeleteWe have to book an appointment online now. The first time I tried I ended up in tears of frustration. I finally phoned them and the receptionist condescendingly said she would do it for me......"just this time" !! I have managed to do it since, using a link that was sent to me.
ReplyDeleteSoon it'll all be AI, and that includes the Doctor.
DeleteYou’ve left it late to have your flu jab. I had mine in October.
ReplyDeleteI'm not fussed about it, I'm being pressurised.
DeleteI know it's something you have to get checked but honestly I think I might have just walked away . Id have been so darn annoyed. As you were of course. You get yourself all psyched up for the appointment and then have to do it all over again....
ReplyDeleteDo you have a little device you use at home to check your blood/sugar levels. ??
I check my blood pressure, but nothing else. I'm Type 2 diabetic, and not too serious. I agree about the frustration. It was very annoying.
DeleteI see my Quack once a year, or sooner if I think I am dying.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds about right to me. The perfect attitude!
DeleteHow annoying for you, I do hope the next appointment goes to plan and it's good news! Looking at the photo, your surgery is 5 star luxury compared to the one here, which is shared by all the NHS doctors in town.There are no convenient local surgeries. Those look like reasonably comfy chairs too and is that carpet on the floor?
ReplyDeleteI gather it's just as difficult to get an appointment here as it is in the UK. It's over two years since I last saw a doctor and I used the 24 hour emergencies around 6:30 in the morning. It had obviously been a slow night because I was the only one there and they seemed delighted to see me!
We did have an even closer surgery, based in a corner of Boots (the chemists). It was always quiet, but it closed down. I have no idea why!
DeleteNo better here in the US.
ReplyDeleteA receptionist once told me, "We make it very hard."
You are so right, care is not what it used to be.
Regarding AI, just type in your numbers and meds on ChatGPT and it will give you a full rundown.
I think ChatGPT is even more qualified than Dr Google. I'm sure the Doctors themselves consult them.
DeleteI'm finding that more people are incompetent - It irritates me though I try to remain polite - (Arses) - flis x
ReplyDelete