Lots of phone calls but good service when I get through

There we go. Hi, John. Hi. Hello, Paul

How are you? Oh, not too bad. Um, busy. Busy

Busy is good sometimes, isn't it? Ok, so I'm gonna ask you. We know what we're here for. So my question to you is about your experiences of GP services

Um, over the sort of last 6 to 12 months. Uh, if you could talk about that, that'd be fantastic. Right? Um um, I it it's been quite a busy one

Um, um I I I I've had, um Well, no, I Well, we shouldn't include the vaccination, uh, the covid vaccinations. But I've I have also had the, um, the flu. Uh uh, the flu vaccine again this year

Um, um, I've I've had various different problems with my back. Uh, and I've had had to go into the the surgery for to be tested rather than just, um, uh, 00 over the, um the the Internet. The the well, the the the phone

Um, uh, well, let me think for a minute. Um, yeah. Um, uh, should I be included in the vaccinations? Because, uh, they the the the the GPS, uh, did actually, um uh, send the first text for me to go and, um uh, sign on for them

Uh, and that went quite successfully as well. Um um uh, yeah, I I I I've had various different problems. Um, over the period that, um, I I I I I wasn't sure whether I should be going in or initially

I had to phone, and it took a while to get through to to things. Um, my the dietary appointments have been, uh uh, um had to wait, um, longer than I expected, because they've been taking those up. Um, um you you you you phone in, and it's 4 to 6 or eight weeks before you actually get anything

Uh um, there's the, um, trying to think maybe you can think about the last experience you had on or some of the experiences you've had recently and talk about talk about that about the process that maybe you went through, right? Yeah. Um, um when I, um uh the the the, uh the I I was tested for, um um uh uh, My my throat, because I I I I was getting, uh, a certain amount of a problem with it. And, um, they they had to pass that through to, um, the hospital

Um, fortunately, it was, uh, not a problem. Uh, the the the they they They put a camera down my nose to see whether there was any real problems there. And it's, uh it was clear that it was only acid reflux

I say only a acid reflux. Um, it could have been, um um something, um, considerably more serious, but, um, that's come back. Now, Um, uh, if I that carries on, I'll have to go and try and, um, do some more of a, uh uh uh

Contact them again, I think. And how did you feel about that? That experience with the GP. Do you feel it was successful, and if so, why or not? And if so, why not? Um uh, it, um Well, it it it resulted in some more medication

Uh, which hasn't been entirely successful, but, um, most of the time it has been. Um, But, uh, but it's come back now, um poss possibly through, um um, some rich food or whatever. Um, what about the actual service of the GPS? There's the treatment

And then there's the service. If you know what I mean, how about the How have you found the service of the GPS? More recently, Um, it's been It's been fairly good. Um, I am I I I found that, um, they've been responsive to me

Yeah, and in a in a positive way, Once I I I've got through to them. Um, the the the the the the lottery of Of of trying to get through on the phone is always a problem, though, Uh, starting at eight o'clock in the morning, it might take, um, 10 minutes. It might take half an hour or so of constant phoning to actually get through to, um, the surgery, which is, um, is a pain

And what's the what's the impact of that on you or your life? Well, I have to wake up earlier. Um, and, um, I just carry on phoning. Uh, I I I I can't, um I found that it's not useful to use a, um, a landline

I need to use a mobile to make sure that I know what's happening. What do you mean? Sorry. Um, the the the display on the on the mobile phone that the US are busy or whatever

Um, but you. You you don't You don't get the same sort of response on the landline. So you're not sure what you're up to and you're not sure what's happening? What about when you get through? How have you found the service? GP service

Fairly good. Um uh uh is taken 2.5 weeks, though, to get some blood tests

Which, um, uh, I I know that they are stretched. Um, um uh uh, The the they've got the response back from the, um the X-ray already. And now they've, uh they've just taken the blood test today

So that is that is is is poor, I think, um, but, um, how how how they how they cope with that? I really don't know how. How, how? How they increase the number of staff that they can have when, uh, staff have to go through quite a lot of training to be useful. I really don't know

What about the balance between face to face and on the phone? How have you found the services? How how do you respond to them? How do they work for you? Um, face to face is is is fairly responsive. Um, I I I've had to go in more often than I have just had a, um AAA phone conversation. Are you Are you satisfied with that? Is that is that Is that what you want? Well, um, uh, if they can't judge what? What the problem

If there is a problem or what? The problem is over the phone. I need to go in. Obviously

But, um um um, uh, I I I think part of the problem has been that they've They've been using locums for, uh, urgent appointments. Uh, I had a phone call and not being able to judge what? What? What the situation was and being calling, calling people, uh, in I think that that may have been a problem. So And how do you feel? More, More, More recently, when you've been into the surgery, how have you felt about that experience if you felt safe or not, Have you? Well, I I I use I I use hand sanitizer

If I've touched anything or or whatever, I'll I'll I'll use hand sanitizer. I will try and keep myself, uh, as as clean as possible. I that that that is that is, um that that's some That's something that I have learned over the, uh, uh, over the, uh, uh, the pandemic that, um, I I simply, uh um to feel safe, I need to have some hand sanitizer with me and be able to use it almost whenever anything's been touched

And how was your recent experience with the GP surgery? How? How have the people that work there supported you through that experience? Uh, they they've been good. Um, the the the the the the They've been director to what they need to do and so on. Uh, I haven't I I I haven't had any real issues with the people that I've seen that

Have you got any Anything you can share, like an example of of that in practise? Well, today, um, the It's a new system. Um, the the the, um uh the, uh, The, um surgery is split between, um uh, the the nurses and and and? And the doctors. The doctors are on the upper

Uh, um um um uh, ground floor level and the nurses on the lower one. And you key in when you get in. Now you open, you can open the door

It wasn't ever open before, but you can open the door. Um, uh, key in And, uh, and and and then follow through. She she had to tell me to go to this, the the waiting room

But, um, I I wasn't sure where it was. I I haven't used it for that long, but, um um um, yeah, but the the the response has been good that they they they direct people they know. And, um uh, that that that's quite I'm quite happy with that

Yeah. Good. Good

Well, thank you, John. Is there anything else you wanna add before we sort of clock off about about that? Right. Um, before the pan before the pandemic, I had, um um um I didn't realise I'd had a a really severe, uh, chest, uh, infection

Um, and, um, it it took it. It took, um um, a phone conversation. And then, uh, I I'm actually going in by by taxi to be, uh, checked out, and they said, Yeah, you've got a chest infection, and, uh, had to load this up

Um, um, that that was about the worst one I had. And it Maybe it put me off a little bit. about phone

Uh uh, Found interviewed because, right, I I I I follow my own, um, thoughts rather than, um, possibly realities at times, But, um, so they missed it with the phone. They missed it the first time. Yeah

Yeah. Well, thank you for sharing that with me today, John. I really, really appreciate it

Um, I'm gonna press stop on the recording now..