GP's and the recession!

I was at my local GP today for a minor issue. He referred me to a consultant for clarification on the matter.

When leaving, the GP issued me with the letter of referral to the hospital consultant.

Normally such letters would not be seen by the patient and the GP would forward the request for an appointment to the appropriate Consultant. I asked why this was not being done. He politely informed me that the hospitals get the letters quicker if the patient sends them! The guy must have thought I came down in the last shower.

So patients are now deemed to be in charge of enveloping, stamping and posting their own referral letters to hospitals.

I am not complaining about the cost of an envelope and stamp. I am more annoyed by the 'job not being completed'. I paid this man his fee and yet he feels that I should complete his work. I am very annoyed.

Anyone else see my point?

Wishes said:

Anyone else see my point?

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No, I don't see your point. On the few occasions that I've needed a referral letter my GP gave it to me to post. I'd rather control that bit anyway.

If I was to complain about GP's it would be about the very limited services they offer in comparison to what GP's offer in other countries as well as the very high fees they charge, also in comparison to other countries.

I has to take my own blood samples to the lab myself. So when I am in for a blood test, I am handed to the samples and then have to make my way to the hospital lab.

That costs me another €10 in diesel.

I have been posting my own referral letters for years.

Purple said:

If I was to complain about GP's it would be about the very limited services they offer in comparison to what GP's offer in other countries as well as the very high fees they charge, also in comparison to other countries.

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This is also my gripe with GP's. All they seem to be able to do is prescribe antibiotics, diagnose something as 'Viral', send to A&E or send to Consultant.

Of course they are highly trained and need a lot of knbowledge and judgement to spot the serious case among all of the general sickness, but there does seem to be a lot of passing the buck. It must almost get boring for them sometimes.

Jack of all Trades and Master of None.

Wishes said:

So patients are now deemed to be in charge of enveloping, stamping and posting their own referral letters to hospitals.

Anyone else see my point?

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I'd say your GP doesn't like admin. Any from where I am this whole referrel thing is a nonsense. Here if you want a specialist, you ask the GP for a recommendation and make your own appointment and if you don't like who they suggest or prefer someone else, recommended by a friend for example you do that. By telephone !

If my GP has results for me she puts them in an already used envelope and leaves them on a sideboard outside the waiting room, and ditto for repeat prescriptions etc.

Can't get over the fact that Time has to handle his own blood samples, doesn't sound right to me.

Such referral letters from a GP to a consultant doctor should simply be emailed, so no envelope or stamp needed. There is an obsession with paper and the need for fancy letterheaded paper in the medical profession. Also, the legal profession.

STEINER said:

Such referral letters from a GP to a consultant doctor should simply be emailed, so no envelope or stamp needed. There is an obsession with paper and the need for fancy letterheaded paper in the medical profession. Also, the legal profession.

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They'd have to be PDF's but I agree; why snail-mail letters?

I agree with the issues brought up on this thread. I paid €50.00 (which I hear is small change), to be told by my GP that he did not believe my symptoms were as extreme as I said they were. I left his practice after three visits (with the same issue) with a prescription for both anxiety and indigestion medication. After each visit I felt worse than the last.

How is it possible to tell somebody they are telling fibs when all you have at your disposal is a BP monitor and a stethoscope? The value for money is despicable.
Most GP’s don’t like to be told that you want to be sent to a Consultant. They tell You if you require the assistance of the Consultant, not the other way around.
I finally got to the end of my problem myself, a food allergy!

Posting letters to the consulatant by the patient has been the norm where I go for a while.

Dropping in your own samples where possible seems to be normal as well, particularly problematic if you don't have a car!

Alwyn said:

I agree with the issues brought up on this thread. I paid €50.00 (which I hear is small change), to be told by my GP that he did not believe my symptoms were as extreme as I said they were. I left his practice after three visits (with the same issue) with a prescription for both anxiety and indigestion medication. After each visit I felt worse than the last.

How is it possible to tell somebody they are telling fibs when all you have at your disposal is a BP monitor and a stethoscope? The value for money is despicable.
Most GP’s don’t like to be told that you want to be sent to a Consultant. They tell You if you require the assistance of the Consultant, not the other way around.
I finally got to the end of my problem myself, a food allergy!

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Change doctor.

You're probably better off letting the hospital take the blood, if you end up travelling to the hospital with the samples. An expert phlebotomist will be quicker and almost painless at taking blood.

Maybe I have an exceptionally good GP, but I certainly don't have the kind of experiences of others on this thread.

Portlaoise regional hospital will refer you back to your GP for blood taking. Been there, got the t-shirt.

Time said:

Portlaoise regional hospital will refer you back to your GP for blood taking. Been there, got the t-shirt.

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And rightly so. It's a low skill function and should be carried out in a primary care centre. GP's in Ireland offer few enough services as it is. They should certainly be taking blood.