"Great GP but unhelpful assessor"

I attended with suspected shingles and was met by a very unhelpful assessor who told me ‘we don’t routinely issue medication for shingles unless it is really bad’ (!!) . I insisted that I’d prefer to talk to a GP after being asked ‘so what would you like to do ?’. Luckily the GP I saw was extremely helpful and didn’t hesitate in prescribing anti viral drugs for my condition but had I listened to the intial assessor I’d have been persuaded to leave without treatment. Not sure if this is an attempt to reduce numbers and therefore waiting times but I didn’t feel welcomed or supported by this individual- in fact quite the opposite!

So my view is - when in doubt - insist on talking to a doctor where it makes sense !