"My Dads care experience from the GP"

My Dad had been feeling unwell since a new medication was started one month previously. He had been having continuous diarrhoea (he has a stoma) and prior to me contacting the GP last Monday he had not been eating or drinking properly for over two weeks - he is 81 years old. I had been unable to see him in person as I was isolating. He was unable to contact the GP himself as was too unwell and lethargic.

I explained all this to his GP and asked for a home visit. This was refused. Instead they simply wanted bloods done and said district nurses would do them and it could take up to five days. I asked if they could be done sooner but was told not. When I phoned the nurses the following day they had not received a referral. They said if the GP had considered them urgent then they could have asked for an advanced nurse practitioner to come from the surgery and do them - the GP had not considered this necessary.

Finally the DN came on the Wednesday lunchtime- by this stage my dad could barely stand unaided. By teatime the GP surgery had called (different GP) and said he needed to be admitted urgently to hospital as he had less than 30% kidney function ). He was so dehydrated he was close to kidney failure. My dad spent 6 days in hospital correcting this acute kidney injury and it is presently unknown whether he will have sustained any long term cellular damage. 

Dehydration of this nature can happen rapidly in the elderly - the GP initially totally ignored the urgency of the situation despite being given a full run down of his symptoms and their duration and the deviation of my Dad's health from his normal. They even failed to arrange the non urgent  referral for bloods on the same day.

Since Covid I have found our surgery to be like Fort Knox and even getting to speak to a GP is far down the list. My dad had someone to advocate for him and still the GP in his wisdom could not visit or arrange urgent bloods.  Why? Is this not part of their remit any more?  There now seems to be  a first line reliance on telephone diagnosis; how can this be done properly where the patient is really unwell and can hardly communicate? what is now being missed by not physically having the patient in front of the GP? 

This is not care in the community - this is care if you can convince someone you are worthy of a GP appointment  and can attend the surgery. No wonder folks end up calling ambulances.