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Please wait 2wks for an appointment for gout...

Story from nhs.uk

"Please wait 2wks for an appointment for gout..."

About: De Parys Medical Centre

I received a diagnosis from the walk in clinic GP and a prescription for an anti inflammatory.

I rang my doctors and ordered emergency medication on Monday morning 7th January when I could still not bear any weight on my foot. I received a text on Tuesday 8th to ring the surgery. The receptionists informed me the Doctor needed to see me in order to prescribe the medication. First appointment 23rd January for a serious outbreak of gout? The practice since or before the merger with my previous Doctors at Goldington Medical Practice seem to use a system of triage which the reception has to front up. They also have a website which is effectively closed in terms of patient input. For example if you send a message the only option is to click that is not urgent otherwise you can't send.

To rely on preliminary diagnosis from non medical staff in pursuit of efficiency is a definite retrograde step in community medicine as far as I am concerned.

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Responses

Response from De Parys Medical Centre 5 years ago
De Parys Medical Centre

Submitted on 08/01/2019 at 18:33
Published on nhs.uk at 19:05

I would like to investigate this properly, if you could please contact me at the surgery. There are likely to be clinical reasons why the doctor wished to see you before prescribing treatment, however I would expect in those circumstances that arrangements would be made to see you sooner, most likely through the duty doctor team. Your observation about non-medical staff making preliminary diagnosis is not correct, however the doctors expect them to make some basic enquiries in order to help them assess the urgency of each request.

Our website is designed to make it easier for you to communicate with the Practice, but it is not intended for urgent queries as it is not monitored continuously throughout the day.

Carolyn Boyd

Practice Manager

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