Doctors appointments

[bepp]

Whats happened to the medical profession lately.Been a patient at a northern suburbs surgery for past 12 years,and seen a lot of doctors come and go,in that time i've seen 3 doctors on a regular basis.i'm currently seeing my 3rd doctor there ,Just recently had an appointment,waited patiently for about 1hr,got called in and tried to tell bout my problems.Ok i was at fault,i had to do a medical for DL but omitted to tell the receptionist as it required a double appoint.At this point the doctor became upset,saying, "I am already behind time and you bring this up,you have only booked for a 10 MINUTE appointment and this requires a double appoint,"
She did the medical but it appeared rushed,It was nt my fault she was behind time she was already behind to start of with.
If you've a couple of problems ,you've got no chance discussing it unless you go overtjme and then your looking at a $100+ bill
Is this time limit a common thing these days at these medical centres or is this a one off instant

 

[Contrarian]

Things are quite critical in Perth I'm afraid. Worse in country towns. Almost every medical practice is SWAMPED! One day, I was sitting in the clinic waiting for my appointment and in came this backpacker looking very ill. The receptionist had no appointment for her, and they knew that all the clinics down the road had no appointments available either. The earliest they could see her was 4 days later and advised best thing would be to go A and E at any hospital and be prepared to wait for 2 to 6 hours.

There is a critical shortage of GPs and doctors here. I offered my place to the suffering lady but she turned it down. It's reached the stage where doctors now are stressed and because of the demand are working only 3 days a week at most as part time.

 

[Rochelle]

I hear you, bepp712, and I have no idea what happened to the medical profession. It is not only the time pressure........it is the diagnose as well. Honestly I can understand that people like to watch doctor shows on TV and rather self diagnose than going to a GP. A friend of mine developed little pimples around her mouth and eyes. The GP was convinced it was a allergic reaction to food and suggested a cortisone cream until she was able to work out what causes the allergy. However to cut a very long story short and her pushing for reversals to several specialists that the allergy turned out to be a form of a common skin condition easily treated with a very mild form of antibiotics............
OK......and my bit to add.........a tick I must have caught on one of my various camping trips lived of my blood for at least a week until I discovered it (middle of my back), went to the GP as I couldn't see what it actually was.......GP told me it is a mole that needs removing as it looks angry..........made appointment with my dermatologist........lol and here we go the dangerous 'mole' decided to come off a day before the appointment.......and surprise surprise the mole had 6 legs and moved. Funny haha.......not!!!!!!!!!!

Please bring back the old family doctors

R.xxxxxxxx

 

[Dallas]

Yes unfortunately these stories are common everywhere now.

I used to be able to see my local doctor within a day when I was really sick, but now if I am sick, the receptionist says, "oh you are really sick" sorry all the doctors are booked up for six weeks,you'll have to visit the Outpatients at the hospital. But the doctor their says well we don't have your medical history so we don't want to really do anything.

However I have a simple way of jumping the long wait times with my regular GP. Firstly when you get an appointment ask for the STI blood tests which contain a HIV test. Then keep the pathology request form.

When you get sick and need to see your doctor and are told that there isn't a spot available for weeks, take your blood test, then wait a couple of days and ring up the doctors for the test results. The receptionist will say oh HIV we can't give you that over the phone, we'll get you in to see your doctor tomorrow. So you get so see your doctor within 3 days rather than 6 weeks.

 

[Happy2]

And some employers are very strict on you getting a medical certificate for your sick days But if you have the flu lets say, you cant see your doc for 4 days And if you live in a small town you might have to drive into a nearby major town to see said doc and drive while with a fever Which I doubt the doctors or coppers would advise And to top it off I am sure the docs dont want people with something as contagious as the flu in the waiting room anyway
Maybe josef heller was a doc

 

[Contrarian]

The other thing these days is that not all doctors bulkbill - very few do unless you're a pensioner. So for some low paid staff, getting a mc from a doctor, after all the other issues we've discussed, who bulk bills is nigh on a miracle.

These days, they allow pharmacists to issue MCs but that doesn't mean they're qualified (enough) to give you medical treatment.

 

[Dallas]

I wonder if the ladies could issue medical certificates as it's much easier to get into see one of them and their examinations are much more fun than the doctors. I'd love to take my MC into work with it having a Langtrees stamp on it from Dr Bambi saying Dallas is unfit for work today as he's suffering from a severe lack of sexual activity

 

[Happy2]

But what would the certificate say Dallas?

Please give Mr X a few days off He has to have a blood test because we think he may have contracted a STD

 

[colzilla]

Doctors can get f##ked overpriced bunch of charlatans.

 

[Happy2]

That is a problem people see them that way And ften its because they just dont have the time to properly checkout the patient

Very recently My elderly mum spent a fortnight in hospital In that time she was seen by physios doctors needed a nurse with her 24hrs a day for a while Had a geriatrician see her cat scans the works and it took the full gamut of these great docs and especially the nurses to find her problem A GP just can not do this If some one is really sick it appears as if the only place for great help is the hospital But as the ambo her finally got her to the hospital said the last place old people want to go is hospital Because they see the place as a place to go and die

 

[Contrarian]

Be fair Col, I've been lucky enough to meet many good doctors with a heart too. I do wonder sometimes if they're being greedy by not bulkbilling but I guess I don't know what it costs to run their business.

 

[Dallas]

Hmm, H2 I think you can still go to work with one of those, how about Mr X requires a number of lengthy examinations and is taking it as it comes, signed Dr Ben Dover - amateur gynaecologist - don't know much about it but will have a look anyway

 

[colzilla]

My local quack owns 5 practices and longest appointment I've had is about 5 minutes. The prick keeps me waiting up to 30 minutes.

 

[Happy2]

I have never heard of ben dover Dallas is he English with a name like that?
I am sure any girl in an establisment will give you an exam oral or practical

 

[colzilla]

There is an English pornographer called Ben Dover.

 

[Happy2]

NEVER With a classy name like that ? I am appalled

 

[Dallas]

There is an English pornographer called Ben Dover.

Yes he works with a Scottish guy called Philip McCavity

 

[Contrarian]

My local quack owns 5 practices and longest appointment I've had is about 5 minutes. The prick keeps me waiting up to 30 minutes.

And yet you're still returning to him - why?

 

[colzilla]

Because I'm a tight arse and he bulk bills... He's a horrible man really.

 

[Happy2]

Yes Col and maybe tell him he is welcome to send one of his doc's up this way

 

[colzilla]

Did you want to do 5 minute consultations too?... It's a long way to drive from your place for 5 minutes of "There's a bit of that going around at the moment"

 

[Langtrees VIP Canberra 1]

If your regular doctor is booked out you're shit out of luck getting into any other practices because apparently most "don't take on new patients". This has happened to me on at least 4 occasions. What the.

 

[Dallas]

Yes I found the same Claire where I live, none are taking new patients. It sure makes moving to a different location difficult.

 

[johnlou]

If your regular doctor is booked out you're shit out of luck getting into any other practices because apparently most "don't take on new patients". This has happened to me on at least 4 occasions. What the.

I have found the same but I get asked to phone early in the morning as they do have spare appointments ( by law for emergency ) but you need to be very early ,

 

[Happy2]

I will say At least in Geraldton the largest Diagnosis(?) of doctors a are in a a group called the panaceum They always have 1 doctor for non signed up patients and for those people who are inconsiderate enough to get sick prior to making their appointment

 

[Tania Admin]

I do know a lot surgeries will only take on a couple of new clients a week, this is because they are fully booked most of the time.

Out my way, you need to book a minimum of 3 weeks in advance (because people plan to get sick), and even with an appointment I have had to wait 4 hours, yes 4 HOURS, because the doctor always runs overtime. I also know that a lot of the appointments made to see our local doctor are by the town hypochondriacs and/or people who need a counselor. On that note the wheatbelt counselling services are actually quite good from reports I've heard.

 

[Happy2]

. On that note the wheatbelt counselling services are actually quite good from reports I've heard.

Why is it Tania That when someone uses a shrink Sorry Counsellor its always Phrased There services are quite good "I've heard? ";D

 

[Tania Admin]

Why is it Tania That when someone uses a shrink Sorry Counsellor its always Phrased There services are quite good "I've heard? ";D

Smart ass lol
If I needed that service I wouldn't hesitate to admit to it. I haven't used the Wheatbelt counselling service, but a long time ago I did see a shrink for a while to curb my murderous tendencies mwahahaha, joking, I had some issues from my childhood I needed to vent about and had became quite aggressive in my late teens early 20's, so I sought help rather than travel a destructive path and have no problem admitting it

 

[Happy2]

In all seriousness regional areas need far more Mental health practitioners Along with your account of troubles as a youth (Which was only very recent) There is a truly terrible amount of depression and ultimately suicides that could be nipped in the bud with the right people to talk to

 

[Tania Admin]

In all seriousness regional areas need far more Mental health practitioners Along with your account of troubles as a youth (Which was only very recent) There is a truly terrible amount of depression and ultimately suicides that could be nipped in the bud with the right people to talk to

I personally think that if you need help, you will find it. Yes we do need to spend more money in the mental health side of things in Australia, but I also think part of the problem is people still think it's not ok to talk about things, and that if you seek a professional people will think your crazy.

See I already know I am crazy lol

Serious note again, I knew I was in a bad place within myself and I seeked help. It is there if you need it. Our mental health issues in Australia seem to lay more with people who can be medically treated for a chemical imbalance but don't admit to/or realise that this is the problem. The government is spending more on awareness which I do think is a good start, but a lot of it is peoples own stigma attached to what will people think.

I didn't need medicinal help, I just needed a sounding board and help to realise it wasn't me or my fault what I was feeling, but I needed to learn to let it go and move onwards and upwards and it's been all good since then, though I do have my moments, I believe I have taken the right path and am a pretty good person.