Have You Done an E-Consult with Your Doctor's Surgery?
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As many may remember I did a topic about being ill over Christmas and New Year. That was sorted but just a few days later I got another sore throat, aching neck, swollen glands etc so phoned the surgery. I was given an appointment for a week's time but the receptionist told me about e-consult and texted me the link.
I have filled it in but found, like many competition surveys, it was a bit ambiguous and open to misinterpretation. The first question was along the lines of 'what would you like us to do for you'?
I am finding this more and more with the medical profession, they seem to want you to tell them what you need, self diagnose and even self prescribe.
Later a question asked for symptoms which I had already given in the first box.
A lot of the yes/no questions were not as easy as that.
Would you, or have you, done an e-consult and if so how did you find it?
Is this before the appointment in order to give details to speed things up or in lieu of a proper face to face.
Xenophon this seemed to be an online consultation to see if a face to face appointment was required or whether a phone call or maybe even an email in reply. The problem was, I had already made the appointment when she gave me the link as she seemed to intimate that I would be attended to before the app if necessary.
After completion I received a confirmation email saying I would hear by Tuesday at 6pm. Tbh it doesn't seem helpful if you do it at weekends and I feel that by the time the doc has read and replied he could probably have seen 1 or 2 patients!
Over a year ago, after a blood test I was requested to attend surgery. I was then asked by the Doctor "What are you here for." I am sure you will tell me" I replied.
MelissaLee1 I was told the one time by a GP who thankfully I haven't seen since after I was told to attend an appointment, "right, what do you want?!" in an abrupt voice. I said you asked me to attend, to which she said "did we? what for?" 
MelissaLee1 I am hearing this more and more about doctors. It seems the days are gone when they showed compassion and understanding. They seem to want you to do their job for them, is this so they can blame the patient when things go wrong.
Xenophon I had a text after a blood test telling me to make an appointment within two weeks. When I got there, after fearing it was something urgent, I got same response as you only to then be told it was good news which could easily have been told over the phone. Out of probably my last 10 appointments I have only seen 1 doctor twice and I think this is a lot of the problem.
MelissaLee1 I've had exactly the same experience, been asked to make an appointment with GP, then asked what for? when I've attended.
davidstockport Hope you were colourful with your diagnosis. I was tempted to say that I was schizophrenic with psychedelic tendencies but then thought better of it.
I have done an e-consult a few times before. I never had any issues filling it out and always heard back from the Dr very quickly. I haven't had to do one for a while. Last time I made an appointment was for our son but it was a specialist appointment not a GP one.
MrsCraig I think the e-consults are a good idea but need fine tuning. Having done mine this morning, saturday, it will not be dealt with until Monday earliest so it does seem pointless if there is an appointment available by then. Also if the result of it means an appointment is needed it has taken twice as much of the doctors time, rather defeating the purpose when so many complain of no time to see more patients.
I believe the system is different in Scotland so maybe we sassenachs could take lessons!
Lynibis I must admit it has never taken me more than 5 minutes to complete the e-consult form and always heard back quickly. One time I had a phone call 15 minutes after I had done the e-consult and had an appointment for half an hour after the call. I did often wonder if because of my sons health condition it flagged it straight away and that's why I heard back quickly, but even when it was an e-consult form for me I heard back within a few hours, if that.
The system is probably different as you say, but our system has improved over the years as it wasn't always so good.
I really hate to knock the medical profession but being a senior I have noticed so much change in the treatment of patients, and even though medical treatment itself may have improved the human treatment has declined.
When I see a doctor now and they ask what my problem is I am not sure when I should stop talking as they don't appear to listen anyway. They stare at the computer screen tapping away and I barely get a glance.
I can't remember the last time a doctor used a stethoscope (not around neck any more), took my pulse, looked at my tongue/throat, my eyes, felt my neck glands. why the reticence to touch a patient these days? Surely those things are still extremely important in helping towards a diagnosis.
Every diagnosis, if you actually get one, seems based on what you tell them, not what they look for. This is all well and good but some people are not able to translate their symptoms into clear lucid terms, they can also feel intimidated by a doctor who may appear uncaring, abrupt or unfriendly and that in turn can cause the patient to clam up or forget to mention something they then remember after leaving the surgery.
All of this must mean that patients are not being properly diagnosed which in turn leads to repeat visits which takes more time from their busy schedules.
I have every sympathy for the conditions doctors now work under and personally I can't see a solution. The biggest problem has to be a too large population that is constantly requiring medical assistance. Gone are the days when people dealt with minor illnesses themselves, we all demand to see a doctor...'I know my rights, I pay my taxes/NI contributions' but of course we don't, do we?
Add to this the huge bill owed by those who come from abroad purely for treatment then hotfoot it home without paying their bills.
Oh heck it's a nightmare, I had better shut up!!!
I did one, got a call 2 weeks later from a doctor that I couldn't understand at all ,so have no idea what he said 
!!
A&E =rammed full with queues around the block.
Gp surgeries= Receptionists/actors/fully qualified telephone answerers and empty waiting areas.
A week on Thursday I have an appointment like you Lynibis and I intend to do mine in the waiting area of the surgery and when asked why I'm doing it by the surgery as what I need to tell the doctor what is wrong with me I'll be saying to the receptionist the phone needs answering.
I would like to reply to my doctors letter but not having her email address I thought I could send a message via the econsult route. Our practice have taken that contact down so now I’ll have to ring and wait in queue for ages then after nearly an hour it just cuts you off!
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