Doctors

Donz1979 · 4 Jul 22, 08:41 AM

I have rang the doctors today as my son has a terrible (chesty) cough and sore throat. i have tested him 4 times and negative however doctor still wont give me a face to face appointment with it being a cough.
I now have a telephone appointment for him but really what use is that, I feel he needs his throat looked and and chest listened too!

pinkbelle · 4 Jul 22, 09:01 AM

Originally Posted by Donz1979

I have rang the doctors today as my son has a terrible (chesty) cough and sore throat. i have tested him 4 times and negative however doctor still wont give me a face to face appointment with it being a cough.
I now have a telephone appointment for him but really what use is that, I feel he needs his throat looked and and chest listened too!

It can be frustrating not being able to book a face to face appointment. However, the system seems to be working well, in my area. I had a telephone appointment at 4:30pm on a Tuesday. Dr was then able to book me in for 9.00am on Wednesday with the nurse for blood tests followed by a face to face appointment with a doctor at 9:20.

Have you taken your son to see a pharmacist? They certainly deal with throats and coughs.

Donz1979 · 4 Jul 22, 09:05 AM

Doctor has rang and she now wants to see him 🙄

sully301 · 4 Jul 22, 09:07 AM

The doc would have asked you questions and risk assessed whether a face to face appt was required or not. Things like that usually go away on their own with a bit of time. You can visit a pharmacy to get advice on making things more comfortable in the interim

Beth_Disney · 4 Jul 22, 09:20 AM

I recently changed surgeries as my old one was impossible to get through to on the phone. I also had a chesty cough and scratchy throat so filled in the form on the website at 8.30am, got a call back at 10.30am to triage, got a text at 12.15pm so say that the GP had reviewed my triage assessment and had sent a prescription for antibiotics to my nominated pharmacy. I thought that was excellent service.

I'm immunocompromised so GP's are quicker to give antibiotics. Most sore throats and coughs are viral and pharmacists should be the first port of call. If there is a Minor Ailment Scheme in your area they may be able to provide some medicines, such as throat sprays, cough linctus and paracetamol for free. Some areas have an extended Minor Ailment Scheme where they can provide antibiotics for infections but the pharmacist would need to examine the person first. It's certainly worth seeing what's available in your area if you can't get a GP appointment.