Are Advanced Nurse Practitioners The New GP's?

[StarBright]

And if they are, how many are there in the country?

I had a look at my GP's website yesterday & found that the Advanced nurse practitioners can see more people than the GP now. There are two colums one for what you need to see the GP for & one for what you see the ANP's for.

GP's list:

· Depression / Low Mood

· Anxiety

· Self-harm

· Chest pains/ discomfort

· Shortness of breath

· Acute Injuries

· Acute pain

· Unexplained bruising

· Abdominal pain

· Pelvic pain

· End of life acute care

· Gynae problems

· Controlled drugs

· Fit Note



ANP's List:

· Coughs/Cold/Chest Infection

· Ear Problems

· Eye Problems

· Sinusitis

· Skin problems (Rashes, Impetigo, Eczema, Psoriasis, Cysts, Boils etc (not Moles or Suspicious Lumps)

· Balanitis

· Urinary Infections

· Mastitis (Breast Infections in Breastfeeding Women)

· Abdominal Pain

· Back Pain, Shoulders, Elbows, Wrists, Hands, Knees, Ankles, Feet Pain

· Head Injuries

· Dizziness

· Toe and Joint Pain

· Zoladex Injection

· Morning after pill

· Contraception

· Breast Lumps etc.



Nurse Practitioners also manage long term conditions such as asthma, eczema, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, raised cholesterol levels, diabetes, epilepsy and respiratory disease.

I'm wondering how many ANP's are in training?. And if that's all GP's do now why can't you get an appointment with one?

[nukecad]

You can shortly move Fit Notes from the GP's to nurses list.
Pharmacists will be able to issue them too, as well as being able to refer people with suspected cancer directly to hospital.

We had a recent thread about it, quite a few responsibilities are being redistrubited from GP's to others and I'm sure there will be more:
https://youreable.livingmadeeasy.org...795&viewfull=1

It looks like long term the 'traditional' GP's role of being 'the first point of contact' with the NHS is being removed and their duties taken over by others.
(And lets face it if you can't contact your GP anyway then how can they be 'first contact'?)
We may even see GP's as such phased out altogether and given a new role/title.

[beau]

I have no faith in our surgery's nurse practitioner.
When I had a phone appointment with her 18 months ago regarding my hips she said it was only muscular. I had to request them to be x-rayed as I knew the signs that something more was wrong and she grudginly referred me.
X-rays done and 2 days later got a call from a doctor saying severe osteoarthritis in both and they both needed replacing.
No doubt some will be better than others.

[StarBright]

I think you are right Nuke, I don't honestly see a need for an actual GP very soon. GP's surgerys have so many other people employed now that can do almost all that a GP can do & sometimes better than.

We don't have a paramedic at our surgeries but I know a lot of them do now employ them & they see the people who asked to be seen that day.

I have conjunctivitis again, to be fair I've not had it since 2020 which I think is the longest I've been for years without having it. Always in my right eye, because I've little to no sight in that eye with problems so I get it in that eye easily it seems. You have to buy over the counter eye drops for conjunctivitis first, they never work on me & are around £8. But if you haven't tried them the GP's won't let you talk to someone. So It was a really quick easy thing to ask for & a few questions later the prescription was sent to my local chemist.

We seem to have 2 ANP's (which I didn't know until yesterday)

I also think you are right beau, it's the same thing with any job you get good ones & bad ones. Unfortunatelly with health there should be no bad ones.

[gus607]

A few years agoi I saw the ANP three times before I got to see a locum GP. A good job too as I was suffering with septicemia.
So much for ANPs, just doctoring on the cheap.