Doctor’s surgery is now using AI for appointments- not working

This is a rubbish not very inclusive system but its not AI

Well exactly, @BatshitCrazyWoman - that's why I said it works well at our GP,, but I can understand it must be very frustrating if the right functionality isn't there. Do you have a patient liaison/focus group you could lobby?

Except of course if you are registered with a surgery where you can't specify a particular GP, or preferred times and contact methods! And where the system has 'reached capacity' 4 minutes after it's opened. Like mine 🙄

This works well at our GP - I especially like the fact hat you can add photos, specify a preference for who you want to see, and specify preferred times/contact methods.

The only thing I don't understand is why the triage form is closed when the surgery is closed, but that may have been answered elsewhere on the thread.

Anecdotally it's much quicker to get an appt at my surgery, where we have this system, than at my parents' surgery, where you call for an appt and usually have to wait at least 1-2 weeks, and the lines are always busy

Except where they don't.

I had to ask 3 times via the online form for a medication (an ointment at a moderate strength) that had mysteriously disappeared from my 'repeat' list.

Eventually I got a call from a 'care navigator' to say a GP would ring me. Ten days later a GP rang me. The GP didn't know why she was ringing me. I explained, and she prescribed the medication.

Or so she said.

I've just checked systm.online and it's completely the wrong medication.

And so we start all over again ... wasting so much professional time, theirs and mine. All for a tube of fucking ointment.

Our GP uses PATCHS and it is shite! Receptionists cannot make you an appointment anymore. The system is usually unavailable due to "reaching capacity" and when you do manage to fill in the stupid form in the style of a chatbot, you might hear back in a couple of weeks for an appointment 2 weeks on from that. Totally shite.

My surgery uses PATCHs and it works brilliantly in my experience, I've always got a response within 1-4 hrs, and often an appointment within 24hrs, mostly same day if urgent. PATCHs requests are overseen by a doctor, unless just admin requests.
It exists alongside the normal telephone triage option as well. First thing (presumably when people phone with the urgent stuff) this is run by a nurse who will decide the best option with each caller, later the phone is answered by reception, while they also respond to in-person requests.
I think any problems with this kind of system relates to the size of the demand placed upon it, and in a GP's case how under pressure the surgery is from the catchment area it serves.
I think my surgery gets it right by having 3 options; online, phone and in-person. However, any surgery would struggle if the demand on the surgery from the amount of people it serves is too great, regardless of what system/s it uses.

I love it why would you wait in the queue on a telephone for an hour, just fill in the form online and they get back to you

The system is also only open for a very short period at 8am. If you don't get on it fast, that's it until the following day. The surgery is also now removing the option to phone them, which means that it's either the app or nothing

I suggest someone advises them that they are breaching the Equality Act in that case. The Care Quality Commission has actually produced guidance on this and makes it clear that GPs are subject to its provisions.

That’s not AI.

Our surgery is like this but when I rang last month and the receptionist said it was all done online she said if I gave verbal consent she could fill the forms out on my behalf.

My mums surgery is also like this.

It makes sense to have a self serve option for those who are able to do so, in order to cut the call queues down for those who are unable to self serve.

Good point @schloss

It is not just the elderly which these systems cause problems for, rural areas have awful broadband connections and more importantly no mobile signals. To receive text messages on my mobile I have to drive about 6 miles from home. Explaining that to businesses, including GP's (and banks) who constantly tell you we only advise via text message is infuriating and although I feel old some times I really am not, but am affected just as much.

AI or not, we have been on their queue to get an appointment for almost a month now. Figure that one up! A waiting list to have your name put into a waiting list.

What the fuck happened to confidentiality. I need to book an appointment but cant take a phone call at home as im on a med that DH does not know i am on. Im NOT being abused Not at all but there is stuff id rather he didnt know Surely that is my right

No appointment time is given, so it could be anytime between 9am and 6pm. It's very difficult if you aren't able to have your phone with you at all times.

That's really bad. How will domestic abuse victims get help? There's often only certain times when it's safe to talk. Lots of other people also can't take calls at any time. There's all sorts of reasons.

@weefella OMG that sounds awful!

At ours you get a text telling you that the surgery has now looked at your form and that you need to log on to the app to find out the response.

When you log on, there's a message saying that a doctor will give you a phone consult on a particular day. No appointment time is given, so it could be anytime between 9am and 6pm. It's very difficult if you aren't able to have your phone with you at all times.

If it's an option as well as telephone or going in person to make an appointment that's ok. If it's the only way to make an appointment that's very bad. My ex was abusive and I was told by women's aid to get injuries seen by my GP. I didn't need hospital but needed help and the GP was somewhere to get that help and also have the injuries logged.

I didn't feel able to tell the receptionist why I was making an appointment so I make something up about personal issues and said I needed an appointment that week, then told the GP the truth when I had the appointment.

I wouldn't have wanted to tell the truth on an online form. I wanted to see the GP to tell them in person but also I wouldn't have been able to wait for a call without knowing in advance when it was due. My ex could've been around when they called.

There will be lots of other people in similar situations.

There will be other reasons why people can't always do an online econsult. It's not ok to have appointments made only by internet. Not every patient can do that.

Our surgery uses PATCHs until it reaches a certain number of people and then it switches off. I needed to speak to someone recently and PATCHs was full and there was a message that the phones weren’t working and to use PATCHS! You couldn’t make it up.

@BatshitCrazyWoman thanks for answering my query. That sounds like an absolute nightmare for you.

My surgery call and give me the day/time. They don't work around me and what might work for me - I need an appointment either at the beginning of the day, or the end, as it takes me and hour and a half to commute from the office to the surgery, I can't 'pop' in in the middle of the day. If I say I can't do it (assuming I've been able to answer the call in the first place) there's lots of tutting and faffing to find another time. The only thing they text for is to tell me my blood test forms are ready to be picked up

Another thing I wondered about, apologies if it's a stupid question, but after you've submitted the form do you get a phone call from an actual person to tell you when your appointment is or is it texted to you or emailed or something? I just think what if you can't make that day or time that they are offering you? How do you tell them if it's textd or emailed to you? Do you have to go through the whole rigmarole of filling in the form again to get another appointment, as I believe you will no longer be allowed to phone to discuss appointments as is now the case for prescriptions.

My surgery does this. It won't let me use it though because I don't have a passport or a driving licence. We live in a deprived area where most children don't have a passport because their families can't afford it. A lot of elderly people struggle to use it. So the people who use the surgery most, the elderly and children can't use it and the phone lines are busier than ever. Meanwhile when you are waiting in the phone queue, you keep getting this automatic message telling you to use the online form.

When they used Econsult they never seemed to know, but they've recently moved to PATCHS and they have my form on their screen.