How do you book appointments at your GP surgery?

I phone up first thing or even later and usually get an appointment the same day. If often use the online triage system though and my prescription is sent to the pharmacy in an hour or two along with a text to me to explain what and why etc. Our surgery is excellent. I really don’t understand why other surgeries can’t operate in the same way. We can also book appointments online.

A few appointments online for future weeks (up to 4 weeks) and an app which gets addressed on the same day with an appropriate action. You can phone or go in at 8am but it's the same as the app - they fill in a form, it is triaged and an appropriate action is scheduled. It may be an appointment that day, the next day, in the future for non-urgent things, a phone call or referred to inhouse specialists - nurses / physio etc.

To be fair, GP's get maoned about a lot. They have a finite number of appointments, many (like mine) find ways of managing to see or deal with more people than they are contracted to do, and they have thousands of people on their lists - way more than it is possible to cater for. There is a national shortage of GP's. If you would like to see more GP or locally based medical services, if you would like to see more people training as GP's, and if you would like to see more GP allocations in local areas, the correct address to complain to is here:
https://members.parliament.uk/member/4504/contact
not MumsNet.

I call the surgery as close to 8.30 if important and need one that day...appointments for morning could already all be gone...try again at 2.
You take your luck.

If not important a phone consultation is booked for 2 weeks away, if Dr deems it important when phoning back at 2 weeks they'll see you....could be another 2 week wait could be sooner.
You take your chances.

This was my experience on Thursday last week at my busy G.P.practice. I filled in an online form, attaching a photo of a wound that I was concerned wasn't healing well. I was called back within 25 mins and offered a nurse appt in 20 mins. The nurse gave me advice, dressed my wound and said she would call me next week to arrange a follow-up in-person appt. I have found that the online system works well for me, but appreciate that it doesn't suit everyone.

Fill in a form anytime between 8-4:30 and someone gets back to you . It says they get back within 48 hours but every time I’ve used it you get a response on the day . If I want an actual appointment I just put that on the online form and they send you a link for an emergency appt or a routine one . I always request face to face appointments as I don’t like phone ones . It’s a brilliant system . You can also request what GP you want but may have to wait longer for an appointment .

Online form that you can complete between 8am and 9.30am daily. You then get a message or telephone call directing you to a gp/nurse/phone appointment, etc

The same as you op. Last time I called, I was 34th in the call queue.

You email them anytime from 6am, if it’s urgent they ring you with an appointment, if it can be dealt with over the phone the gp rings you and does a phone consultation, if it’s routine they book you an appointment in 2-3 weeks. Seems to work well as I email when I wake up and I have always been seen the same day if I need antibiotics etc

We can either book in advance online, use an online form or ring up. I've always managed to get a same-day appointment without any issues.

Call up whenever, get a call back within 2hrs if surgery is busy and usually same day or next day appt if needed. Benefits of rural living.

I can book appointments up to 6 weeks in advance via an app. I can choose the type eve face to face or telephone or if I need the nurse and even a preferred GP. Usually there’s a 2 week or so wait though I’m sure there are procedures for emergency requests just can’t remember them but involve having to call up reception. Thank goodness for the app as I don’t have to speak ti any snotty receptionists and can check against my work diary for my preferred times anytime day or night.

Fastest finger first at 8am, which is a problem if, like my mum, you don’t have very fast fingers!
It helps if you know the extension for appts, if you have a system like ours (3 in our case), so if you phone at 8am on the dot and press 3 immediately, you have half a chance of not being number 27 in the queue (because you don’t have to listen to the “press 1 for emergencies”, etc

To be fair, our surgery is very accommodating :)

I ring first thing and ask, or I ring at 6pm for an evening one. Never had any issues getting an appointment

Need to ring in the dot of 8am, and not guaranteed a gp, it may be a nurse or varying degrees of qualification of doctor.

If you ring later and it's urgent they do try and fit you in with the duty gp, usually with a telephone consultation first.

If you want to see a particular gp it's usually 3-4 weeks wait.

On an app only here, they don’t do phone calls whatsoever. app opens at 8am and all slots are gone by 8:30. Appointment comes back via text message usually for 3 weeks time, you don’t get a choice of the appointment it’s just dictated.

childrens appointments for urgent things great - usually seen same day. Otherwise above for everyone else

@Changingplace

pre Covid I used to be able to just ring and book an appointment.

now I ring and it’s triaged and they decide whether I’m worthy of one.

to my mind this isn’t booking an appointment.

(I am severely disabled with complex needs and on occasion have had to go to hospital because my GP deemed my issue not important enough but it was actually very bad for me, the receptionist just didn’t read my file before going oh, it’s a simple X infection without being aware that in people with my condition it really isn’t.)

I believe the hospital complained about the one. The nurses treating me were pretty eye rolly about my GP refusing to see me and groaned in an “oh no not again” way when I said which practice it was.

Ours used to be ring at 8am but now it’s an online form only. The main issue is if you can’t make the appointment they give you. You need to cancel it and fill out the form again the next day. And repeat this until you might get a suitable appointment. They seem to ignore the section that you fill out which asks if a particular day or time suits you. Obviously I understand that you can’t please everyone. But when you used to talk to someone it was so much easier to say oh do you by any chance have a Wednesday available?
I recently filled out the form and got a phone call booked for two weeks later. No problem. Did that. Doctor said needed to refer which could take two weeks. Didn’t hear anything for a month. Rang doctors. Told to fill out form again as reception couldn’t see anything. Did that. Appointment booked in another two weeks. Another doctor rang. Said I needed to come in for a face to face before getting referred. Booked that in another two weeks. Went to that. Actually turns out I didn’t need referring and it was an easy fix. I’m fine now. But it took about 10 weeks to just actually see a doctor face to face to find out it was a simple thing and it’s wasted 2 phone calls and 3 days off work for me. As well as the worry that they thought it might be bad. Thank fuck it wasn’t actually serious though because waiting 10 weeks could have been really bad.

Online form, open from 6.30am until lunch time, then reopens until all appts gone. It used to be open all the time which was super helpful when you had those middle of the night I need an appt tomorrow morning problems.
Anyway, I've always been seen the same day - as have my children. They are pretty good at getting you seen. Even though I find some of the GPs annoying and abrasive particularly with women's issues) I won't change as I know other GPs in the same area aren't this easy to get an appt at.

you call at 8 and cross all fingers and toes that one is available. Most of the time, they have gone so you rinse and repeat the same thing again and again and again. They will suggest trying to book online but there are never any appointments available. I just looked and not a single one for the next 6 weeks (you cannot book further in advance). In the end, either the problem sorts it self (cough stops, pain goes, MH improves) or we go to a&e (OH had progressed to a kidney infection recently, and mentally very unwell teen took an overdose). It's just all an utter shit show. There is an econsult but the form is do short, that it is beyond pointless and you cannot explain anything.

That’s is booking though!

Ours is an online form that opens at 8am, and they get back to you that day with either an appointment, or a phone consultation. I never have a problem getting an appointment, it works fine although I’m not sure what people do if they don’t have internet access (elderly etc), so I hope there’s an alternative option if needed.

You can’t book at mine.

you ring the reception. They will decide whether you get a text, a phone call, an actual appointment or told to go away.

Online form. Really good; triaged same day & appointments given on a timescale appropriate to urgency (may be a couple of weeks or same/next day).
Blood tests: self-booking on NHS App.

Our surgery are great. I usually phone and manage to get an appointment that day or the next.

I use an app, but it’s rare to get an appointment within a few weeks so if it’s urgent it’s phone lottery as above.