Accessing Healthcare on a Zero Hours Contract

Yes, the OP is in a better position that many of those who work Monday- Friday. At least they have a day off in the week to call.

Oh come on, we all work. You have one day off in the week...so thats your answer you do it then???

😂😂😂id like to see that court case

Bet you're on their Christmas card list, not

But you said calling was the issue, not the appointment as you can book time off for that?

What do you want people to tell you?

In this case, I would write to the practice to say my work meant I was unable to call at 8am to make an appointment, so how am I and others in a similar position able to make an appointment, especiallyif there is no obe rlse who can call on your behalf? I'd also point out I can't have a mobile phone in the workplace and can't guarantee exact break times to be available for a call-back.

Phoning at 8am works if you're too sick to work, but only once have I had an appointment thst urgent - usually it's regular check-ups for a chronic condition or for things like smears, or they want me to do bloods.

Fortunately, my surgery doesn't work like this - we fill in a form, it's triaged the same day and you get sent a list of possible appointment times to choose one that suits. You can still phone ,but then the receptionist basically filles in the form for you, but at least there's an option for those who are visually impaired or don't have Internet access. Phone only does not work for many people for various reasons.

The receptionists are just doing what they’ve been told, they don’t make the rules. They get paid minimum wage or not much more, and they’re just following rules.
I spent my university holidays working as a GP receptionist, 20 years ago. If you’d have spoken to me like that I’d have just referred you to the practice manager. I wasn’t paid enough to be spoken to like that.

Why?, it's not a threat, but a statement of intent - and perfectly legal, which is why it works every single time.

What receptionist needs to be looking at a potential legal case against them - you have to be of course polite and concise, you are not being nasty to a given person, just explaining calmly the potential result of not being given access to care.

A threat of legal action is quite legitimate and a regular occurrence, Ie: if you don't pay your rent I am going to take action to evict you.

A threat of illegal action is a different ball game, and in itself illegal.

As I say, works a treat, they fold easily every time.

I'm surprised you haven't been contacted by the practice manager and asked not to threaten the staff.

I am self employed and a carer to my mum, regularly come up against this problem.

When you ring the surgery, first take the name of the person you are speaking to, then when they won't play ball calmly explain that you will be holding them personally and severably liable for damages should any long term ill befall you by their not letting you speak to a GP.

Works every time!!

You work for £3.80 an hour?

Ring on the day you’re not at work. If you can’t get an appointment that day, ring on the next day that you’re not at work.

Does your employer have an employee assistance programme? If so you may be able to access a GP that way.

What a garbage system. It doesn’t have to be like that. At my GPs, there is no 8am scramble, you call at whatever time, you go on a list, the “duty” Dr rings you back, assesses you over the phone, and if you need it, gives you an appointment.

Over the last year, for all my family, when we have needed it, we have been seen the same day.

GPs surgery’s need to invest a bit more… a decent Practice Manager can make all the difference.

Call on your day off. You might get an appointment that day. If not is for the future one of your posts said that you can swap shifts

I suggested this as it has come in useful for me before as my DH was able to make an appointment for me when I was particularly unwell. But he is familiar with my availability/ work schedule so knew when to avoid.

Providing the OP has someone willing and able to take part in the 8 am scramble for her and also able to make decisions about when she's going to be able to get to an appointment.

In the past there's occasionally been a 'choose and book' facility, which seems to have been quietly dropped. I've been referred for a scan on something non urgent, but needs looking at and it seems impossible to jump through all the hoops to get an appointment - I have to ring up and give my details then they'll ring back, which they inevitably do when I'm away from my phone because I'm working so not able to answer it. Then I ring back and the cycle continues.

Or they just issue an appointment for a random time when I'm at work and I have to find time to ring them to go round in circles again because there seems to be absolutely no appreciation that people have time when they're at work when they're unavailable and time when they are available and they'd like the appointment then - many people have health issues that need attention but don't stop them working in the meantime, so it's not like they're off sick and available for appointments at the drop of a hat.

It sounds like the problem is that the OP has to jump through several incompatible hoops as even if she can phone at 8 am, she doesn't know if she's going to be successful and if so, when, so she's gambling a day's pay against the unknown likelihood of an appointment at a time she can make, which may or may not be on the same day - many GPs won't allow people to make appointments for other days, which is ridiculous for non urgent conditions.

The changes the government say they're going to introduce sound great, but when are they going to happen? Why does everything have to take so long? A rule on when an appointment can or cannot be made can be dropped instantly, surely? All it takes is for GPs to say 'from now on, people can call at any time and make appointments for any time' and just do it. So why is the OP still having this issue 3 months later?

But obviously the other issue is that the OP is in a career that's illegally exploiting her. If she's effectively available for work for 15 hours, she should be paid for those hours, so at least NMW for 14 hours a day, assuming an hour's break although there's also obviously the question about whether she needs to work so many hours - that's no life and a big part of the reason why she can't get a GP appointment.

OP do you need to work so many hours, or are you choosing to? Is there any chance you could change employers for better hours and pay? Do you get paid holidays, which I think you should do even on a ZHC contract. I don't think they're allowed to roll holiday pay into your hourly rate any more but it's a basic expectation that you're paid at least NMW for every hour you're required to be at work, including travelling between clients, but excluding reasonable breaks, which are more like 1 hour a day, not 5 and you get at least 28 days paid leave a year, although that would probably be for a standard 7.5 or 8 hour working day.

But whichever way it's worked out, you're being woefully underpaid for the time you spend at work so you should really look at whether there's anything you can change to improve this.

@JockTamsonsBairns on a day and at a time when you are able, call or pop in to your GP and give permission for a family member/friend to speak to the GP on your behalf. That person can then call at 8am and make an appointment for you.

It's a really annoying system. Even the online form only works during the 8-9 window at my surgery and only on weekdays. As a teacher I can only do the consult during a half term, then they will issue a random telephone appointment for 2 weeks later at a time when I will be teaching. Then I have to ring the receptionist which fortunately I can do after school ends to explain why I can't have that telephone appointment slot so then they find me one....usually another 2 weeks away which is at a time I can actually do. So it takes a month to get an appointment.

It's about learning how your specific gp surgery works

Depends on the answering system. Mine doesn’t have extra lines so it’s just a busy signal and you have to call back. I just checked and it took me 84 tries and 32 minutes to get through last time. To get a phone appointment at the end of June.

econsult is brilliant imo.

I explain the issue, get a text back telling me what they propose to do. If they need to see me, they give an appointment time & date, and if it's a time I can't do, I use the online appointment manager and ask for another. If they're prescribing meds, they send the scrip to my local pharmacy electronically and I can usually pick it up the same day. The last time I used it, they referred me to a physio and I got an appointment within a couple of weeks.

So much better than ringing them, it used to take 40 minutes or more to get through and you had to ring first thing in the morning, which wasn't always possible if I had a work appointment or was driving.

Why would anybody work for £3.80 an hour? That’s your real problem here.

Ok so you like your work and it’s very necessary but a) it’s a luxury you can’t afford because it’s incompatible with living a life and b) you should not be working for such a poor hourly rate whilst your agency creams off a profit, if you have one.

If you’re independently employed this is not a sustainable job and you’d be much better off financially in almost any other PAYE job. If you’re working for an agency you’re being seriously exploited.

How do you feel about the new deal Labour has reached with the BMA relating to GP appointments, OP?

@JockTamsonsBairns if your 7 am client is a regular one of yours can you seriously not just explain to them that you need to phone the GP at 8 , call in and get in the queue and have your phone on speaker whilst you work and then just drop off for a couple of minutes whilst you take the call when you eventually get through . I would imagine most people would be quite happy with that .

My surgery offers evening appointments to those who have rang at 8am but are at work.

Other than that they try to fill up from the morning onwards.