Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be concerned about GPs new online booking services

105 replies

autienotnaughty · 24/09/2025 07:12

So my GP and others that I’m aware of have adopted an online booking system instead of ringing at 8am.
So I have a chronic pain condition, I went online to book an appointment to discuss an element of it except you can’t actually book an appointment. You send a message and the GP gets back to you within 3 days.
I got a reply 2 days later ignoring my request for a face to face appointment it said “you have a telephone appointment with the NP for a medicine review discuss this issue then”
Now fine I can do that, except my doctors have a one issue at a time rule so there’s every chsnce she will refuse to discuss it. It’s also a telephone appointment and I wanted to be examined and I asked for doctor not NP.
This feels like an easier way of fobbing people off and making it harder to get an appointment.
Aibu to be concerned at this change of direction for GPs. It’s also happening at my dad’s doctors and he’s not online which means I need to request his appointments for him. I

OP posts:
EpsomSalted · 24/09/2025 07:26

I got a two week referral pathway for a mole I uploaded a photo of at 8am. By noon the referral was made. I never had to leave my desk.

it can work brilliantly but they should have opt outs for the elderly who are not digitally competent. Or the very vulnerable. My GP surgery does. Has your dad talked to his?

Lennonjingles · 24/09/2025 07:25

Our GP Practice has had this for quite a while now and mainly it works. In our online booking it asks if you want to be seen or is a telephone call ok. We never get the same GP and sometimes get sent to a community hospital, so I always put in I want to be seen at GP Practice. Face to face appointments are rushed, whereas telephone appointments in my case are better, but I try and write down questions so I am ready. OP if your Father doesn’t have internet, then he should be able to still ring up and they should do the online firm for him.

MaJoady · 24/09/2025 07:23

I've had 2 experiences of my new(ish) GPs online booking system now and it's so so much better than the old. Perhaps try to be open minded? Sounds like they've dropped the one issue only rule.

A few weeks ago, I had had bad blepharitis for a few weeks and it had become infected. A detailed filling in of the form, along with attached photos and I got a detailed text within 2 hours to say there was a prescription for antibiotic cream at the pharmacy. Absolutely fantastic.

IWasScaredToBeHeld · 24/09/2025 07:19

YABU.

This solves the problem of the 8am rush to the phones. If you need a face to face, you’ll be given one.

Agix · 24/09/2025 07:17

What do you want examined? Any lumps or bumps? Did you point the reason you want face to face out in your online request?

Our GP has online booking. They won't call you in for a face to face unless there's a reason to. If you're just reporting pain with a chronic pain condition, they won't assume they need to see you face to face as its part of your already established condition. If you have any new physical changes that they can actually examine (I.e something physical that they can see or feel, not that they only know about due to you talking about it, which can be done on the phone) , you'll need to point them out so they can call you in.

It is to lessen the amount of face to face appointments, because GPS are horrendously busy and need some way of stopping useless face to face appointments.