Bloody NHS e consult forms are shit!

I do this, & then C&P everything into the first text box, & add "see above" in subsequent text boxes

All the information is there for a human to read

It seems unusual to get this treatment on the NHS any more. If you can afford to go privately & do micro-suction, that might be your best option (where I live, it appears to be my only option).

Same here. I got a link to available appointments and was able to book a convenient one.

I had a similar text last week - which included a link to available appointments. I'd have been pissed off if they had asked me to make an appointment if none was available.

Had a text yesterday from the surgery to make an appointment for a meds review. Phoned the surgery and they don't have any coming up so can't help. 🤨that was helpful conversation.

They aren’t though and are quite blazen about it so clearly they can get away with it.

What it means is for those shut out it’s now even harder to get appointments. Why is Wes Streeting not acknowledging this?

So from 1 October 2025 all GP practices are contracted to provide patient access through all means from 8am to 6:30pm. That means you should be able to walk in, phone or use online consultation during this time. This is not dependent on age. They cannot shut off the phone or online consultations during this time or restrict phones for older people.

That being said online consultation is for non urgent requests.

The complaint should be to the practice but you can also complain via the local ICB. You can equally ask the IcB to explain what they are doing to check compliance and deal with practices who are not open when they should be and not allowing access by phone and online.

Nobody in schools have access to phones during classroom time and most of us barely have 20 minutes lunch. I’ve tried to fill in GP forms then only to find they’ve closed. Also they don’t give you appointments that fit in with a 20 minute lunch break even when you put it on the form.

Mine are also rubbish, to the point where 111 has effectively replaced my GP. I also work in a secure environment where I can't take my mobile phone in, and they just cannot get their heads around the fact that I'm unable to take a phone consultation. They say that they aren't able to schedule a specific time for them, so I can't ask for one to be on my lunch break.

Utter rubbish!

A very large majority will have access to their phone though. Maybe not if you are a pilot or an astronaut but I’m wondering who can’t access their phone during lunch break?

And what about the commute : not while driving / on train with bad reception, but surly at one point you are walking from the car/train to your workplace - well take 5min then.

That's incredibly restrictive, surely they'll end up with more calls from people who are frustrated/unable to complete the form than they would if they just allow people to ring up for appointments in the first place. What a ridiculous system

Ours now does this. It’s a nightmare when you have to be on the school run at that time. It’s either make the kids late, which leads to sanctions for them, as the school don’t care about the reasons, or don’t have access to healthcare. The whole system is awful. I’ve heard that they push it because even if it was a query that was answered by a quick return form their end, it counts as a completed appointment, which makes their appointment figures look better. I’m not sure how true this is, but at this point it wouldn’t surprise me.

Sorry you've had a crap experience. I really like eConsult as it is so much better for me than the phone. I used to have to spend hours on the phone to get through and that ate into my working time (I recall having been on the phone for four hours once). With eConsult I don't worry about the accuracy of the questions and just put what I want in the text box. My surgery are very responsive to that (although having to go through all the questions is annoying).

That is useful though: type in all your notes in advance and save somewhere on your phone. Then take 5min between 8am-4pm (just before stepping into work? lunch break? toilet break?) and complete the form quickly.

That's what my GP does, and they tell you when to expect a GP call. That should surely be standard practice.

Ours will close the system and chuck you out halfway through a form if they have reached their patient limit for the day. The kids forms take twice as long to complete so I rush through them like a woman possessed holding my breath.
I wish it wouldn't let you start a form unless they have capacity.

Sorry you’re struggling. But on balance, ours is great. Fill it out and you typically get seen the same day. Frees up the phones and I’ve been able to phone at 3pm and get a same day appointment too.

I think in a lot of cases it is easier, but they should still have the option to book over the phone for those that need it

Sorry yours is so shit op, it must feel really frustrating!

I don't under why they vary so much. My surgery uses Anima and it's transformed booking appointments. My mum had a throat issue and I raised an Anima at 8am this morning and am currently in the waiting room with her to see a doctor.

And all my experiences have been good, when over the phone was a nightmare

They should all be able to provide the same level of service as a bare minimum

I've been trying to fill one in for my (very) elderly mother. We saw the GP 3 weeks ago and he wanted feedback on whether her new medication was working . Can't find a good way to do that as it's not a "category". Found a bit that might do, but then it has loads of questions that are irrelevant and even one page which says if you're on over 5 prescribed medicines list them here; she's on hundreds, plus they are the people who prescribed them so can see at a touch of a button!! GRR. Any advice how to feedback easily gratefully received.