AIBU to think getting a GP appointment has basically become impossible?

Had a great experience at the GP today. Online form submitted around 8.30am, Dr called an hour later, appointment an hour after that. Dr running on time and was very pleasant and unrushed. Surgery was spotless. This is in a not particularly nice part of London.

I have no trouble getting a GP appointment.

MY GP surgery has a similar system, you need to write what you want to say into a word doc, log on at exactly 8.00am, fill in as fast as possible- when you get to the descriptive section, paste in your earlier draft and submit. Some surgeries also have an Admin form that you can fill in for non-urgent appointments- my surgery uses this for appointments with a nurse. I have also used an online GP paid service before and found that very effective.

It’s your surgery. You must be in a city or busy town with a high number of patients. Very poor situation indeed.

I was in the same situation, in a town surgery. Noticed over the years more and more difficult to get an appointment, noticed more and more over the years the area the surgery was included increased immigration/noted in the waiting area when I physically went in.

I gave up and moved to a village surgery. Immeasurably better. I receive a service akin to the 1980s - normal and what I would expect for the eye watering amounts of tax I pay.

Not here. U can only book for that day though. So I can only book on a day I can make that appointment. U can choose between in person or over the phone. So not had a problem yet. Mine is teaching practice though so may have more spots.

Not everyone can use online

Not a problem getting one but it's always with the nurse practitioner no matter what it is. I haven't seen a GP for the whole of 2025! I do wonder who they actually do see?!

What a truly ridiculous way of managing an appointment system!!

Seriously, how is it possible that there are surgeries that are so incompetent?

This is the 21st century, FFS. Everything is online….. so what’s their excuse?

Mine is similar. The online triage opens at 0630 and closes at 1830.

I've used it a few times for my family and was very impressed.

Urgent (not 999 worthy) appointments given for the same morning by 0930, non-urgent telephone appointment was 6 weeks away, non-urgent f2f appointment in 2 weeks. Also responded to sign-post to pharmacy for over 40's health check.

Hi. Does your surgery have the option to book via your NHS app? Every surgery should now be offering this but it appears some still aren't.

At my previous surgery the way to avoid the 8am phone scramble was to queue up outside at 7.30am and then when the surgery opened at 8am you could walk in and ask for an appointment - they would talk to walk-in people before they answered the phones.

Not sure that works everywhere but worth bearing in mind!

If I use the online system - which is open all day from 8-5pm I will always get a response/appointment. With DD they will often ask if we can pop down right then.
There’s always trainee GPs in our practice so they want people to come in and see them quite often if it’s not serious and then you see the GP after with them. They’re committed to training them.

Same here. DH - finally!! - responded to their latest request (one of many in the past two years or so….. he is a man…) and made an appointment online. He was able to choose from around a dozen or so appointments between now and end of year.

And this was for a routine ‘old people’s check up’, not an urgent issue.

I think it’s quite surgery specific. Our old one was shit. They didn’t book any appointments in advance ever, not even for the most routine thing (like a smear test or something). Every single appointment had to be booked on the day by calling at 8am. Complete insanity.

We moved 10 mins down the road and switched surgeries and now I can log on to the NHS app at any time and generally see a number of available appointments if I’m willing wait a couple of days (I’ve just checked now and there are 312 available appointments, starting next Monday) . Or call in the morning for something urgent - and calling in the morning isn’t the nightmare it was at the old surgery because it’s not every single person who just wants a smear test or a 6 week baby check or a new prescription of the pill all ringing at the same time because they have no other option.

We can book in advance or phone on the day for a same day appointment.
Always managed to get an appt.

Ours does too,it's become so much easier to get an appt now. The doctor either texts with a script to collect from the pharmacy or gives us an appt. It was dire before the e consult system though so you have my sympathy OP.

I really wonder what is going on. Is it surgery specific or area specific or what…

We have never had any problems getting appointments. Admittedly, these are often with Nurse Practitioners, but that’s absolutely fine since neither of us have any serious issues. Our NP is really proactive in ordering tests and folllowing up, and she has more time than any GP we’ve ever seen, and I’m sure she’d make us a GP appointment if it were warranted.

Whats more, our surgery keeps texting us with requests to come in for yearly check-ups and blood/urine tests, or get hearing tests, flu shots, etc.

DH and I both have chronic health conditions and neither of us have ever had any issues getting appointments. Even before diagnosis, we could get a same-day appointment whenever needed.

I put in a form at 8.10 am Monday morning, having started it at 8.04

i had a telephone call to ask me to go in for an appointment by 8.22am for later that morning.

I was seen at 10am and sent to hospital
bloods at 11.30
Results 90 minutes later
CT scan at 2.30

i had emergency surgery that evening

but on other occasions I’ve put in a form and got telephone appoint or text to make blood test

the forms shouldn’t be closing as surely they need to be triaged? If it’s later in the morning then I’ve rung up and got in if urgent or do firm in afternoon

i find it much easier having online forms to fill in and get trisged

move surgeries if they are shutting down forms after 3 minutes each morning

My Mum tried very hard to get a GP appointment as she had a pain in her chest that wouldn’t go away and she kept getting breathless. The GP got cross with her, told her on the phone that she had “obviously pulled a muscle.” And refused to see her in person. This went on for the best part of a year.

She tripped down the steps in the garden and was taken to A & E by ambulance. The doctors were concerned about her chest pains and breathlessness and did an X ray. Terminal lung cancer. She died a few weeks later. I’m not saying the outcome wouldn’t have been the same, but at least they could have done something about the pain.

Is if area dependent? I usually do e consults but have usually been able to get a GP appointmentx However, if monw urgent, it has been difficult to plan around my inflexible schedule

Our NHS GP is reasonable for urgent/emergency issues, but we wait weeks for routine appointments.

The NHS for anything further than GP appts is beyond awful.

We've bitten the bullet and taken private insurance out. Can have in person, same day GP appts for 'free' through this now. Worth every penny.

Same here. DH has cancer and still can't get GP appointments. Our surgery don't do online requests so it's got to be the 8am scramble and all appointments are gone by 8.10am. The receptionists aren't remotely interested in "special" cases like someone with cancer, and refuse to "ping" messages to the GP for anything. Really annoying because his oncologist is constantly fobbing him off and telling him to "ask his gp" for all his side effects from the chemotherapy and all the adverse blood test markers for things like iron, potassium, etc that need strong vitamin supplements (too strong for over the counter!), also constantly being referred back for limb pains, etc that the oncologist claims aren't directly due to the cancer/chemotherapy. The NHS is a complete shambles.

Oh sorry have just seen online form. That’s outrageous. Mine is fine - they triage and respond to every single request and I always feel like ours are dealt with in an entirely appropriate timeframe. (Kid with yellow throat and temp same day, me with HRT not quite working out three weeks)

Never Any problems getting through. Our go has never had the 8.00 am scramble.

Can get a phone appt same day or next day. F2f a bit longer.

Its always in the local paper as one of the best in the city.