Called GP at 8. Guess my position in the queue?

my friend has something called ..gp at hand...might have changed name now..gets appnt same or next day, no ringing up at 8 am etc.

I once called our surgery 192 times before ot rang.

I get appointments for my children for urgent stuff by making it clear to the receptionist when she tells me that they're all booked up that I will be taking my children straight to the out-of-hours GP/A&E at our local hospital if they can't give me anything. At this point, she usually manages to find a slot sometime that day for me, either lunchtime or the end of the day.

Our local hospital are absolutely sick and tired of people coming in to see them because they can't get GP appointments for things that should be sorted out by the GP. But, as I make clear to them, my kids are entitled to appropriate healthcare and the failings in the system are not their problem. I am not going to listen to my child screaming in agony with a ruptured eardrum when they could be started on antibiotics in a few hours just because our GP can't get their act together. I take some pleasure in giving the hospital our GP's details because I know local GPs get it in the neck from the hospital if their patients are ending up in A&E unnecessarily.

I have never had an issue getting an appointment in the day in the UK either, it’s not a universal thing.

Thats pretty good to be honest. 2 places in 7 minutes. The trick is to have it on loudspeaker and then juat go about your business until they answer rather than sitting there waiting
Thats what I do..I've even managed to shower although that is tricky as do risk not hearing it!

The gp practice I use only accepts requests made online. If you cannot use or do not have access to the internet you can phone them (but they rather you did not).

I think that might be the point - it puts people off. Why can’t we submit an e consult at any time

I couldn't be arsed with all that. I've been saving a fiver a week in a doctor fund since last September for private GP if necessary. Thankfully haven't needed it yet, but there's no way I'm queuing like that anymore if I feel desperately ill.

I just use the online thing but for those who can it’s pretty shitty.

A lot of places you literally can’t do that though - the call doesn’t go through.

And the worst thing is that 8 am is such a bad time for so many people. It’s in the middle of the morning rush for any one who has children, and a good many who don’t.

7am could be before you have to start rushing around. 9 am when you’re at work. But 8 is just the worst of the worst.

I am usually 40 something soI won't guess.

I've not called for a medical appointment for 4 years?

My bf discovered if you look at official time from google and call 7:59:30, you'll be more likely to get a good position in the queue.

My gp had a call back system. You call, the machine ask if you want a call back press one and then later in the day they will call the same number.

I haven't!

That's awful. And all these people saying the online service is good because they can ring you back-lots of us have a job and can't answer the phone whenever we want, and we don't always know when our lunchbreak will be, or even if we'll get one, so it's not like we can say call back at 1. My friend is a nurse and was angry when the receptionist seemed to think she could just wait around for them to call her-she works long days without always getting breaks. The system used to work fine a couple of decades ago-you just phoned when you were free, they answered immediately and you booked an appointment. I doubt anyone would have believed this thread if you told them this in the early noughties. Progress!

I work for 111 the go system is diabolical at moment I would say that 60% of calls are from people that have been told to call us as no appointments (that’s usually a lie by the way we can book appointments at your surgery if they allow it) we do a full triage spend 20 mins on the phone, yes we can sometimes send you elsewhere but 9 times out of 10 it’s back to your gp with me telling you I can’t book anything and you will just have to tell them you have been assessed by 111 already.
The worst thing is sometimes I have multiple options for other services and they have face to face appointments but due to the way it works we must not tell you about these other options unless you really kick up a fuss and refuse the one offered. In a lot of cases it’s only your go that comes up so we can’t physically send you anywhere else. we can get you a callback from a clinician if we have no options.
I hate the fact that I have to send you to a pharmacy for them to tell you that you need a go after you have already called the go and they have told you to call 111, the you go back to your go they tell you to call us again, we do another assessment again then can maybe offer you somewhere else, all that could have been done in the first call.
They say they are all about the “patient journey” but in reality we have to send you to what comes too as they are the ones that receive funding to provide primary care services at the time you call.
My own gp is terrible I haven’t actually seen another patient in the waiting room since before Covid! They have an online consultation but that opens at 8am and is closed by 8:15am and just tells you to call 111 or try again tomorrow, if you call it’s just an automated message that says no appointments today call 111.
Says it all when I work for an nhs company and they provide 24/7 access to gps via phone and online
If I need to see someone face to face I call 111 and book in at the urgent treatment centre.
i really feel for people out there there’s a lot we can do but the system is horrific at the moment

You've obviously never lived in Wales 😒

This is what the online triage system that is supposedly mandatory in England is supposed to help with. A clinician or trained person should be triaging every request and then streaming them as appropriate. Over time this will improve the availability of on the day and bookable appointments.

My surgery has given me a gp appointment at the end of next week after an e-consult. Initially they messaged to say they couldn’t offer me a routine appointment until the diary opened and then messaged with an appointment when it did.

Giving as much information as possible about symptoms / duration / function / what you want them to do helps them triage. Most people don’t need to see a gp, a practice nurse or paramedic can be absolutely sufficient as can online / telephone appointments.

The not being able to book appointments in advance is so frustrating and probably leads to bigger health issues down the line. It is so bizarre when you think that the minimum threshold people are told to first seek medical help (outside of a pharmacy) is an ‘emergency’ on the day appointment.

My worst position was 48 one time. I just hung up. That was either Monday morning or Friday which are always hell days for appointments.

Why call on Monday morning for a non urgent problem? It’s the busiest time of the week. Better to call on Wednesday or Thursday .

I think we must be very lucky with our surgery. They have a ring back service once you are in the queue.
I rang this morning at 8am for my housebound husband. He needs stronger pain patches. I never actually got into a queue, the phone was answered. A doctor has since visited and seen my husband. She sent a prescription to the chemist's and the prescription was delivered before 4pm.

888 😂