What's your experience when it comes to getting GP appointments? And other questions...

You can see emergency doctor if it's urgent but often well over a week otherwise and up to two weeks for the female doctor who works part time.

Nothing but praise for my surgery.

I can call anytime of the day with no need for redialing as they give you the option to hang up or enter a que if no one is available to speak to you straight away.

I called at 4pm one day this week as I was suddenly very unwell and was seen by a doctor the same day at 5pm. I'm currently pregnant but have had this service even when I'm not so it's not just priority for that.

If I need advice I can usually get a doctor to call me back within an hour.

I've been able to get emergency appointments for my DS too.

Another one here with a brilliant surgery: same day for emergencies; they will always see an under 5 on the same day if you want; and a range of appointments for hen it isn't urgent. Doctors will call back to discuss concerns eg if the antibiotics aren't working as hoped so you don't have to take a poorly child back in again. And lovely receptionists! One time I needed a doctor's signature on a form then straight to a third party, and they called me to say it had all been done and sent off, rather than leaving me to wonder what had happened.

The surgery is merging with two others shortly, and I'm really concerned we will lose this brilliant service - which frankly should be the norm, not something special.

My surgery is really good.

You can call up at 8.30am for a same day appointment. The receptionist will ask for an indication of the issue but don't push for one. I've said before "It's nothing urgent I just need a chat" and it's no issue.

I've never not been able to get an appointment, although the on the day ones go by midday. You sometimes have to keep hitting redial if you are calling before 9am. They always get young children in even if you call end of day.

You can also book for a few days / weeks in advance too. They do a few evening and weekend appointments as well.

They have about 8 doctors I think but some are part-time.

Can always make an appointment same day or next day without any problem. In an emergency it is possible to call, turn up and wait and for a quick medication question (eg during pregnancy) they will always call back. Small, rural surgery with two doctors, one nurse, a fortnightly mw visit and surprisingly nice reception staff who don't ask intimate questions.

My surgery has what can only be described as a Byzantine system. To get an appointment you must ring on the dot of 8:30. If you fail to do this the phone will be engaged until 9am at which point all the emergency appointments will be taken. To 'book' a routine appointment you must ring at 2pm for an appointment that afternoon. Except not every time. Sometimes you can book in advance if the planets are aligned correctly and the receptionist is in a good mood.

What they fail to appreciate is some people are in paid employment. If I need an appointment I must ring precisely at the time I am half way to work and am usually underground. Either I take the day off work and risk not getting an appointment or I take the risk of having to turn back halfway because, by some miracle, I have got through on the phone. The afternoon situation is even worse. At 2pm I am often in a situation where I can't phone as I am in meetings/teaching a class etc. Nor can I just leave work at a moment's notice if by magic an appointment is available. Like many Londoners there is a commute of at least an hour to take into consideration.

I currently have a condition which requires monitoring and medication adjusting at regular intervals. The difficulty in gaining appointments means I often end up taking up emergency appointment slots which would have been unnecessary had I been able to book a routine appointment. On more than one occasion I have ended up in A&E and admitted to hospital as my condition has got out of control, which would not have happened if I had only been able to see a GP earlier. I can't imagine this is a cost effective way of managing things.

For one glorious year the surgery ran a system where you could book online. Alas, no longer. Apparently it was too expensive to run.

Same day appointments for pain/fever especially for ds are no problem. Other problems usually within a week.

Mum gets doc visiting at home relatively easily too (she is elderly and chronically ill)

Biggest problem is getting referrals.

It's almost impossible to get through to my GP on a Monday morning but if you get through you can get a same day emergency appt usually
On other days it is easier to get through on the phone and appts are easy to book either that week or ahead of time
Our surgery is open early and late but they try to keep this info quiet

Lady at the moment with my healthcare insurance Incan choose to see a consultant near home or near to work.

My has an outgoing message that said 'If it's not an emergency call back later' as part of the wording before you could get though to a human. Which would make it impossible for anyone to phone up for test results, smear test appointments, flu jabs etc.

Our GPs have a catchment area of 5 miles.

I've always gone for a GP near home, on the grounds that if I'm really ill, travelling to an appointment won't help me, but if it's something routine like a smear test or similar, I will be able to work out a way to fit it in.

Lasvegas - what if you need a referral, though? Somewhere close to home or close to work?

I would like to be able to register with a GP near work and near home. If you have an appointment at 11. 00 and then and hour and a half commute it is ridiculous. I would be happy to have medical notes on a central database so they could be accessed by more than one practice.

Where I live (south east) there is a walk in clinic 8-8 7 days a week which anyone can use but my gp surgery also has a few emergency appointments available each day. The one time I needed an emergency appointment for my ds I called at lunchtime and explained that he definitely needed to see a doctor that day but I could take him to the walk in clinic if all their appointments were gone. They insisted I bring him straight down as little ones shouldn't be hanging around in waiting rooms when they were poorly and the doctor saw him quickly. The receptionist does ask what the problem is if you ask for an emergency appointment but they are happy to put it down as a personal issue if you don't want to explain. 1 hour after calling the gp my ds was tucked up in bed with his medicine Fab service, I love my gp surgery.

Awful, they run the triage system, last time I called for an emergency appointment, they wanted to call me back.

Baby went down hill fast and I called surgery back. I insisted they allowed me to come straight down. I saw the doctor. Three hours later triage called me back. had I not been a pushy madam, I would have had a very sick child

at mine you can phone at 8am to get on the list for a call back to see if they will give you an appt hat day.

My gripe is that you then have to wait around for a call back - which impacts on your day -sometimes they call back at say 10am and ask you to be there in the next 5 mins or other occasion they'll say 4pm. it makes the day impossible - can't judge whether to leave on school runs etc ...wastes so much time.

At ours, you ring at 8am. If you can get through, a receptionist will take your details and a Dr will call you back if they think it is necessary. Once they've spoken to you, it is possible you'll get an appt to come in - at their convenience, in a few hours. That's fine if you're not working that day, but awful if you don't have an office job and have to arrange cover of some sort. I also used to start work at 8am - no way was I ever getting to the GP as you aren't allowed to book appointments any other way.

Our surgery has a twin track approach - same day appointments (for those who pass the triage stage) or book ahead. But the reception staff insist that everyone - including those wanting to book ahead - ring at 8am so the only people who actually get appointments (I imagine) are those with nothing else to do at 8am but hit the redial button.

The surgery for a while had sessions where you could turn up and wait to be seen. Obviously the waiting for up to an hour and a half wasn't great but it did at least mean you could see a doctor when you were still actually ill rather than a fortnight after the event. These sessions were abandoned - with no consultation as far as I could see - on the grounds that they weren't popular with patients. Depends who you ask, I should have thought?

It's a really good point about being triaged by the receptionist. If they had medical training I'd be ok with it, but they don't. And they're not bound by any kind of confidentiality, there is no way I'm telling them about my health issues.

Yeah, I know a lot of the same people try to get most of the commuter appointments but at least the service is offered, unlike at all of my former GPs where even if I have the earliest appointment they offered, with my commute I wouldn't have been in the office til nearly 11. Not on. It gives us a fighting chance of getting in at a reasonable time or leaving work at normal time and seeing a Dr. Hallelujah!

Generally, as a family we just don't bother, I haven't been to the GP for years, the dcs have been once each (they are 7 and 9). It is such a chew getting sn appointment, and I hate being triaged by the receptionist over the phone to see if I am ill enough to bd granted access. I also ferl guilty that other people need the slot more than me. I guess they really did a job on me...
I work jn the NHS and understand the presssures, that is probably ehy I choose self care over visiting GPs.

I've worked briefly in a couple of surgeries with early and evening 'commuter' appointments. No one can check you're a 'commuter' so the same people got the morning and late evening slots as would get any others.

My surgery are in all honesty rubbish at getting appointments. They are over subscribed (by their own admission) getting an appointment is a nightmare. The line is always engaged and nearly always same day appointments are fully booked and my surgery do not offer pre bookable appointments with a gp so you are asked to ring back the following day. The staff are rude and intrusive with their questioning of why you need to see a doctor. The GPS at the surgery are clearly overworked and lack a bedside manner.

Appointments aee rushed and limited to 10mins if your over this time you are asked to leave and make another appointment to continue your appointment at a later date.

The surgery now offer telephone appointment s however the GPS are unable to prescribe medication on these so if you requite medication you have to ring back the following day to try and obtain an appointment in person. They no longer offer home visit under any circumstances.

Surgery hours are limited. 8-10 am is gp. 10 to 12 are for new baby a post natal appointments. 12-3 closed.. 3-6 pm gp.

The waiting area is for 3seperate surgeries so seating is limitedand many patients are standing. There is a no buggy rule for babies. No buggies in the waiting area and none in the doctors offices. Obviously this is difficult if you have a baby espically as there is no where to sit and you have to stand and cradle your child.

There is no child's area so long waits with no books, magazines or toys with a poorly child are demanding.

Generally I don't visit my local surgery unless nessecary. I always call but usually unsucesful in getting an appointment so have to call NHS direct and get an out of hours appointment with the go at the local hospital.

I don't mean to bash GPS as I feel they do a great job. But the current surgeries in my area fail to meet demand and are clearly under resourced and under financed and this is seen in the service that is offered

DH has had trouble with our surgery, they seemed to think he could wait 5 days despite horrible side effects from antibiotics.

However, every time I have phoned for DD (now 16m) they have without fail found me an appt for that day. And if I say I really can't do that time, they find something the next day. This is despite the vast majority of my calls being for her sticky eye and me constantly saying it really isn't urgent. I love them.