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

Our surgery is excellent (North Essex). They run commuter clinics with early morning and late evening appointments and I even got the holy grail of a home visit when I was poorly (very) last month.

My only issue is that I do not want to tell receptionists my ongoing health problems either over the phone or in person if they ask. I don't know what makes surgeries think this is ok where someone has a medical history and these things are in the notes.

I can understand why this is necessary for emergency appointments but not where the receptionist is just trying to gauge whether you are a 2 or 3 week wait.

Another ring on the day and await a call back that usually ends with "you need to be seen ASAP" shame really when that call back happens at 5.40pm and your over an hours drive from the docs so you end up in out of hours at 11pm after attempting to get an emergency appointment from 8:30am

To improve access to GPs:

More GPs, so fewer patients per GP.

Evening and weekend surgeries, rather than OOH clinics with drs who do not know you and are in awkward locations.

Typo: GO=GP.

My surgery will no longer allow you to make appointments. First a GO has to call you back, then the GP will decide whether you need to make the appointment, and they arrange it themselves.

At first we thought it a dreadful waste of an expensively-trained professional's time. In fact, it has worked out extremely well. Today, for example, I think ds may have a UTI: I phoned at 3pm, GP called back 45mins later, I collected the sample pot at 5pm, will deposit ds's sample first thing tomorrow, and it will be in the lab by lunchtime Saturday. Previous system, calling on a Fruday afternoon would probably have meant ds would not be seen until Monday, and would probably have had to be taken out of school for the appointment.

Several tes with this new telephone consultation system, the GP has decided that we should be seen that same day, and we were - no hanging around.

I don't feel fobbed-off by the phone calls. And if I want to talk in person, I can say so, and they make me an appointment.

The one weakness that I can see in the system is what if you cannot answer the phone at work? A teacher or factory-line worker, for example.

My GPs office are really good now. They used to be awful, waiting a few weeks for appointments, always running 15+ minutes late and practically chucking you out after 2 minutes.

Now, you can't make an appointment, you phone reception and are on hold until someone becomes available. Then they'll get a brief description of the issue (but you don't have to tell them if you don't want to). Then a GP will call you back the same day, usually within a couple hours, and will determine if you need to come in. Less waiting time, less missed appointments. It's really smooth and stress free.

Our surgery is, on the whole, great!

Open surgery in the morning - If you turn up between 8.30am and 10.00am you will be seen.

I've never tried to book a same day appointment for myself but I did once need to take DS3 after school. The receptionist said there weren't any available appointments but if I bought DS along a Dr would see him after surgery. I thought that was so good of them to fit him in.

There are also phone appointments which are really helpful when you're not sure your problem warrants taking up an appointment slot.

My only minor niggle is the waiting time when you have an appointment to see the nurse. I've had to see the nurse twice in the last six weeks and both times I wasn't seen until almost an hour after my appointment time. Luckily I'm a SAHM so was able to wait but if I'd been working it's unlikely I could have waited all that time in the middle of the day.

Thanks so much for all your responses - we'll have a read through and respond to any questions, but this is really useful.

As a follow-up: what ONE THING should the government do to improve the situation and make it easier for GPs to provide services to their patients?

~ I'm lucky that I don't need to visit my local surgery often but my elderly Aunt lives on the Kent Coast and has had so many problems with her local surgery. They have reduced the number of Drs working there so it's now difficult to get an appoinment. She can't change surgery as there aren't any within an easy distance. The "one thing" that would help in that surgery is to increase the number of Drs there.

At my new GP practice (due to house move) I am finding it very frustrating to access appointments for my daughter who has a recurring issue which the Health visitor recommended I speak to the GP about. I need to get an appointment when the issue is occurring in order for the GP to be able to see the symptoms. However when I try to get an appointment they can only offer me an appointment 2 weeks or more away by which time the issue will have temporarily gone away. So they tell me to make an emergency appointment but I can't phone at the time they specify because I am in the middle of the school run at that time and the issues is not one that requires time off school.

I have been very frustrated as at my previous surgery I was always offered a same day appointment without question whatever time of day I phoned (even if I was happy to wait 'till another day)

Also My DH had an issue where he was very unwell but the first day he phoned by the time he got through the triage list was full and he was told to phone back next day, when he did the triage nurse who phoned him back tried to tell him he just needed to take painkillers but he persisted as he had already been doing this for several days, so he was reluctantly given an appointment to see the GP who immediately referred him to the hospital.

I've also tried to use the online booking system to book routine appointments but they only seem to have a limited number of evening appointments available for online booking and I need to get in during the day so I can be child free.

When you do get to see a GP they are fantastic, but it is just so hard to get an appropriate appointment.

I would like to see another level of appointment for conditions which are not so urgent you need to be seen today, but are sufficiently urgent that you cannot wait 2 weeks to be seen.

Generally the staff are proficient though seems a real postcode lottery. Where there are problems or I have observed them they have been on the back of 'power tripping receptionists' people walking out or reminding receptionists they are not medically trained.

I do believe though if you are getting paid over £100k by the state you should do a bit of weekend working...

My GP practice is awesome! You call in the morning and can ask to see one of the doctors, one of the nurse practioners, or have a call back. You do the same thing for afternoon appointments.

I have never been told no and they will prioritise emergencies.

They are supportive, professional, and caring.

I would like to add, for the benefit of David Cameron who loves to bash the Welsh NHS, that I am in Wales and have the most excellent service.

I wouldn't want to move out of the catchment area for my GP's practice because they are so good.

Not that long ago ( maybe 12 months ) you could get an appointment near enough straight away. Now it can be as long as 3 weeks for a specific GP.

Our gp surgery are great and reading things like this make me realise how lucky I am! The longest I've waited for an appointment was 3 days and the receptionist was very apologetic about the wait despite me telling her it wasn't urgent.

I think Saturday appts at mine are emergencies only.

My surgery has Saturday appts with a GP. Pre-bookable only.

Not read the thread, but

1. I'd imagine that I have the same problem as everyone else with not being able to get appointments other than by cancelling meetings and staying at home to ring at either 8.30 or 1.30 in the hope that I get an appointment for that day, which are generally gone. I went private before the holidays because I just couldn't get an appointment at all, and I'm not on a huge income but I didn't have any other options because the three sessions that they offered me in the next week were either meetings that I couldn't move (I'm self employed) or one was during school pick up time on my daughter's last ever day at her school.

1. I had the swabs done because I wanted a Mirena coil fitted. When I came to trying to book an appointment when my period started to get the coil fitted I was told that there weren't any available, and because "my" GP (who I have never met) doesn't fit them it was complicated to get me booked in with another one who did fit them without asking permission, and in any case the most they could offer me was 15 days in advance, which is outside the Mirena timeframe. They couldn't refer me to anywhere else, family planning in my town is only for young people, and if I wanted to have it fitted I was going to have to have the swabs done again. I gave up.

There are many other issues I have had, especially the unhelpfulness of the reception staff, online booking that never had appointments available. I changed surgeries. I don't know whether the new one is any better. I hate big medical practices. I used to go to one that was mostly one doctor, he knew me, I could always get an appointment or a phone call and he talked to me as if I was an intelligent human being. I miss him!

You cannot book appointments in advance. You have to ring on the day at 8am. It is always engaged. When you get through at 08:03 all the appointments have gone.

Also the receptionists are horrible and will do anything they can to ensure you DON'T see the GP.

Our surgery is great, really.

If you want to make an appointment in advance, it is usually a week or two before you will see someone.

However, if you want to make an appointment on the day, you do need to ring quite early. The lines open at 8:00, but there is a queuing system, so once you have got through, you just have to wait until someone can speak to you.

I had to make an appointment for DH this morning. I rang at 8:00, got straight through, and he had an appointment at 11:00. A week or so ago, I rang to make an appointment for DD1 at 8:00. I got through, and was second in the queue, and got an appointment at just after 9:00.

Mine is that I have to engage in negotiation to avoid a long wait. Pity all receptionists cannot be identified by anyone they need an appointment with or serving in a shop and kept waiting.

Some people have GP surgeries open on Saturdays?!

I was impressed with mine staying open an hour an fifteen minutes one night a week to let us that work have a fighting chance to not use our annual leave... but Saturdays?! Where do you live?

To book appointments in my surgery you can call, onsite or go online. Appointments are sometimes available on the day, more often than not within the week and you can book them weeks in advance. You can see any of the gp's in the surgery although I have my "own" who I see most regularly.

There is a brilliant system online, where you can ask a doctor, book appointments, request repeat prescriptions!

I have unfortunately left this surgery as I have moved and recently had a baby and my child had to be registered locally

Changing this would be the first step, within reason if you have a gp surgery that works for you, you should be able to keep it.

I have moved to a surgery that has one doctor I have been here a week and it seems ok so far!

I love my GP surgery! I've been with them for about 13 years, and now live 2.5 miles away but refuse to change to a more local one (of which there are many). They have an automated booking line where you can book appointments for a specific doctor in advance. They also release the days appointments at midnight so they can be booked on the automated line after midnight (if you can stay up that late). You can ring up from 8am and book a same day appointment through the receptionist (who are all lovely btw). They also phone consultations where you ring up and a doctor will ring you back an hour or 2 later.

They also open on a Saturday morning for those who struggle to take time off for appointmets during the week.

They even contact you just to make sure you're all better after treatment!

The only thing I would add to everything they already do is to add an online booking system and being able to request repeat prescriptions through the website which is very basic atm.

My old practice was terrible, really terrible. They had the "ring up between 8.15am and 9am" OR "call to book" system in place.

Which meant that if you rang through at 8.20am (which was logistically a complete nightmare as I had to arrange to be late to work in or call on a mobile phone in the car/on the train, in the tiny hope I may get an appointment at any point that day or over the next few days) ... you probably weren't going to get through to anyone, just be on hold for ages. Or you'd get through after 20 mins of being on hold and told that unless it was an emergency you could arrange a bookable appoinmtment, usually 2 - 3 weeks after. No late opening on a week day night. No online booking system. No flexibility to fit the gap between "total emergency" vs. "can wait weeks to sort out".

TBH I gave up using them, if we lived in a city with walk in centers I'd have gone to them instead.

Then we moved only a few miles away and have had a completely opposite experience. No "call at 8.15am mad scramble" for the morning appointments. They have several female doctors who work good enough hours that there's cover from them 4 week days.

I can usually get an appointment within 2 - 3 days if needed.

They also have a late night (Wednesdays I think) where appointments are available until 6.45pm, which is perfect as then I don't have to keep taking time off work to attend.

What would make the service even better?

Two things that would have made the move to a new GP even better:

1. The ability to register at a GP practice near work. I thought this might be coming in at some point, so maybe that's moved in the right direction since the last time I moved GP practice?

2. Online booking. Why do I have to speak to a receptionist and use up their time for something fairly routine like a smear test?

My GP practice is fab! I couldn't ask for a better GP practice.. you can phone and book appointments within the next few days, I have never had to wait more than 2 days.
Receptionist's are lovely and really helpful.
Drs are professional and listen.

I had a car accident in 2012 which has left me disabled, I joined one surgery to get he Distric nurses to come out and see me over the bank holiday weekend et, phoned the tuesday to get my pain medication prescription and apparently thry had lost my medical notes and never heard of me and just plain rude to my mother and sister, we transfered to my now practice and they couldn't do enough for me, signed me up and got me my prescription ready for that day so I wouldn't go without medication. ( My notes turned up the Dn had them)

Our surgery is beyond excellent. Phone answered quickly, lovely receptionists, same day emergency appts if you are sick (as long as you don't mind which GP you see), you can book a normal appointment for any time in the future, clinics every day for bloods etc, no waiting list for the practice counsellor, home visits if needed - I am never moving from this surgery if I can help it, we are so lucky. Oh, and this is in London as well.

I would like it if we could choose a suitable surgery not dependent on location (ie, if I want to move, I can stay with my old GP!) but then I guess everyone would try to register with the good surgeries, and the rubbish ones would be empty.

Mine is wonderful - appointments available on the day are released twice a day (am & pm), sometimes you might wait 20 minutes beyond your appointment time but that is because the doctors are very thorough (and it could be you creating the delay one day).

If you wanted to see a particular doctor you might have to book 10-14 days in advance, but again the particular doctor will fit you in at end of surgery if you need to see one them and they are fully booked.

Very well run practice, even if the appointments for the day had gone you would be seen if it was urgent - just asked to pop along at the end of surgery.

Phones answered very quickly, I think we are very lucky indeed.