What are emergency GP appointments for?

[Ca55andraMortmain]

Our gp surgery has an appointment system where you have to phone when they open at 8am and ask for a callback from the doctor. The doc then rings you at some point during the day and determines whether or not you need to go in.

It's always really busy and by 8.05 the appointments are all gone. They do have a number of 'emergency appointments' each day but the phone message says they are for life threatening cases and not to abuse the system by trying to book one if this isn't the case. Surely if it's life threatening you'd be phoning 999 and not waiting in a phone queue for the GP? What constitutes a gp emergency?

Anything that is urgent, but doesn’t require A&E. Off the top of my head:

• Infections where you need antibiotics sooner rather than later
• Flare-ups of chronic conditions (eg asthma, crohn’s etc)
• Acute mental health problems
• Minor injuries like cuts, burns, or sprains
• Severe abdominal pain
• Eye injury or problems

Etc etc

If you google the problem that you want to visit your GP for, you should find the nhs page giving advice on the condition, which will include the “red flag symptoms” to look out for that mean that you need urgent treatment.

Obviously I agree that for anything life-threatening (severe chest pains, severe bleeding, stroke, if someone is unconscious and can’t be woken etc) then you would obviously skip the GP and go straight to A&E. Perhaps they need to look at their wording of the phone message.

Hi, this is my first post after rejoining mumsnet so be gentle with me!

I am a GP receptionist (tin hat on) I do every monday and the pressure is immense particularly at the start of the week to obtain same day appointments. We tend to ask questions such as whether your condition is urgent for that day. I know many patients feel like this is an impossible question to answer but very often things can wait a few days for the next routine appointment.

Generally speaking emergency appointments are for new and acute problems that cannot wait for a few days. We have to rely on patients being sensible about this and understanding how precious same day appointments are. Under three's have to be seen, we will always add on for small children if we have run out of appointments. Conditions that people suffer from are so varied it is very difficult to give a definitive list but an example would be someone who was asthmatic who developed breathing difficulties, a sudden decline in mental health, sudden and unexplained pain, and any concerns about under three's are things that I would be certain that needed to be seen soon. An ongoing cough that has lasted for a couple of weeks......yes its an unknown and yes it could be something more serious but likely it is viral and will probably wait a few days. Its not an exact science, I try my very best for everyone and will speak to the GP on your behalf about any concerns you may have and send tasks through to help anyone if they have run out of medication.

I hope that helps, I don't particularly want to add anymore because I'm not a GP and not medically qualified. We are at the frontline and try our best to help but with the best will in the world we cannot magic up appointments that are not there for us to book. And on a further note, if you do make a same day appointment please turn up for it. The amount of people who miss their appointments is shocking.

A couple of years ago I popped into our surgery to make an appointment to get some more of my contraceptive pills. They didn't have one that day so I said it was ok, I had about a weeks worth left, I'd try another day.

The receptionist said she could give me an emergency appt that day. I explained it was for the pill and I had a few days left so could go another day. She insisted I could go for the lunchtime emergency surgery.

When I turned up I told the doctor I felt a bit of a fraud, it wasn't an emergency, I was going to come on a different day etc. She was fine about it, I got a prescription quicker than if I'd managed to get an afternoon appt.

Thankfully we live in an area where it's easy to get an appt. (So I could have gone another day no problem) I do wonder if the receptionists are told to fit extras into the emergency slots if they aren't looking like they will be used as they are paying for the doctor's time whether or not they see any patients (I believe at the time it wasn't a doctor employed at the surgery who did the emergency appts, it was a locum brought in to cover so they got paid for their time regardless if they saw patients or not, I certainly didn't see a regular doctor at the surgery for my appt.)

I guess it's up to the individual surgeries what their policies are for who they will see in the emergency slots. If it's usually busy for the emergency appts they have to be strict on what constitutes an emergency, if it's usually not busy they can let people be seen that aren't necessarily emergencies but could do with being seen, if patients take liberties and clog up emergency appts when they don't need to be seen so soon I'd expect surgeries to put stricter guidelines on what they constitute as an emergency.

Regarding the pill, we have a policy in place for essential med's which includes the pill so that we know on reception to ensure that noone ever runs out of it. If there wasn't a routine appointment available in the next few days the receptionist may have thought it best to get you in that day to ensure that you would definitely have your pill going forward.

New and acute, can't wait situations?

I think it also depends how long you have to wait for a routine appointment and if you could see a nurse.

At my surgery you have to wait at least 3 weeks for a routine appointment so if you have an infection and need antibiotics now I'd say you need an appointment today.

But it might be ok to see a nurse if they can prescribe.

Minor injuries and conditions - see the nurse.

But if you can see a doctor the same week, then I'd say the conditions for which you should ask for a same day appointment will be fewer.

I rang the emergency GP when DS stopped eating over Christmas and was dangerously underweight. She said it wasn't an emergency. We took him to A&E and they diagnosed him with cystic fibrosis.

I phoned up recently asking for an on the day appt. they had all gone and the receptionist asked me what was the matter. I told her chest pains and breathless and very uncomfortable to breathe. I got offered an appointment an hour later, plus called back by my named GP 10 minutes later. I turned out it was a collapsed lung rather than anything worse. Then once I arrived and checked in, I was seen immediately. My GP then referred me in to the hospital for tests where again I was seen immediately. I was very impressed.

I had one for shingles once.

I think the words "emergency" and "life-threatening" are maybe problematic...they certainly suggest 999 to me! I've used same-day appointments three times in my life, all in the last year! One for my baby who developed thrush after a course of antibiotics, one for mastitis, and one when I'd had D+V for two days at 7 months' pregnant. I'm extremely grateful that I was seen and treated quickly - they weren't "life-threatening" situations by any means, but ones that certainly couldn't wait for the next 'routine' appointment, which are generally 3 weeks away.

I have a ongoing medical condition which can flare up & cause infections & extreme pain. I know the signs now & if I phone my GP for this I always get one of the emergency triage appts. Getting anti biotics can prevent me being hospitalised so they never make me wait.

DS was seriously ill earlier this year. Called GP as was bothered about him - wasn’t sure what was wrong, definitely didn’t realise it was serious. Receptionist obviously did as got an appointment that morning. GP sent us straight to hospital.

Usually have to wait two-three weeks for GP appointment.

System worked for us.

It's a strange one at our gp because they only do same day appointments, you can't book to see the doctor next week - if you're seeing her, you're seeing her today. The emergency appointments are allocated once the routine same day appointments are full.
For context, today I was wanting an appointment for 3 month old DD who has a chesty cough and was wheezing. It wasn't life threatening and could have waited until tomorrow or the next day. But every day the appointments are gone by 8.05 so I asked for an emergency appointment (and then felt really guilty because the system kept reminding me they were for life threatening situations only). GP didn't mention it when we went in, incidentally.

A wheezing 3 month old definitely justifies a same day GP appointment however they bill it!

I can’t imagine they would have minded a wheezy baby taking up an urgent appointment, that’s exactly the sort of thing that shouldn’t wait. Hope your dd is better soon!

I rang the docs for some tablets for dd to delay her period whilst we were on holiday. I rang 2 weeks prior to the holiday but there were no appointments/call back slots available for 3 weeks. I asked what the solution was and the receptionist told me to ring back after 4pm and ask for an emergency same day appointment/call back. I couldn't really do anything else but I felt a fraud and just had to hope that I wasn't blocking anyone else with an urgent need.

They offer me the emergency appointments for my 5 month old and I'll try explain that it's just about dry skin etc but they're very insistent. They usually offer me 8am ones (I'll call at 7:30) and I'm not sure if that's because they know if it's not an emergency I'll turn it down but I live all of 80 metres away from the GP so it's easy for me to get to the GP quick. The only time I ever take the emergency appointment on purpose is to get antibiotics if I have an ear infection as I have glue ear syndrome and waiting even a day can lead to a month or 2 of being classed by my audiologist as being 'profoundly deaf'. Even then my GP sometimes calls before my appointment and asks if it's another ear infection and prescribes me my antibiotics to just pick up from reception over the phone (I'm a regular for this lol).

@DeadBod that's exactly my thinking too - what if there's an actual emergency patient that isn't seen or has to wait because I'm there using an emergency appointment for something that's not an emergency?

Thanks for all the replies everyone - seems our surgery is being overzealous with their wording about 'life threatening emergencies' I'm guessing it's to try to weed out people who can wait until tomorrow.

I got same day appt when I phoned up about a breast lump. Not exactly emergency, but they have targets to meet.

I had an emergency appointment a few weeks ago. Overnight my throat had doubled in size, my tonsils were a brownish/black colour, I was going between shaking uncontrollably with cold, and sweat dripping off me, but I had my normal temperature.
Turned out to be "the most awful" bacterial tonsillitis and I needed IV antibiotics.

Your surgery really needs to re-record their message, as life threatening should be directed to A&E, urgent (infections/unwell children/asthma/sudden onset symptoms etc) should be for same day appointments, routine for something that isn't bothering you too much but should be checked.

Also, I hope your DD feels better soon. A 3 month old should always be seen same day.

Babies and toddlers go downhill much quicker than children aged 5+, and I haven't met a doctor that would recommend seeing an unwell tiny baby later in the week.