24 days for next appointment to see GP - is this normal now?

[WalkersAreNotTheOnlyCrisps]

Just that, I've rang the doctor's for a routine appointment and can't get in until the 10th of October. Is this the norm or is that as ridiculous as it seems?

A relative of mine told me yesterday that she called her doctors on 9th September and has been offered an appointment for 2nd October. So yes, sounds normal. They do have one session a week where you can sit and wait, but she can't sit for any length of time due to a back problem and they won't prioritise her, so she has to wait.

My GP surgery allows you to book up to six weeks in advance, but there are no appointments available in those six weeks and therefore you cannot book an appointment.

I can't get any more meds until I see a GP. They won't allow an emergency appointment because they don't class it as such, so I just have to go without them until an appointment randomly appears. It's only thyroxine so I'm not going to drop dead, but I feel pretty rough without it.

Plus I need a routine blood test for other meds that commonly cause liver toxicity. I can't even get a blood test without a GP appointment, so no blood test!

Bloody hell so I'm luckier than a lot that it is 'only' 3 weeks 😬

That's the norm for my doctors too. 3 weeks!

There is another surgery in my town that offers a sit and wait service, but they have been allowed to close their books to new patients. I checked and they have far fewer patients per GP than my surgery. It happened when the old partners left and they couldn't find anyone to replace them, so this must have been a sweetener to get another group to take on the surgery.