My GP surgery is great. Am I the only one?

[ifeellikeanidiot]

I live in greater london, not a particularly prosperous area. V large GP surgery. Here is my experience of it:

I can always get a same day appointment
It does take 20m on the phone at 8am, and obvs you have to tell receptionist your problem, but yes, always get morning appointment.

Can get an afternoon appointment 50% of time if you ring on the dot when afternoon appointments are opened.

Reception staff always polite and helpful.

Reception staff amazing on two occasions when dd was a baby and got quite I'll. Told me to bring her down, and they'd try to squeeze her in with a dr (which they did both times)

Surgery always running on time. Maybe 5 min late occasionally, but I can count on one hand the amount of times it's been more than a 15m wait (been at surgery for 11years, includes appointments for 2 kids)

Reception staff were amazing when DH had measles. He'd been ambulances into a and e, where he'd been told he had scarlet fever and discharged. Later that day, really ill, he'd got a phone call from hospital. I wasnt with him when he got the call and he couldn't really explain what they'd said, other than the word measles. I rang the surgery four min before closing, receptionist got a dr to call me back who couldn't have been more helpful.

Am I the only one? Some of the actual GPs I find more helpful than others, but the day to day running of the place is great. I read so many posts on here about not getting appointments, or huge waits. What's my place doing that other surgeries aren't?

I don’t know. They should share it, whatever it is.

I used to belong to an awful GP surgery but managed to change a couple of months ago to a very nice one where you can almost always get a same day appointment or book for one a couple of weeks ahead, and you don't even have to tell the receptionist what's wrong with you. I feel very lucky, I only just squeaked into the catchment for it. For anybody who is struggling with an overly busy surgery, it's worth having a look around to see if theres any other options.

No! Mine is too! Village in the Home Counties but it serves all the goalless around as well. All but one receptionist is lovely. The nurse is lovely and prescribes. You can usually get an appointment same day if an emergency or same week if not.

Mine's really good. It's a fair size, 6-8 GPs and a couple of nurses which gives them more ability to cover things, but they generally have a bookable appointment next day or two as long as you're not looking for one specific doc. They reserve enough appointments for emergency callins that we've always got one when needed.

The online booking system is perfectly adequate and lets you pick individual doctors or by type of specialism - ENT, bones and joints, gut, so on.

No little Hitler receptionists, clear communication.

One doc didn't successfully pass on a non-urgent referral letter to reception to call me about, but she was a non-local covering another doc's illness and made a poor assumption on process - and apologised.

Very pleased to have them within walking distance, I feel very lucky.

No! Mine is too! Village in the Home Counties but it serves all the villages around as well. All but one receptionist is lovely. The nurse is lovely and prescribes. You can usually get an appointment same day if an emergency or same week if not.

Mine is fantastic, they are the best practice I have ever been with. Very patient-focused, clean and caring.

Mine excellent too, also in London (fairly central)

No, mine is fantastic too - also in Greater London. I can almost always get a same day appointment, and if it's not urgent I'll be seen within the week. My GP called me half an hour after we'd had an appointment and I'd asked a question she didn't know the answer to, because she'd gone and found out. They provide referrals where needed, and are easy to deal with. We've moved house and one of the criteria was that we'd stay within catchment for it!

I'm with you OP.

Ok, if I went in and asked for a routine appointment now, it would be a few weeks wait. But it's a busy surgery.
However, every time I've needed a same day appointment they've squeezed me in. Every time I've had an issue that's maybe not an emergency but something I just needed advice with, they've at least got me a phone call with a GP (and then they will see me if they need to that do).
I honestly can't complain. And all the receptionists are lovely too!
I'm in the north of Scotland.

London, slightly leafy area, love my GP surgery

Can book online for me and DH - if there are cancelations even same day

GP diagnosed gallbladder issues on a phone appointment (i thought it was just a tummy bug)

can always get appointments or phone appointments

they always see the kids, including when i phone on the way to collect them from nursery and fit them in

Mine is great too. Never had any problems with any of the 3 GP surgeries I've belonged to, actually.

I'm glad it's not just me. The surgery before this knee was awful - appointments 30min or more late as standard.

Interestingly, I just saw that it had a two star rating on Google. I've just read the reviews and they say the complete opposite of what I've just said 🤷‍♀️

Our surgery is brilliant. You can always get a same day appointment if you need one, routine appts can be booked online and the Drs will book you a followup appt there and then if you need it.

I can't complain at all

Mine's rural and perfect. Serves a large area and has delays, but the receptionist, nurses and GPs are brilliant - perceptive as well as kind and knowledgeable.

Our new GPs is great!!
Can get in the same day if you need to as long as you ring first thing or they do a sit wait in the afternoon. You can also speak to a doctor online and they email you back. If you need a prescription they then send it to your local pharmacy.

Old GPs was always fully booked for weeks and I found most the doctors rude.

I used to have a great one. Could be seen within 24 hours most of the time, we could get a home visit if essential and the female doctor always visited on the birth of babies. We built up a good trusting relationship.

Moved out of the county and now we're stuck with a terrible bunch. Anything other than 'emergency' matters (which surely you'd go to A&E for!) there is a wait of at least 4 weeks, more like 6 weeks at busy times . I haven't seen a GP in 4 years but I'm on first name terms with the pharmacist

Yes, follow up appointments are booked on spot by gp for us too. Or they give you a slip to take to reception.

Drs never slow to refer on the couple of times when it's been necessary.

The GPs at my surgery are brilliant. One was very quick to act when DS was much more sick than we had thought, another was brilliant talking to teen DD when she was ill though stress at school. I've never struggled to get an emergency appointment when we've needed one.

The repeat prescription process leaves me banging my head against the wall each month however.

Mine’s great too. It’s a tiny local branch with one gp and one nurse, so they’re often full, but they’re connected to a much larger clinic a couple of miles away so they always fit people in there if you need an appointment on a particular day. The downside used to be that the receptionist was a dragon, but she’s left now, so it’s perfect.

Mine's the same OP