Has anyone actually managed to get an appointment with a GP?

[EachandEveryone]

Honestly, I despair. London. You wait ten minutes to listen to a long winded message finally telling you to book an online appointment. After signing in the website tells you that your practice doesnt offer this facility. The receptionist said you have to ring at 8am on the day. I literally know so many people that have had treatment this year that has started far too late in the day☹️ None of it covid related.

Ive got oedema from my neck to beyond my clavicle its just come up over Christmas and google is freaking me out. I guess afew more days wont matter although fitting phone calls around work is never easy. Remember the days when you could make a GP appointment afew days in advance? Will we ever get those days back I wonder?

To me, it seems that appointments are more available than before. It’s clear the doctors are very busy. I don’t see any evidence at all of doctors “hiding”. Quite the contrary.

@Mangozesty

I'm sorry to hear people are struggling. I really appreciate my practice, I called today at 2.45 and the duty GP called me at 3.20, prescribed antibiotics and asked me to send a photo. He could not have been more helpful.

coukd have just seen you without all that palaver? probably wfh!

@milly74

nope ours is run by the receptionists who triage with no medical knowledge

Happens here too. I have a 5 week wait just for a phone appt

@Snowiscold

To me, it seems that appointments are more available than before. It’s clear the doctors are very busy. I don’t see any evidence at all of doctors “hiding”. Quite the contrary.

Lucky you

I agree that its ridiculous the message after waiting on hold for 30 minutes is to book an appointment on line. The receptionist then tells me they offer no such service so whats the point in saying it in the message. How many people have missed life saving treatment starting on time because they havent seen a gp face to face? Yes routine appointments can be done over the phone but you can not beat seeing and touching a person or getting the correct information and picking up on non verbal cues. Its a disgrace will there be an enquiry at the end of all this?

My drs is currently closed due to doing boosters. They will take urgent cases but if you actually manage to get through to the receptionists you get a 111 level of screening, breathing, heart, stroke symptoms, then if there are phone appointments left you might get one otherwise...try again tomorrow. It took over 40 tries just to get through to the automated message the other day. It is worrying to have an urgent need but only get the line busy noise beeping at you for days on end.

My surgery were quite good pre-Covid but since it's been pretty bad (in London). Can't get face to face virtually at all, or even telephone appointments easily.

The e-consult request system is often unavailable on line, the form is long and full of standard questions before you can fill in any details, and the call backs rarely happen in the time slot slot given. The phone is rarely answered, it cuts you off if you are on hold too long so getting through for anything urgent is a lottery.

I have a dodgy looking, very itchy mole in an inaccessible place on my back. Managed to get a friend to take a photo and send it with the e-consult form. Got a text asking for a better quality one! Well no, unless I am a contortionist I can't reach it. Finally got a referral letter for a clinical photograph at a hospital and was later informed via letter it's not considered serious. So no one has seen it up close in person and I was refused an in person appt "because it's been reviewed" and they won't remove it as it's considered cosmetic. Am now having to go private for removal as it's so itchy it's driving me mad.

I'm also on an acute, non repeatable painkiller and have to email them every 2 weeks for prescriptions which are then automatically done. How pointless. Asked for a medication review as one drug has nasty side effects, assuming that would be at least a phone call, no, just a letter saying it was fine to continue with next review November 2022.

Most of the e-consult appointments appear to be farmed out to a private company - the 2 I've had (in 18 months) were both very late calling me and rushing me/downright rude. One failed to update my records about a prescription change which only got picked up when I had to email the surgery asking about getting a repeat - they didn't even know I was on it.

There must be a massive backlog of undiagnosed conditions backing up until they become serious/life threatening/too late.

@Gerwurtztraminer

My surgery were quite good pre-Covid but since it's been pretty bad (in London). Can't get face to face virtually at all, or even telephone appointments easily.

The e-consult request system is often unavailable on line, the form is long and full of standard questions before you can fill in any details, and the call backs rarely happen in the time slot slot given. The phone is rarely answered, it cuts you off if you are on hold too long so getting through for anything urgent is a lottery.

I have a dodgy looking, very itchy mole in an inaccessible place on my back. Managed to get a friend to take a photo and send it with the e-consult form. Got a text asking for a better quality one! Well no, unless I am a contortionist I can't reach it. Finally got a referral letter for a clinical photograph at a hospital and was later informed via letter it's not considered serious. So no one has seen it up close in person and I was refused an in person appt "because it's been reviewed" and they won't remove it as it's considered cosmetic. Am now having to go private for removal as it's so itchy it's driving me mad.

I'm also on an acute, non repeatable painkiller and have to email them every 2 weeks for prescriptions which are then automatically done. How pointless. Asked for a medication review as one drug has nasty side effects, assuming that would be at least a phone call, no, just a letter saying it was fine to continue with next review November 2022.

Most of the e-consult appointments appear to be farmed out to a private company - the 2 I've had (in 18 months) were both very late calling me and rushing me/downright rude. One failed to update my records about a prescription change which only got picked up when I had to email the surgery asking about getting a repeat - they didn't even know I was on it.

There must be a massive backlog of undiagnosed conditions backing up until they become serious/life threatening/too late.

This is appalling

Our practice is brilliant. You go online and you could've attached a photo, GP phones back within 1/2 a day. Or you can phone. Or email.

I saw a paramedic this week... That Seems to be the only option at the surgery I'm registered at...

I’ve actually found it much, much easier. Pre-COVID, I’d have to wait on the phone forever for an urgent appointment just to be told none were available.

Now everything done via eConsult. I fill out an online form and someone calls/emails/texts within 48 hours. Sometimes it’s just a text to say, yes, just go collect that at the pharmacy. But I’ve also had in depth consultations and meds prescribed within 48 hours. So much more efficient. Used to have to wait weeks!

But I work in the development of remote and digital health systems, unfortunately the different trusts are pretty much just winging it. No one expected this to happen or last as long as it has. We’ve had to implement totally new systems with limited evidence base behind them, all while dealing with staff sickness and death, redeployment, and many of us working from home looking after small children and homeschooling, just like everyone else, because despite being ‘key workers’ there haven’t been enough places to do around.

I saw my gp a couple of weeks ago because of extreme pain over the ribs-I’ve torn my intercostals which is amazingly painful. It’s possible but they’d rather do virtual, I think.

Do they offer Online Consultation? I could never get an appointment before but they started last year and now I fill out an online questionnaire describing symptoms etc and told I will be contacted within 48 hours, I then get a message with a time slot for a telephone consultation, it's almost always on the same day and if they need to see you in person they call you in. It used to be awful trying to get an appointment with mine, so I feel your pain.

@milly74

See they're denying again that they triage...well we know they do!

You might reckon they do, but you don't speak for everyone so less of the 'we'.

I've had face to face appointments with a GP two or three times this year.

I really struggle with the 'someone will call you within the next 48 hours' thing. I can't take calls when I'm working, would rather not on a commuter train, and definitely can't on the tube. Would much rather have an actual appointment time for the call! Not seen a GP for years, and I doubt very much I'll ever manage to now at my surgery.

My DS ( 22) has had first class service from our GP practice. He has struggled with his MH for the past 3 months and has been given same day telephone appointments and lots of follow up.
He was recently seen face to face for a physical issue- referred for an X-ray which he had within the week. His results ( all fine) came through a week later and the GP called him straight away.

My GP surgery are triaging and then doing GP or nurse call backs. They are also doing telephone appointments and they also have an E-consult service during opening hours, which is generally very reliable - but once I had a receptionist reply with advice and a diagnosis which she herself had made. I was at this so made a complaint and ended up getting a call from a GP.

I do wonder how many serious or life threatening conditions are being missed or not noticed until it's too late to prevent or effectively treat - e.g. Hypertension and Diabetes.

Surely if you want more availability for face to face appointments, you have to improve recruitment into gp? Govt have known about the shortage for years but not been able to successfully do anything despite growing population.

@EachandEveryone

I agree that its ridiculous the message after waiting on hold for 30 minutes is to book an appointment on line. The receptionist then tells me they offer no such service so whats the point in saying it in the message. How many people have missed life saving treatment starting on time because they havent seen a gp face to face? Yes routine appointments can be done over the phone but you can not beat seeing and touching a person or getting the correct information and picking up on non verbal cues. Its a disgrace will there be an enquiry at the end of all this?

there certainly needs to be an enquiry

Ive had phone/face appointments through out. Its been better than it was before covid.

I will say try not to google, my work mate daughter had something similar, it turned out to be not serious, Though worrying at the time

Mine have been wonderful. Not London though.
Rang on Tuesday 23rd with pelvic pain and other symptoms. The triaging receptionist got me seen within an hour. Bloods done the following day and booked in for ultrasound.

Nope. And our practice doesn’t have any kind of E-consult or online booking service. I did ask the receptionist, who had never heard of it! I needed antibiotics recently for a wound infection that was spreading, I paid £35 to an online gp and got a private prescription and advice on what to look out for / when to seek advice. Superb service. Just a shame that was my only option.

Impossible to see a GP these days. My surgery (London) used to be great, they had daily walk in times before Covid. Now you have to go through the online system and answer a million and one questions mostly irrelevant to the reason you want to speak to a GP. Then wait for a phone call and don’t you dare miss that call because then back you go to the online system back to the beginning. Last time I was in the surgery a woman came in crying because she was very unwell and had missed her phone call, the receptionist told her to go back home (with the rudest attitude) and to wait for another phone call, the woman sat down and refused leave without seeing a doctor, she was obviously very unwell and in flood of tears. A doctor heard the commotion and came out and asked her to wait and she would be seen! I almost clapped!

@Aardvarkitsabloodyaardvark

Mine have been wonderful. Not London though. Rang on Tuesday 23rd with pelvic pain and other symptoms. The triaging receptionist got me seen within an hour. Bloods done the following day and booked in for ultrasound.

triaging receptionist? they don't triage. Apparently

In Scotland - yes a few times since pandemic started.

Dd needed seen and needed an urgent scan and both were organised. I've been probably 3 times and had phone advice too. Also had smear and blood tests.