Access to GPs

[TankFlyBoss]

Is anyone else just sick and tired of GPs surgeries at the moment? Mine is constantly plastering all over Facebook don't call us unless it is urgent. I am so fed up of the impossibleness of accessing basic primary care and being made to feel like a nuisance if I try

Say it’s urgent! Don’t be put off. My surgery is always closing for training. Or because they don’t have enough staff. If you get a ring back service, I’d take that.

if you need a GP then you need a GP
dont take it personally op

Haven't had this experience at all. Have been able to access my GP throughout the whole pandemic with ease and had referrals to hospital as appropriate. NHS Scotland though. Not sure where others are based.

It's a nightmare.

You've got a national shortage of GPs so they are now trying different ways of working. Phone calls first and then calling patients into the surgery who need a face to face appointment.

If it's urgent then tell them

Or put a letter in saying "please can someone call me".

I've taken to booking online now but know that it's different for every surgery.

I'm in England and this really isn't my experience even though the practice has massively expanded and taken on new patients.

I'm able to get appointments by phone and face to face.

I know this doesn't help you but maybe there are other surgeries in the area who are coping better.

Yep, mine is awful. No online provision at all, and no pre-bookable appointments at all (except childhood vaccinations). The only way to get an appointment is to call repeatedly at 8am and convince the receptionist it’s an “acute medical emergency” (their words). You then get a phone call at an unspecified time, so if your job can’t accommodate that then tough - my DM is a teacher for example. No appointment is possible for her as she can’t answer the phone in class, and can’t ask to be called after the school day ends.

They aren’t doing any prebookable appointments, even for things like smear tests. And because smear tests aren’t “acute medical emergencies”, they just don’t book them.

My problem is you have to ring at 8.30..... and I am working in a classroom then. It takes at least 30/40 minutes of constant ringing to even speak to a receptionist. Then the doctor will call you back 'sometime this morning' but I cannot answer my phone in class. I don't really want to take a morning off (and can't unless an actual medical appointment) so end up just not bothering and hope it gets better. Or wait weeks until next school holiday. Oh and no routine appointments available to book a day or two ahead. These were all removed, as was the online booking system which was great.

I hate it, and dread needing them. It's really rubbish.

Snap sickandtiredagain

Mine have online access but they are still shite. Op, be that "nuisance", it's the only way to make the NHS work.
Bitter experience has taught me that. I used to worry about being a nuisance until I got disregarded too many times and was eventually diagnosed with MS.

My problem is you have to ring at 8.30..... and I am working in a classroom then. It takes at least 30/40 minutes of constant ringing to even speak to a receptionist. Then the doctor will call you back 'sometime this morning' but I cannot answer my phone in class.

Exactly my experience. There are so many jobs (teacher, retail, truck driver, GP!) where you cannot just hang on the phone for ages or take calls at random times. My GP practice doesn't even allocate non-urgent appointments at different times - you still have to ring at 8.30 even if you don't need to see anyone for a couple of weeks. It is insane.

It's not just a shortage of GPs.

Ours don't even do blood tests anymore - they just tell you to go to the hospital out patient dept where they have a "drop in" phlebotomist service.

I have diabetes and they don't even have a specialist diabetic nurse anymore. It used to be the GP who did the 6 monthly review consultation, then it was a senior nurse, then a specialist diabetic nurse, then a HCA, and now it's an HCA telephone call just once a year.

@SickAndTiredAgain that is exactly my experience too. I literally call on the dot of 8am (when I am at work), and more often then not instantly get a recorded message saying there are no appointments left - please call at 2pm or 8am the next day.

No routine prebookable appointments.

If you are lucky enough to get a telephone appointment it's within a 6 hour window which my job also can't accommodate, also really hard in the afternoons with school runs and children.

It is so shit.

I'm fed up of it

It seems to vary so much from area to area. My sil has no problems whatsoever actually seeing her gp within a few days for non urgent stuff. Our gp surgery is so bad I complained to my MP, who is actually investigating - they just said flat out I couldn't have a face to face app for a breathing problem, so,I was forced to go to a private gp. They were also about to turn my husband away, with a pain in his chest (!) until he made such a fuss they agreed to see him (he has since had all sorts of investigations done, so nothing trivial). Our surgery is a joke. A lot of local people have left and gone elsewhere. In the past few years I have seen a cardiologist, a dermatologist and a gp privately. I also pay privately for all dental treatment. The NHS is a joke and a disgrace in this area.

Have you tried going through NHS app?

All my family have been able to get an appointment on the day for last couple of years.

I just tried now, and can’t get one until 9th May, but when I wake up in morning will report back (if I remember). I am sure there will be one for tomorrow.

Mine are not saying that at all - actually the opposite - they're posting on FB to say "we've got appointments today". Get a new GP!

Wish we could get a different GP. The others in our area will not take from the town I live in we can only access one surgery. They used to be great with online bookings for some reason they got rid of them

My gp surgery seems to finally be working well with the online option. Filled out a form with my issues/symptoms. Got a call from gp the next day. He sent prescription to my pharmacy and was ready to collect immediately

What's taking the time is the phone call appointment first to see if you need an in person appointment essentially your making two appointments where one will do my Dr's has occasionally taken the right approach and skipped that part like for ds feet I said happy to take up a phone appointment but I think the Dr will wish to examine his feet receptionist said good point and we got an in person appointment

@Thinken

Have you tried going through NHS app?

All my family have been able to get an appointment on the day for last couple of years.

I just tried now, and can’t get one until 9th May, but when I wake up in morning will report back (if I remember). I am sure there will be one for tomorrow.

That will depend entirely on what posters' GPs are signed up to for their patients.

GP practices are essentially private businesses contracted to and with the NHS as the paying partner.

If the only GP you can get signed up to in your area does none of the wonderful things that other posters' GPs do, then it's tough shit for the patient.

My DD used to have problems getting an appointment in London. Busy surgery but you had to ring at 8.00 am. Then find you were no 30 in the queue. When they answered the appointments had gone. On one occasion DD’s GP wanted to monitor progress so DD was meant to get an appointment 10 days later. She tried and tried. No chance. So, she wrote to her GP. GP phoned back and had made appointment for DD herself.

DD finds on line booking far better. Rarely sees go now though - thank God!

I have to say, mine have been good today, which is quite unusual.
Phoned at 8am. Duty doctor phoned back at 9am. Face to face appointment at 11.15. And according to the NHS app, a two week urgent referral was sent to our local hospital by 12. 30pm.

I'm thinking the hospital may not be as efficient though...

I was told by, possibly a locum, GP recently that as my daughters very painful back was unlikely to be life threatening that I shouldn't have called.
On another telephone appointment for myself, the doctor answered his mobile while l was speaking to him?!
I haven't been seen in person for a medical issue which needs to be visually checked for 18 months. They just medicate the symptoms so I'm now on the maximum dose of medication instead of just actually finding out what the cause is. Utterly fed up. And god forbid I get worse as the local hospitals keep putting out Facebook messages telling people not to go. Welsh Labour have a lot to answer for.

Our surgery suspended online services 3 weeks ago due to covid absences...

Surely the affected staff are testing negative by now?

The phone system can't handle the increased usage since covid hit so you usually get cut off after holding for 20+ minutes.

You can't use the online triage service, you can't get through on the phone and you can't get into the building without an appointment which you can't get as you can't get through on the phone...you are no longer allowed to make appointments at the desk.

I know a woman who the Dr asked to make a further appointment. She dutifully went to the desk. They said no. She took out her mobile and phoned them from 2 metres away and they booked her a further appointment.

Yes. That ^ actually happened.

It's utterly impossible.

Add to that 15+ hour waits in a&e even when seriously ill.

I'm so scared of my kids needing urgent help :(

Phoned our surgery at 4 today for a non urgent problem, phone call back by 5:15 and agreed to have blood tests done (which is what I wanted). I guess there are big variations but ours has been fab.

@ChiswickFlo
If that’s near your name, that’s near DD. Except they don’t make appointments unless you call at 8am. They won’t make sn appointment 10 days ahead. You have to phone nearer the time. Fortunately on line appointments have improved this farce.