Arrgh bloody GPs

[CarPoor]

I'm so fed up of GPs, telephone appointments, waiting around. I haven't been able to see my GP properly since before covid and I'm just so fucking tired of it

I'm ill. I have a cold/flu but more importantly I've been having palpitations for the last 4 days, that are new and different for me. So this morning I wake up call in sick to work and then call the GP at 8am, wait on hold for 20 minutes. They'll give me a telephone appointment at some point today. No idea when. The receptionist decides I need a telephone not a face to face

I'm ill, I want to go to sleep. If I had an actual appointment I could go back to sleep and go in to see them. But no I have to stay awake all day now waiting for the call. Probably to be gaslit and told its anxiety because how the fuck can they examine my heart palpitations over the phone? How can a receptionist triage me to the appropriate place?

The options my GP seem to give these days are go to A&E if it's anything more serious than a UTI or a telephone consultation with some bland advise and no proper examination. I just want a rant really, I'm feeling shit. I'm now feeling more and more stressed which isn't helping. I cant even trust they will call me today.

Normally its some point in the next 48hrs from contact to a call. I cant answer my phone at work so to even access a GP I have to have 48hrs where I'm essentially free.

Last time I called 111 they organised a GP to call back at some point. So I crawled into bed with my phone and when it rang at 2am I woke up and answered it, and got the treatment I needed. Have the phone next to you in bed.

I'm just not sure I will wake up right now to the phone ringing

If you won't wake up for the phone ringing, how would you have woken up for an alarm to go in person?

An alarm is louder than a phone ring and rings for longer?

My alarm goes off endlessly until I turn it off. My phone rings for about 15 seconds. They are not the same thing at all

Anyway I was just looking for a bit of support really

They often do advance appts if you look online and have online access.

So unless it is very urgent you could do that perhaps

They've shut their online appointment service, only way to get an appointment is to call at 8 and wait for the GP to call

It won't help this time but could you move to another local practice? Mine often speaks to you on the phone but then gives an in person appointment, and they give an approximate time they will call. Cant fault them really. Whereas others in the area i know are more similar to yours

I can empathise, OP. I'm right now this second waiting for a call back from the GP which could be literally any time this afternoon. It makes me so anxious to wait for the phone to ring. This 'appointment' was booked a week ago, too.

On the plus side, I don't have to go to the practice, which is a ballache, plus I find GPs are nicer to me on the phone. Probably because they can't immediately see that I'm fat. I do hate waiting for the phone, though.

Hope you feel better soon.

I will see what system other GPs in the area do and look into moving, there's only 2 GPs in my town and this one was originally supposed to be better but it can't really be a worse system

I don't mind so much if I have a rough idea of time. And I don't mind a telephone for basic things. But I think knowing that the telephone will be a waste of time because there's no way they can examine me over the phone, and either I will then have another face to face appointment or be given basic advise I've googled, it's making me stressed. And when your feeling shit and having repeat palpitations that's not ideal!

I'm going to have a nap and hope for the best