Impossible to see a GP!

[daffodilandtulip]

Does every GP have this "ring at 8am" system? I've been trying to get an appointment for ten working days. Even in the miraculous occasion that I get through at 8:02, the appointments have all gone.

(Mind you, not that it matters if everywhere has the same system, I've asked the other local GPs and they are full.)

There isn't even any kind of triage - they don't even ask - what if I've got something serious going on?

I managed to get an appointment phone appointment a couple of weeks ago after months of trying. I asked for a rough time as was just told 'today'. I waited until 5pm and received no call so contacted the surgery.

I was told that the doctor had tried to call me twice on 'the only number they had for me' and there had been no answer. On checking which number they called it was my old landline, disconnected a decade ago - and a dead tone when called, so 'no answer' sounds like lies. They'd contacted my current number, in recent years, with blood test results and texts during COVID saying when the surgery would be closed.

Upshot was that I was told to ring and try for another appointment the next day. I strongly objected to doing that (given it had taken me months) and was put on the list for the next day. I did receive a call but had an appointment made to see the nurse a week later (tests) but this was cancelled by text half an hour before. Another appointment was arranged for two weeks after that. My GP was away so apparently couldn't'sign off' on my prescription immediately.

So, after the phone appointment (which I tried for months to get - nothing available in advance) it took me just over a month to get a prescription. Really not fit for purpose.

Our GP uses patches we can only put requests in after 8am.
Today I put a request in for DD at 8.03 then at 8.23 they called me with an appointment for DD at 11am.

We can call but it's quicker to put a request in threw patches.

Your message reminded me that I needed to book a f2f appointment for repeat contraception. Went on the NHS app and have managed to book one for Thursday. Couldn't believe my luck as it's normally at 6 week wait for an appointment and I only have 3 weeks of pills left.

Emergency appointments are normally a ring at 8am and hope that you can get through method though which doesn't work well.

I used the online booking system as recommended for something pretty important and it’s seven (SEVEN!) weeks for a GP appointment.

Mine are pretty good. You can call from 8am but it's not limited to that time. There is always a queue but you can be put on a list to be called back and that's within an hour to 2. You are triaged and if it's urgent you can be seen on the same day, via telephone or in person. Otherwise they can make you an appointment for later when they become available, they send me a text with an appointment when they open up. I've had to take weekly blood pressure readings and adjust my medication and it's been working really well. When I needed codeine for a miscarriage I had a call back by 9am from a doctor and the prescription was ready to collect at my local pharmacy before 10.

We have the same. Call at 8am, keep redialling. After 20-40 mins, you get through. Then the “care navigator” tries to persuade you that you don’t need to see a GP - you should go to the pharmacy, or call your [non-existent] hospital team. Then either all the appointments are gone, and you have to do the same the next day, or you’ll get a callback at some point in the day. If you miss that call, you start again the next day.

I only bother for my kids’ issues now, I just try to ignore my issues and hope they don’t progress any further.

We can book appointments ahead but they are longer waits than previously and have the 8am emergency appointments. I have seen nurses recently instead of an actual GP but that was fine for what I needed.

Ours is terrible. You have to call at 8.30 am but by the time you get through to the receptionist all the appointments are taken. They won’t let you book for appointments other than on the day so you have to try again the following day. I find it incredibly stressful and upsetting as I feel unsafe without being able to access a doctor. I think it really discriminates against parents who have to take kids to school at that time. I’ve written to the GP to complain but my letter was ignored.

I now have private cover and can have a video call with a GP via an app as it seems to be the only safe way to see a doctor. It’s pretty outrageous.

Ours works well, you can send a message through the website, then usually a GP calls you back that day. If necessary they'll then make a f2f appointment. Sometimes they'll just issue a prescription based on the online form, straight to the pharmacy

Ours is e-consult or call at 8am, it usually takes about 10 calls for me to get through and I’ve always had a doctor call back that morning and either deal with the issue or arrange a face to face.
Once I called later and was sent to UCC which was fair enough. They don’t have any book ahead appointments though so it must be a pain to book for less urgent but still important reviews and follow ups etc. There’s no capacity to book ahead with a GP, even if the GP wants to follow you up you’ll have to book on the day in x weeks. It’s not as bad as some but is clearly firefighting on a crisis footing, mostly staffed by locums and I’d hate to be relying on them for care of a long term condition.
I’m a GP (qualified 1 year) on maternity leave and the practice kept changing the system - essentially there’s just not the staff or the resources to provide the care people should have. No system worked well because what we needed was 50% more doctors, nurses and HCAs in the surgery, and to be able to refer to secondary care without ridiculous waiting lists. Even if the practice had the money, they’d struggle to recruit.
Another of the 3 salaried doctors is also off on maternity leave, they found an expensive Locum to cover some but not all of our sessions. The practice manager resigned totally burnt out, the partners I suspect are taking home less than the salaried doctors this year with way way more work and responsibilities. I’m not looking forward to going back.

@WarmWinterSun I've actually got to the point today of getting private insurance quotes. It's depressing.

At my surgery you do have to ring at 8am. However the last time I phoned for an appointment I was offered one the next day to see a nurse practitioner who, during my appointment, was concerned and called a GP in to see me (took very little time)

Like a pp I've gone private for dermatology related prescription, and something else minor, and have done the same for a DC (miserable with teenage acne and waiting months for an out of school hours appointment out of the question). What happens to people who can't afford that.

I have a minor foot thing that needs checking at the moment (I may go to minor injuries) and a questionable mole (I've had atypical in nearby location removed in the past), but I'm putting off trying to get an appointment for that.

It's worse with dentistry. I don't think I've ever seen/heard of so many children in need of braces waiting, or worse.

Dd having the same issue. Been trying for ages. Got significantly worse last week and saw a pharmacist who told her he was ringing the GP on her behalf as she needed to be seen that day. Then got a phone appointment which was then cancelled due to the GP having a personal emergency and they didn’t/won’t rearrange the appointment so we’re still ringing at 8am every morning trying to get an appointment. Will try again tomorrow.

@durissa yes my DC haven't seen a dentist since 2019 and have no chance of ever doing so in the (near) future.

@daffodilandtulip , have you looked at Benenden health , it’s different to usual private health insurance and you can AFAIK pay for a GP consult . It is about £15 per month and they step in if the wait times on the NHS are excessive .

Same as ours. You are supposed to use the online booking for anything non urgent, but all the appointments are booked up for 7 or 8 weeks ahead. Are we seriously now at the point of waiting two months to see a GP? How utterly depressing 🙁

Both my DC have braces. They both have a severe overjet, and the dentist referred them last year. We were told 3-4 years waiting list to see the orthodontist!
I ended up booking an appt privately with the orthodontist, and she said she’d take them on via NHS then & there, there’s no way they could wait 3 years. So thankfully they’ve started treatment (and have been put on maxfax hospital waiting list).

That orthodontist is a super-woman though - she does NHS a few days a week, and she has a team of dental nurses, and whenever we go she’s seeing 3-4 patients at a time. It’s quite incredible to watch her.

Ours works reasonably well..we do have the 8am phone call …

however we do have e consult which in my case has generally by passed the phone system they have either phoned or email with advice . I have had to phone mid day to get an emergency appointment he was seen by duty doctor that day.

I do find though my last prescription I was asked to review my medication . I had an appointment for another issue . I asked if they could be combined - apparently not .

I asked if they could be combined - apparently not .

I was told the same. They're very strict about one issue.

That is good that you were able to be added as NHS patients @Thriwit 3-4 years is unthinkable

Yes, the dentists are even more depressing. We are lucky, DS has an NHS dentist from before covid. Last year, when he was 8, she said she was referring him to the orthodontist for his overbite. At the time, I wondered why because braces would be years away, and then I realised.

My old one was like this: I was told they “didn’t do” routine appointments when like you I had a non urgent issue that needed to be seen. There was an online option that was supposed to be a 48 hour response but it took 3 weeks. The only time I got through to a GP was when I rang up in tears having had bleeding in early pregnancy. Can you pharmacist help?

It's because they don't want people to self-select a GP appointment. You have to phone or use something like e-consult and then they decide whether to see you or not. Not sure what they do for routine things like if you need a review for your contraception. At my surgery you can book online to see the nurse, so I guess you could potentially do that and it might be sufficient.

You log on to the website at 8am and leave a written message. I get a phone call back before lunch. It's fabulous.

Yes ours is the same. Then always full, no appointments. They advertised they are open on Saturdays but when I tried to book one of those appointment I got told that they were not available.

Anyone working full time can’t seam to get an appointment. I was asked to book a non urgent appointment book can’t book in advance, yet can’t get through on the day. I enquired about having the last appointment and was told the doctor(s) are busy then. I asked about a lunch time appointment and was told the doctor does his/her rounds then. Found out that Saturdays were reserved for doing the Over 75 year olds covid jabs!!! What stupid logic is that. Over 75s can go mid week, they are not at work.
I just gave up in the end.