Poll: Can you get a GP appointment within 3 days where you live?

[JudyBlumesBlubber]

Is the lack of GP appointments a particular problem in the South East or more uniform across the country?

My GP practice has an emergency "same day" phone line in the morning and the appointments are gone within ONE minute. Today there were 150 people calling for less than a dozen appointments. GP friends tell me that they prioritise babies and the very sick (e.g. cancer) which is fair but what about the rest?

Where I live, an appointment queuing system has been introduced to allocate non-emergency appointments using 3rd party commercial software; I've never had an answer or appointment from it yet other than a text to say to book an emergency "same day" appointment instead.

Is this the same around the UK? Anecdotally I've heard it's as bad in Devon/Cornwall and better in Scotland.

If I was angry this morning when I posted this, I’m furious now reading that people with problems can’t get scheduled or non-scheduled appointments. In some cases including mine, we can’t get appointments at all. Full stop. Ever. Like @KThnxBye we have no GP.

Short of going private which i strongly suspect is their intention around here, what are the options? But then you’re paying for private prescriptions etc.

I have a Conservative MP so when I question it, I get told there is record breaking spending in the NHS. And from the responses here, it is true that provision is mixed to say the least.

Yes, Glasgow.

Yes for the appointments we’ve had London

Mmm, thanks for that.

I can usually get an appointment within 2 weeks. Hardly ever the same week, let alone the same day.

I don't ring in the morning though, as there are so many on the phone queue.

Last time, they appointment line was busy in the afternoon too, so I went down to the surgery and booked an appointment in person.

In Kent.

Same day appointment by calling reception by 9am. London

S Yorks

For emergencies ring that morning and be triaged. A doctor or nurse will ring within 3 hours and either advise over phone or give an appointment.

Standard appointments are two weeks for phone or three for face to face

About to start queueing again by phone - wish me luck!

II'm in Scotland, in a village which has one surgery with one GP. The catchment area takes in lots of surrounding villages. I can get an appointment with either the GP or the Nurse Practitioner the same week, or a same day call back from either of them if it's something I think they can advise on over the phone to save a trip and taking up an appointment.

My neighbour says she can never get a GP appointment but she will only see one GP who works part time and is the GP who sees all the pregnant women twice during pregnancy and after birth. So at least one of her days is spent with pregnant and newly delivered patients.

South East here. It took me seven months to register with my GP, and in three years I've never been able to see him / her (or anyone at the practice).

We tend to book online with patient access and it's around a two week wait. You can't queue up in the mornings now at the surgery and ringing at 8am isn't even worth a go as everything has gone by ten past.
111 tend to send you to A and E or it takes 12 hours for call back

Yes, South Warwickshire. I rang this morning at 8.15am and got an appt for 8.45am. It's not always quite that easy but still, we're very lucky.

Yes if you you need it. Do an econsult, either reception phone to offer an appt within the hour, or a message to self refer (eg. Breast unit) or a telephone appt booked, or medication given on past symptoms.

Actually yes (South East here to).

I would have said no until recently bit have been ill the last couple of weeks and had to use our doctors new online system. It actually seems quite efficient and works better then the old way of ringing up and waiting in a cue. So it can be done.

My only objection is having to fill in a 10 page form which is frustrating when your dyslexic. But supposedly you can still ring up if needed.

Somerset - can't get a GP appointment. Have to go through something called anima which directs you to other services throughout the online consultation - A&E, specialist nurse, physio etc etc. I have never once yet managed to get an appointment with an actual GP.
I am currently off work for 6 weeks plus with agonising spinal pain and a right hip that needs replacing (I think). I have never once seen a GP even though I can't actually walk. I have been referred to orthopaedics which will be about 4 months before I even get an initial appointment by which time I will not be getting paid any more. I can't even get an xray or an MRI without seeing a consultant.
I am an NHS podiatrist and the wait for an orthopaedic consultant is horrific here. Then I'll probably struggle to get benefits because I can always do admin apparently. You can't do admin when you are in terrible pain 24/7 and have to lie down for most of the day and take very strong painkillers that make it impossible for me to even remember my own name!!!
I am thinking about going to A&E and just lying on the floor for 12 hours because I certainly can't sit on a chair, and wait for an xray. There goes my dignity.

South West (and I know even locally people have completely different experiences at different surgeries)

Took me two days to get through recently for something non urgent but necessary. Managed to fit me that day, picked up my prescription the next day.

Previous time I tried for my DS - not urgent, no appointments, not urgent, no appointments, finally decided is was urgent (persistent sore throat for two weeks), same day appointment, antibiotics.

I dread phoning for an appointment these days. I need to get my coil removed, I reckon I'll have it in forever at this rate.