How long is the current waiting time at your doctor surgery?

[HesarealJacquelineHigh]

Like most, if not all, we now have to submit an online request that gets triaged by the reception team. I submitted one this morning and have just been told that someone will ring me back within 8-12 weeks. Madness

4-6 week’s waiting time. Reception treats patients as enemy at the gates. London, Lambeth

The law is you can self certify for 7 regardless of company policy.

I frequently point that out to companies and if they want a certificate they can pay for my time and the loss of an nhs appt.

We have an excellent surgery. Dd has lots of health issues . If I phone and speak to the receptionist I will usually get a call back within the hour with an appointment for the same day. I've never had to wait more than about 5/10 minutes to get through..

We live very rurally in the North East and the surgery covers a massive geographical area.

We also had a home visit from the GP when my late DP was getting palliative care at home.

The staff are all lovely including the receptionists!

Depends on the issue. Sometimes you can be seen the same day, sometimes in a couple of days. Longest its been I think 2 weeks for a non-urgent issue.

Just to add, as a poster requested geography. West Yorkshire, think Leeds areas etc, so not quaint quiet village.
I'm interested to know what other people's experiences are from using the text message service via patch's on nhs website?
You answer about 10 questions regarding your problem, it then sends the message to the doctor. I always use it before 8am, phoning at 8am is old fashioned now, and you don't need to do it anymore.
This text service is way more efficient. I always get a response soon after 8am the same day, with an appointment that afternoon.

I was told by a friend who works in a GP that it's basically a good idea idea to lie or exaggerate your condition to get through triage as a higher priority

We used to have to phone at 8am and you had zero chance of seeing a Dr if you didn’t get through in the first ten minutes.

Now, they’ve gone completely on line unless you’re over 75 or have circumstances that mean you can’t do it on line. You fill in a form that’s only available between 8am to 6:30pm and a GP will triage it and decide what to do with you. Not needed to do it yet, so not sure if it stops being available once all the routine appts for that week are gone. They book routine appts up to 7 days in advance. But if you need a nurse or an HCA you can still book those over the phone with the receptionist. If it’s an emergency, they do have a number of same day appointments but if you miss those, they tell you to either phone 111, go to a local walk in centre or phone 999 depending on how urgent it is. Although if it’s urgent enough to phone 999, that probably would have been your first port of call?

I was told by a friend who works in a GP that it's basically a good idea idea to lie or exaggerate your condition to get through triage as a higher priority This would make me worry that they’d be less inclined to take me seriously the next time I called if I overegged the pudding when it wasn’t that serious. Have they got secret signs to notify other doctors that they think the patient is a hypochondriac?

She’s in Ireland, not the UK. I think they have a maximum of up to 7 days (pro rata) in a rolling 24 month period

I moved surgeries about 5 years ago from my childhood Dr’s in a ‘naice’ area to my local one and the difference in service is staggering (my more local one is vastly better). The GP surgeries that embrace technology for test results, comms etc seem to be able to manage patient scheduling so much more efficiently IME. Ours is tech appropriate- they don’t expect everyone to be able to manage everything online so they ensure that the elderly can still phone in rather than use the online form. The new online booking form is now no longer 20 multiple choice but asks 3/4 basic questions and allows you to expand on your issue. Much better for both parties I think. Last week I filled the form in for a non-urgent issue at 8am, was phoned back within the hour and saw the Dr by 11am in a face to face appointment. The Dr typed the notes whilst I talked, pinged the relevant info to my phone in a text and made sure I left happy (which i was) the results of a subsequent blood test were communicated by text as being normal so no further action, but the dr also called to check I felt happy that no further action was required. I honestly don’t know why I didn’t change surgeries earlier because friends of mine still with my last surgery have the same experience as the OP - yet we are both dealing with surgeries in equally populated areas with similar sized patient lists, demographics and a similar amount of Dr’s so I’ve no idea what makes some practices accessible/efficient and others seemingly inaccessible - barring the surgeries themselves embracing the technology available and using it in the areas that matter to provide a better service… judging by the vastly wide levels of service experienced by posters in this thread it’s a common theme everywhere and frustrating for those having to deal with the lower end of the service scales.

Reception should NOT be triaging, they are not medically qualified.

We have the online send a message but triage is done by one of the Drs.

I've had to have a few appointments recently and it has worked really well. Much better than the old phone at 8.00 and be on hold for 30 mins to be told there are no appointments.

Although the appointments booking is only 8-6.30 you can send admin request. I had an appointment for a blood test and I sent an admin request o ask if I could have a flu jab at the same time.

I have a non-urgent appointment with my named GP. It'll be four weeks from booking. I walked in and spoke to the receptionist. Otherwise I can ring on the day and get a slot. I know how fortunate I am!

6-8 weeks

My surgery uses Accurx, an online booking system. If you phone, you just get a recorded message telling you to use the online booking system.
In July I used it and got a same day appointment with a nurse, which was all I needed.
Since then both DH have tried to get appointments for non urgent but important issues, but the the message on accurx consistently says that due to the time of day they are unable to review online requests as usual. We've tried at all times of day. You can still book a blood test, but these are often outsourced, and also cervical screening, but there is a 12 week wait.

DH has regular appointments for a specific health condition but but he is summoned by text message or informed by a hospital letter that he'll be getting a phone call from the consultant ( who has never seen him face to face) INR tests for being on blood thinners happen at the surgery and are rebooked at the time, but they can't take blood at the same time for his other condition so he has to travel thirty minutes away for that.

My surgery also uses a triage system. If it's urgent then they'll try and get you in the same day or following day. Non-urgent and potentially it could be the following week. I have a friend who lives in East Sussex and her wait times are also diabolical like yours (as well as the surgery making cock ups on an almost daily basis).

According to online appointment system there are none to book until 26th November.

I rang at 8am yesterday morning and got an appointment for 10.15am same day. Our doctors are actually very good.

Our online system often says similar but if you ring and need an appointment, you'll get one. The online system isn't designed for emergencies or urgent appointments, more for routine medication reviews etc.

Same as you OP - weeks and weeks wait. The booking system goes for several weeks, but there are never any appointments free.
I think they would see you quicker for anything urgent though. Hopefully!

I am wondering if it is still now possible to request a female GP for intimate issues or is this a thing of the past? Never needed to for a few years but looking at my GP app it seems it now a case of just taking any appointment available. Are others finding this or is our practise worse than most others? Also are other people able to get a follow up appointment with the same GP or do you find yourself explaining all over again what has happened and treatment so far? My DD's practise is great and these things are never issues there. My practise is very poor on a range of issues.

I can request whichever GP I like. I have several ongoing issues and see a different GP for each as they specialise in different things. It's never been an issue.

A while but we get sent to other GP surgeries if it's pretty urgent.

I mean it's not nice seeing total strangers every time at some random surgery but at least we're seen.

I called at 8am on Friday, got an appointment for 8.30. Dr suggested blood test that they were able to fit in at 2.30 that day and a follow up appointment for 4 weeks time. Was very impressed.

It's the next street so I am at the door at 8am when It opens and the receptionists have the latest cancellations. Always get an appointment same day or next. If I phone at that time it's about an hour to wait before getting through, and then they've usually gone.

My surgery won’t book follow-up appts in advance. If the doctor says to come back you still have to take pot luck as to whether you can get an appt at the appropriate time.