What do you talk about when you call the GP?

[CarrotVan]

I just rang the GP to make a routine appointment (because they hadn’t actioned the online request I made on Monday and it’s time sensitive)

I was 4th in the queue. 28 minutes on hold and dealing with my query took under a minute.

I am now very curious as to what the 3 preceding people were talking to the receptionist about for so long.

thoughts, stories, hypotheses welcome

Usually a long conversation about my mum's food prescriptions, trying to explain what it is and convince them to send them to the right place. Every month. They sometimes then have to ring someone else and then ring me straight back so that slows them down too. Sorry for anyone in the queue!

Well, our pre-recorded message in English and Welsh takes up three minutes, but that's useful because it tells you what not to wait for etc. ID check and finding your record takes another minute, phoning through to check whatever with the pharmacist nurse or doctor takes another minute or two, and then receptionists will often speak to patients face to face while they leave the next call on hold - so it's very easily done even with straightforward patients and excellent receptionists.

Fuck knows. I always think that. I just assume the person holding up the queue doesn’t give a shit

My GP has a recorded message you have to listen to first.
—
call 999 if emergency
is the call necessary?
if calling out of hours do xx
if frustrated by how long it’s taken to get through to a human don’t be rude or threaten violence

kind of takes time

It’s not a complaint. I’m just bemused by how long it took. Normally they send a message to a clinician and call you back rather than have someone wait, holding up the queue.

they usually have someone answering calls and someone on the desk when I’ve been in.

and its triaged with different people in the office answering prescription queries or giving out test results

they are really well staffed

I spend three and a half minutes listening to the recorded message - about the online form, about how they're very busy, about how to order prescriptions, a list of disclaimers they're not responsible for (heart attacks, ebola, mixamytosis etc). Then I get through and settle into a nice cozy chat about my bunions, the weather and how much I enjoy delaying important people like you OP with my inconsequential life.

Straight forward, "I need an appointment" calls take 30 seconds. Anything else, even booking a routine appointment in 2 weeks time (which should be as straightforward as a today appointment) takes forever.

If It’s a ridiculous wait like that, I’d assume the receptionist has left the calls queuing whilst popping to the loo and getting a drink.

That’s a little rude @Aviri

My curiosity about what could take so long to deal with 3 calls isn’t implying a sense of self importance. I’m not complaining and wasn’t delayed. Had the phone on speaker and
got on with some work.

Genuinely interested in what calls result in lengthy conversations with a non-clinical
person who also doesn’t deal with prescriptions or test results.

Well, speaking to patients who are confused, distressed or suffering from some condition that impairs communication can take a long time.

Or maybe they had calls about stock, maintenance, staffing, invoices etc to get through too.

Nothing, everything is done via an app now.

If they have to search your record for anything it takes ages.

The receptionists also have people at the desk waiting to talk to them in person too

Good question.
Last time I called for an appointment, having waited a fair old time in the queue, the receptionist asked me to wait while she checked availability.

Guess what? Fully booked for the day. Fair enough but what was she checking?
They must know when the diary is full so why fuck about with queues and pretend checking.