Dr surgery offering appointments during school run?

[MuffinMouse]

The last three times I have tried to make a GP appointment I have been offered 3:00, 3:10 or 3:20. Primary schools here finish at 3:15. I am always asked by the receptionist if I can get someone else to collect my children, which I have previously done - but it seems unreasonable to ask. I got around it once by phoning up much later (11:30am) and got offered a 4pm. Leaving it till late morning on the off chance is a risk, as I have been told before that all appointments have gone.

It seems they won't prebook, or fill cetain slots until other times for appointments have gone. You have to phone from 8:30 to get a look in on decent times - and as a mum I leave for school with two little ones at 8:30 to get them there in time for 8:50! It seems a bit unfair.

Muffin Lucky me? Why so?

It's like everything in life ... there is pressure at work not to book appointments in work time, but if I need to see a doctor, then I have to organise cover/cancellation of meetings/someone else to do what I was doing around the time that there is an appointment ready.

so if you are in urgent need of a doctor, and especially if it's pregnancy related, (and if it's serious complictions then surely you should not be working) then work has to take second place, and existing kids have to be late for school if you can't get anyone to babysit.

Handsfree mobile phone whilst driving to make an appointment at 8.30?

I counter your 'lucky you' with 'lucky you' as you are actually pregnant and have DC!!

Muffin, your surgery sounds exactly like mine, drives me bananas and tbh I'm really not down there very often (touch wood, asthma ok) unlike you have to be atm. YANBU.

They have an answer service until 8.30 precisely (tried to get past it buy phoning at 8.29 once) and then come 8.30 it's engaged engaged engaged so I leave it on call back. GGRRRR!

And you can't always get the help, - I have a sister who lives very nearby, doesn't work, children take the bus to school but her day is filled with pedicure/massage/pilates/reflexology/sports/etc and will not change her arrangements for a drop off/ pick up for me unless it was life or death, - i know this because I tried out recently when DS2 had a febrile convulsion and she came up trumps and was round in minutes!!

Just as a random aside - I had to rearrange a Tesco delivery today (their mess-up) and they were doing the same thing, - offering all the slots around school run time, - must say I was a tad irritated by them too.

I think a lot of you have given the OP a hard time. At my surgery 4 ladies, all mothers, they stagger shifts to sort out school runs, etc. and have locums in, muck about with appointments when there are problems with their dc.

Actually think there could be a great deal mroe flexibility. GPs are self employed and earn very good incomes. The service is free at the point of delivery and extremely well funded by all of us. If they had to present a bill I think you would all see them becoming a little more user friendly and possibly also teaching some of their staff one and two syllable words such as please and thank you - possibly themselve too.