To think this is a terrible system?

[MegumiEto]

My doctor has just changed over to a new system so they can avoid all the wasted appointments when people don't turn up. it's called Open Surgery, anyone else have this?

Basically you turn up at 8am and give your details and then wait until a doctor sees you. Except if you're not there at 8am, the list fills up and they can't see you (they only see people until 10.30) and they don't start seeing anyone until 8.50. So even if you're the first person in, you have a 50min wait in a crowded waiting room.

Added to which I have a rambunctious 3 yr old who gets bored and naughty (they have taken toys out of the waiting room for health reasons, and his own only occupy him so long) and a 6month old. So now my husband has to take the morning off work if I need to see the doctor to look after the 3yr old and I take the baby with me (he's EBF so I can't leave him).

The last two times I have waited over two hours in a very hot waiting room with my baby next to obviously ill, possibly infectious people. Is it just me or does this seem really, really stupid? I realise that missing appointments is a nuisance but at it's only an incovenience for the doctors, not the fifty other people waiting to see them.

Would you write in to complain?

You're entitled to write in and say it isn't working very well. Without feedback they won't know if they're offering a better or worse service. Sounds ridiculous to me. Our surgery is very good. Has a doctor call-back service as a kind of 'triage' priority-setting, offers same or next day appointments and has a free-for-all 'emergency' session starting at 12.00 for everyone else.

This tends to be common practice in Ireland. Most Doctors surgerys are appointment only in either the morning or afternoon and then the other part of the day is open surgery. I find it works better than appointment only.

I'm sure you'll get lots of people saying you are being a bit U, but I think YANBU.

My doctor has a system, where you phone at 8am for an appointment, and then get given a time. These places do fill up quite quickly, but they will still let you phone up if you have an emergency (not everyone gets a rash, or an asthma attack within the required times - funny that). Then you come in after morning/afternoon surgery.

You can still make an appointment for up to two weeks in advance, if you have a non-urgent condition.

Sounds ridiculous. I would change surgeries. I love our surgery's sytem:

• Call from 8.30am to book an appointment for that day. They will also give out a few appointments in advance if it is a non emergency, but these go quite quickly. If you have a child they ALWAYS see you even if you call at midday or 3pm or whenever. I called once at 4.30 (dd was getting sicker and sicker and it was a Friday) and was only in time for a call with a doctor, but he did call me.

You could suggest that.

We have walk in but I think it works better. It's based on first come first serve so people usually start queuing up by 8.40 (surgery opens at 9am) I always get there before 9 so I'm usually 3rd or 5th in line...drs get in after 9am and each patient takes anything between 5 and 20minutes!
It gets very busy after 9.30 so if I can't make it before 9.15 I don't bother going as the wait is too much with kids.
Our drs also offer appointments only on certain days and afternoon for those who work.
But yes write in if you don't think it's working.

PS. I live in a deprived area, it is not because it's a posh surgery. Tamisara, sounds like your system.

That's not a new system. It's the system we had when we were kids back in the 70s/80s. Great, you could miss half a day of school when you needed a repeat prescription.

I believe they've changed the system there now to a new fangled one of appointments as they think it works better.

Oh and the 50minute wait is ridiculous! So based on that YANBU

Yep I remember that system as a kid in the 70s - perhaps they've tried other systems and they don't work either? What would you suggest OP?

My sil's surgery does this and I reckon its half reason her kids end up having late night trips to A&E, it's so difficult to see a dr at the early stages of a problem that they end up suddenly getting worse much later (they have asthma).

Why not just put your name down early - then leave and come back at the start of the actual surgery (50 minutes later)? I'm assuming patients are called in order of the names listing? This is indeed the basis of the system in Ireland and it does work well, you can be seen on the same day and the wait is generally no longer than the wait for so called "timed" appointments in the UK.

I've never seen this in any doctor I've had in Ireland, where because you pay I think you get a far better service.

Sounds ridiculous to me, if not totally unworkable. Why not just change doctors?

I would hate that - we have a fab system at my GPs. You can prebook appointments up to three weeks ahead at the surgery or via an automated phone system which lets you choose by GP or first availble appointment.

There are also emergancy appointments morning and evening that can be booked by the receptionist or by turning up to wait.

I've never failed to see a GP when needed. They are fab!!!

Our surgery has 6 GP's of whom only 5 have appointments booked each day. The 6th deals with phone triage and sees emergencies who haven't been able to book in that morning / afternoon.

It works brilliantly, the GP's are lovely and the surgery feels really well run and efficient because no-one is having a go at the staff because they can't speak to anyone.

they tried this at our surgery but changed quickly back to appointment only + emergency time slots at the end of morning and afternoon sessions. works well like that.

How the heck does this work for anyone who isn't unemployed or retired?

This isn't going to work for elderly people or those who have a slow start to the day, because they have to wait for meds to kick in.

'Glenthe's' system probably only works so well because there are 6 GP's and alternatives to the drop in service.

I would let themknow why it may be a problem for you, which it would be if you had one child going to school.

The GP is probably finding they are doing more home visits.

One of the few benefits of the Irish pay for everything approach is that the doctors don't operate an office hours only system. They're selling a service like any other so most surgeries would open till 9pm, they also open on Saturdays.