to think that the reason a lot of people dont go to the doctor when they should

[GnomeDePlume]

is because they cannot get an appointment time which is remotely suitable for someone who goes to work.

If I want to see a doctor then I can either make an appointment for the middle of April (earliest time when bookings can be made) or take pot luck on the day. The pot luck which is available today is 3.30pm, no alternatives available. This would be great someone wanted to take a DC to the doctor outside of school hours. Sadly it is totally useless to me as I would have to leave work at 2.45. My employer is strict, I cant take an afternoon off to go to the doctor.

So would it be so very difficult for the surgery to work out that only offering appointments on the day at fixed times or in over a fortnight's time is not serving a large proportion of the patients well?

I agree. It is rubbish especially for working women I feel, who often need apts when they are not "ill" e.g. Contraception. I am a med student who has spent time on placement at gps and also worked as a receptionist in a clinic in the past and I can see it from both sides. The fact is there just often aren't enough apts to go round, and everyone wants different things. Some want to be seen on the day, others want to book in advance. Hard to please everyone, but t'is shit I agree and I have similar probs with my own gp as I have an ongoing thing that I need to go see them about occasionally, but means that I am functioning and still working/studying! Can't take a day if to phone repeatedly from 8.30 am onwards on the off chance I may get an apt!

I do understand that Drs have lives but i do think that they should take note that many people on this thread have trouble even getting an appointment with them.

They should take note from other practices who take a more flexible approach and therefore better serve all of their patients - something my practice excels at.

You know the attitude of some GPs never fails to amaze me.

"Why should I bother to help you, you inconvenience of a patient? Urgh"
I didn't think patients were there for the convenience of doctors. I thought we were supposed to be encouraging people, especially those who put off going to the doctors to go, because its preventative and cheaper to treat in early stages of disease than later ones. I thought the idea of prevention being better than cure was a key idea.

If its a PIA to go to the doctors for a niggling problem, people won't go. Which can be as life threatening as a 'genuine' emergency.

How come some surgeries are managing to find a workable solution and others have an objection to all forms of change on the principle that, essentially, they just don't like it?

"Oh you can go and see them on annual leave"
And there was me thinking that illness tended to be fairly unpredictable and that booking a day off 2 weeks in advance in line with company policy wasn't really compatible with that. And for more predictable conditions/reasons its as easy as that to get off the day you actually want/need? Try getting time off in August. Especially if you don't really want to explain to your employer why you are taking the time off which inevitably comes with a request for time off.

And please please do not get me started on how money is spent wasted by the NHS after the day I've had today dealing with someone buying from us.

Should I get up at 5am and leave my children so I can get to work and see some patients before they go to work, then spend the day at home while my kids are at school, and go back to work in the evening when they come home from school, so I can see patients who've been woke during the day?

Oh come on, doctors salary/hour is very high for the level of service given, by any professional measure. Service in the UK is piss poor compared to nearly everywhere I've lived overseas.

Just stagger your hours so someone is always around after 6, and reserve some capacity so those who can't make the 8 o' clock phone-a-thon have a chance.

I think removing the limit of which surgery people can use would be the quickest way of culling the crap practices.

Our practice survey highlighted more than 50% of patients did not know it offered, lates, earlies and Saturday's and 3 drop in surgeries a week (everyone is seen). All patients when they register get the info but apparently do not read it. Please check that your thoughts about hrs are correct. And being pedantic you cannot save a life only prolong it.

The only reason there is a catchment though is, as mentioned upthread, because of home visits. Although most people don't need them, the very young, very old or very sick do and if the area is too large the GP spends so much time travelling that other patients lose out so it is only sensible to restrict it.

The only reason there is a catchment though is, as mentioned upthread, because of home visits

In big cities that doesn't make sense as in many cases practices are a matter of a mile or so away from each other, doctors are as likely to live near any one of them.

My GP's surgery is very good, but I don't go because I feel that there would be someone else that is much more ill than I am that could use the appointment!

My elderly Mum's surgery is dreadful as she can never get seen...'phone at 8am' phones at 8am...'phone at 2.15.' Phones at 2.15. And repeat. Disgusting!

Whatme, I doubt you know what my salary is, and if you think you know because you've read it in the papers, then you are wrong.

I work pt but still cannot get appointments. Our phone a thon starts at 8:30 and if you don't ring before 9 am you've got no chance of seeing a doc. Guess what time the school run is?

I'd love to vote with my feet but all the gps in this area are full. If anyone really needs an appointment I have to arrange childcare just to be able to phone.

Yanbu. It's ridiculous.

mrspetedocherty English GPs would not get more funding if Scottish and welsh people paid for the prescriptions - you are talking out of your arse. The Scottish Government are given a set pot of money and they decided how to spend it - yea we get free prescriptions but we lose out on other things that the English get

I came onto Mumsnet today to post about this very thing!
I've had an ear and throat infection for three weeks - I coped with it with over the counter stuff for ages, but it's not shifting and I am in almost constant low-level pain, so it's time to see the doctor.
I phoned on Monday, and was told they were taking emergency bookings only, so was told to call back at 7:45am the next day (The phones are answered from 7:45-8:45, an hour before surgery opens)

So, I phoned on Tuesday, to be told there were no appts for that day, and "the system was down" so was unable to book one in advance.

So, I phoned on Weds (in the afternoon, as I was asleep all morning) and I got a voicemail telling me that the surgery was closed all afternoon due to staff training, and to call back tomorrow

So, I've just got off the phone now (answered first time) to be told that they are booked up until the 12th April. I asked if I could make an appointment after the 12th April, and the receptionist told me that the "system" only allows bookings up to two weeks in advance, so....I have to phone tomorrow to try and get an appt for the 13th April!

I asked if they had a paper diary, and she said they do, but they're not allowed to use it for bookings.

It's the biggest surgery in town - I've already tried to change once as it took me 4 months to get a routine medical - that I paid £80 for - and I am still on a waiting list at the other surgery. Have been for 2 years (I phoned up yesterday to check) becuase they prioritise "catchment" patients.

Should I just bite the bullet and play the emergency card? I do feel like complete cack, but I'm not about to fall over and die (hopefully)
I have missed 6 days at work, though - and think I'll need to get a sodding doctor's note anyway!
AGGH!

Velma having worked in solicitors firms and in the advice sector, couple of points re opening late:

• some firms and advice providers do open late. My local CAB offers a more extensive out of hours service than my GP, for example.

• this out of hours opening is typically in response to demand, so in fact one does hear people complain about solicitors not being open in the evenings. I have also been known to get in early to do pre-work appointments for clients, at their request.

• my workplace offers an evening service. We do this by each working one later evening every fortnight. This does not require us to get up at 5am (although some of us would prefer that option). Offering an out of hours service does not require everyone to work only in the early hours of the morning and late nights. But i think you probably know that.

• given that I work the odd evening, yes I think it's reasonable for GPs to do the same- obviously there'll be a few practices that just can't offer this for whatever reason and there may not be any way round that. My GP surgery evidently agrees, as they offer one late evening a week. I'm happy with this. I would be unimpressed if they stopped doing it and offered your rationale for it.

Whatme, I doubt you know what my salary is, and if you think you know because you've read it in the papers, then you are wrong.

I can make an educated guess that you fall in the range of "£ comfortable professional", and when I see your justification on the thread for not opening, and other things like:

The trouble is that no matter how much GPs and the NHS give people demand more. Why should a GP alter the hours they work because you won't alter yours?

....its very clear that those giving GP services have largely forgotten who their customers are. Or rather the Health service has forgotten who funds it.

Every other profession has, over the last 10 years, had to radically shake itself up to increase service levels (aka work longer hours), and what you are seeing is those professionals demanding the services they use change too.

InWithTheITCrowd makes another valid point.

If you arent a regular visitor to your surgery then it would be reasonable to assume that you are probably quite au fait with the various over the counter remedies (rather than you are some weirdly healthy freak). Therefore it is highly unlikely that your request for a doctor's appointment is going to be frivolous.

If you arent a regular visitor to your surgery then you wont know that the concept of emergency at your GP is going to be different from at your local A&E.

Dont ask if it is an emergency, ask if they need to see the doctor today, can wait until tomorrow (often more convenient if you are working so that you can arrange the time off) or can book in a routine appointment for 3 week's time.

i rang for an appointment at 8am for my 7 week old dd and the only one is 5.30 although usually if its one of the little ones the dr tells them to stick them in at the end of surgery if you tell them its important?

I think the reason some people don't go to the doctor when they should is because too many people go to the doctor when a trip to the chemist would achieve better results.

The home visit argument against getting rid of catchment areas is crap. Not least because the public consultation proposed two options;

1. to allow you to register wherever you liked.
2. to allow you to register locally at home but also register close to work should you need to.

It took me four years to change surgery, because the current system is so crap.

Yabu, it's your employer that's at fault,not the surgery. Your employer should be giving you time off for doctor's appointments. Although being booked up until the middle of April seems odd.

halcyondays, what if you don't want to inform your employer about a doctors appointment due to privacy? Perfectly valid, especially if its something you feel sensitive about.

you dont have to disclose the purpose of the visit to the docs to your emplyer though.

Exactly, I don't suppose your boss is going to ask what's wrong with you, you just need to say that you've got a doctor's appointment.

Doesn't mean you won't get nosy questions or feel uncomfortable about it though.

Ultimately, even if you think its petty and trivial, if it puts people off going to the doctor you need to find a way to solve that.

Heswall Wed 28-Mar-12 13:04:01
Catchment areas do not exist any more you can register with any GP

Is that right? When we moved house our surgery told us we'd have to change GP because we were moving out of their area. So we can change back to them again?

No catchment areas still exist and Heswall is wrong.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13670636

I've been following the progress of this for a few years as my old doctor was a disgrace but found I could not change.

According to that article which was dated june last year, the latest target date for change is April this year. However since I've not heard much more about it, and this is now the third proposed date on the subject I'm not holding my breathe for that.

The current situation is you need to change GP. And even if this does start in April, by the sound of it, its going to be a limited roll out anyway.