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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

About pissed off playing roulette with GP appointment servicce on a monday

45 replies

lolaflores · 18/06/2012 08:08

doing the dial and redial on the phone. its like a test of mental stamina. get through after several goes of dial redial. get appointment if lucky. get up there. wait for possibly hour before being seen. takes most of the day for an 8 minute consultation
have been in fucking horrible pain all weekend. no to GP OH service as this is ongoing. so frustrated and pissed off at the palaver to see the gp. try to avoid as much as possible but when I have to its like jumping through hoops. anyone got a good gp service where they are?

OP posts:

Original poster

lolaflores · 18/06/2012 12:59

The time I went to GP's and a woman beside me had her daughter in for a blister on her top lip. Stunning. I do think a sort of triage system for GP appointments as someone mentioned earlier might benefit alot of surgeries.

I would defend the NHS completely but GP's run their practises as they see fit and that results in patchy care. It also puts more strain on A&E as alot of people do bypass GP and go up there instead. If basic care was reliable then there would not be people getting into crisis which the emergency services then have to mop up.

NHS direct IME simply suggest A&E anyway.

OP posts:

AKE2012 · 18/06/2012 13:13

What gets me annoyed is the receptionist asking is it an emergency. well if it was an emergency i wouldnt b phoning to make an appointment. (Not sure if its relevant)
Something else that annoys me about Gp surgeries is the receptionists, they think they are qualified doctors by asking whats wrong with you and then denying you appointments.

My sis was at the doc with her son (about 2yrs old at the time), doc told my sis to take her son back in first thing the next day so sis asks receptionist for an appointment n was told there are no appointments. Sis went back to Gps room and GP went to the receptionist and TOLD her to book my nephew in and low and behold an available appointment magically appeared.

PurplePidjin · 18/06/2012 13:17

Lots of people on here are saying there should be a triage system for appointments

Lots of people on here don't like being asked why they need an appointment

Erm...

insanityscratching · 18/06/2012 13:21

Ours are really good sit and wait in the morning and appointments for evening surgery. Can always be seen on the day you need an appointment. Can book morning appointments at the sister surgery if you can't sit and wait and obviously unwell children or children like my ds who is disabled and would find waiting difficult would be seen on arrival.

ChuffMuffin · 18/06/2012 13:47

I had to go through the same thing this morning. It took 17 minutes of redialling and hanging up before I got to speak to any one. Thankfully they had some late afternoon appointments left.

If you try and book an appointment in advance you usually have to wait 2 weeks, so they just tell you to "try again tomorrow"

notaniphoneownerjustabadtypist · 18/06/2012 13:58

Yep, this is how it usually is round here: start dialling 8.00, redail, redial, redial, redial, redial,redial, redial,redial, redial,redial, redial,redial, redial,redial, redial,redial, redial,redial, redial, redial,redial, redial,redial, redial,redial, redial,redial, redial,redial, redial,redial,redial, redial,redial, redial,redial, redial,redial, redial,redial, redial,redial, redial, get through 8.30, all appointments gone

NeverFearWonderWomanIsHere · 18/06/2012 13:59

Mine is very good, you can ring from 8am onwards for a same day appointment, and there is also an automated system where you can prebook appointments. I've been with them for over 10 years and even though I've now moved 2 miles away and have 2 GP surgeries on my door step I refuse to move they're that good.

PuffofSmoke · 18/06/2012 14:02

Our is like that now, so miss my old GPs. No appointments during the day, you just turn up and will be seen. Longest I have waited was about 20 mins. Evening appointments 4 days a week for those who can't manage through the day, if you phone up 9/10 you would be seen that night.

wimblehorse · 18/06/2012 14:30

Lots of people on here are saying there should be a triage system for appointments

Lots of people on here don't like being asked why they need an appointment

Erm..

I think the difference is that a proper "triage" system would be handled by a trained nurse rather than a receptionist.

We have the same at my Dr's - call at 8.30 to a premium rate number and on hold for 25-30 mins to be told either yes there is an appointment today or no, you can book one for 2 weeks time. Thankfully you can request a callback from a dr which is useful when it's something simple and they will leave a prescription at front desk. Actually that's often better than getting an appointment as at least you don't have to sit in the waiting room for an hour trying to entertain ds while not wanting him to play with the other children or the germ infested toys/mags!

cathers · 18/06/2012 14:45

Our GP surgery is excellent. Ring at 8.30 and you are seen that day. Granted, I don't always get through first time, sometimes it takes till 9am to book an appt, but if it is ever super urgent, you can go to the surgery from 8.30 and been seen there and then.

If I want to book an appt in advance they work Saturday mornings and do an early clinic from 7am one morning a week. I have never had trouble getting the kids or myself seen. And even the reception staff are lovely and don't ask about your problem

wherearemysocks · 18/06/2012 14:57

I have to say the more threads I read on here about GP surgeries, the more thankful I am of mine. It's a busy surgery in central London but when I ring up I either get straight through or one or two ring backs at most. I can make appointments for in the future or if it is more urgent they still have same day appointments too. And when I give my name if it's the regular receptionist she always remembers who I am, and asks how I am and how the children are. Whilst I have been a patient there for getting on for 15 yrs, I don't really go that often, but she is brilliant and always does her best to find me an appointment that fits in with my schedule too.

ivykaty44 · 18/06/2012 15:03

On a Friday and Monday we can queue for appointments outside the gp building - then they open the doors at 8.30 and the first 5 get seen straight away, the next 5 after that. So if you are 15th in the queue you will be seen by 9am - or even if you are 10th you can make an appointment for later that morning to come back.

Although it means you have to go and queue - or send someone to queue for you - you do get an appointment that morning.

I have seen the queue go to around 50/60 people the friday after a bank holiday and still at 9am they are booking people in that morning for an appointment that day.

Original poster

lolaflores · 18/06/2012 16:04

Got sorted out but it has taken the best part of the day and confusion with receptionists giving me blank looks and then searching for script with the wrong name and so on and so on. It is an anxiety inducing process even at the best of times.
makes me reluctant to go or even try to get round it somehow. it also means I end up putting things on the long finger with them and it all snowballs. got to be a better way surely. The practise manager is a bit of a defensive madam but then she is probably on the end of alot of moaning from both sides so time to move

OP posts:

misslinnet · 18/06/2012 16:30

My GP surgery is good - we can book appointments in advance (by a week or more), they're open one late night a week and every other Saturday.

They hold back a number of appointments for people who need urgent same day appointments.
These can go pretty fast, but on the one occasion I really did need to see a GP that day, after I explained my problem to the receptionist, she arranged for a GP to call me back within half an hour (and GP arranged for me to come in for an emergency appointment after that). The receptionists generally don't ask questions about why you want to see the doctor though.

They've also got a few urgent clinics throughout the week where you can turn up without an appointment and wait, first come first served, for the duty GP to see you.

lilbreeze · 18/06/2012 21:25

Wimblehorse, as far as I know GPs are not allowed to use premium rate numbers - they were banned a few years ago (and rightly so).

sameasyoubutdifferent · 18/06/2012 22:35

I don't go to the doctorss v often but needed to go after recent bank hol. Thought I would have trouble getting an appointment but got one straight away. Only 2 other people in surgery - now beginning to think there is something wrong with this surgery!! why is it so quiet?

StepOutOfSpring · 19/06/2012 08:49

Same here. Always used to be able to get an appointment in the next day or two, at the surgeries I've been registered with in the past. These days it's phone at 8.30, stay on constant redial, get told the next appointment is in 2 weeks unless it's "urgent".

EssexGurl · 19/06/2012 11:22

At our old surgery in London, I tried to get an appointment one Tuesday morning. The first I could get was the following Thursday - 9 days away. I then asked what time the open surgery was on the Saturday. The receptionist wouldn't tell me as it wouldn't be an emergency on Saturday if I was asking on a Tuesday! I found the practice handbook and got the time from that. Went on the Saturday, only to be referred to the local hosptial who then referred me onto Moorfields! I hadn't thought it was an emgergency or very serious, but it was worse than I thought. Thank god I went on the Saturday.

But I second the idea of just turning up at the surgery so they have to see you. Although DH got the first appointment of the day last week. Excellent he thought, be at work only a little bit late. The Dr didn't even arrive until 40 minutes after his slot!

PinkElephant73 · 19/06/2012 11:29

OP, our surgery is the same but I recently found out you can also go in person when the surgery opens and queue up to get an appt, which is more likely to get you in than trying to get through on the phone. worth seeing if there is any other way for you to get through to them? it shouldnt have to be like this, I agree.

SaggyOldClothCatPuss · 19/06/2012 11:36

My old surgery was HELL on earth! You turned up at 8.30, (or 7.45 if you had any sense) and queued. You got a number, you sat and waited. Often for 4 or 5 hours! You couldn't book an appointment within two weeks, as they were always full, and their system wouldn't take bookings more than two weeks in advance! it took me four years to get a smear test!
My new surgery is wonderful! You ring (and keep trying) at 8.30, and 9 times out of 10 you get an appointment that morning. If by chance they are full, if you ring again at 2.30, they release a new set of appointments in the evening.
You can get a general appointment the same week.
When you get there, the wait is no more than 30 minutes. It's wonderful!

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