To go screwy waiting for the gp appointment line to open?

[MakesCakesWhenStressed]

That is all. I bloody hate this system. Grump.

I have to start ringing at 8am on the dot, if I leave it until 8.30 I never get through. Hope you get an appt x

It's beyond crazy, isn't it? Last week I spent half an hour trying to get through. Then they were asking Is it an emergency?. My reaction to that is always No if it was an emergency I'd be in A&E!. To be fair, they will squeeze me in at end of surgery. It's just frustrating because it feels like they are implying its your fault you were too slow getting through for an appointment early enough! YANBU.

its hideous and very very stressful, esp when after solidly being on redial for 20 mins you get through and they wack you on hold and the line goes quiet....

I just had a callback from a GP at my surgery about DD having a gungy ear infection, and it sounded like a madhouse down there- I could barely hear her. Monday morning, I don't envy them!

Dont envy them either..especially if people make arsey comments when they ask if it's an emergency. .which will be the practice policy

I can sometimes get away with going in to the surgery the day before to make an appointment. It depends which receptionist you get. I agree though, early morning calling is such a pain. Just let me ring up the day before!

To be clear, I never actually say anything sarcastic! I think it's better when they phrase it as Is it urgent/do you need to see a doctor today?
I'm with quite a big practice and I asked about the system once. She said they have 6 people answering the phones but its clearly still bedlam for half an hour. I don't envy them either!

Mornings at our surgery, Mondays in particular, is the worst time to try and ring. Lines open at 8:30 and you have to have the number on speed dial if you have any hope of getting through. I recently spent about 50 mins constantly ringing to get an appt and the only one left was for 2 days ahead.

Lines open at 8am at my surgery. If I really want an appointment, I phone at 7.58, wait for the answer machine, hang up, hit redial....repeat until the line switches to being 'live'. That way, you catch it as they open. If I phone at even 8.05 am, there will be no appointments before 11.30 or even 2pm sometimes. It's that manic.

If I'm asked 'is it an emergency' I simply reply 'I need to see a doctor today, please'.

I hate trying to get through to our surgery. I get twitchy in the run up to 8:30

You have to time it perfectly. Too early and it's still on the answer phone systems and by the time you've hung up and redialled, they're constantly engaged. Too late and you've missed your chance and it's engaged again

Our surgery's system is awful, you have to ring on the day you want the appointment, you can't book in advance - DD1 has recently had some problems and we were told to come back on a certain day, but you can't book in advance so you have to take the chance you'll get an appointment when you ring up that morning, and there's no guarantees you'll get to see the same doctor - our GP overrode the booking systems and booked it from his computer last time it happened

We only need to ring at 8.30 for a same day appointment. If it is engaged I use the redial button immediately. So dial-engaged - hang up(button) -redial at once and repeat until successful. It always works quite quickly.

At our local GP calling is hopeless so people queue in the street from about 7.30 for when it opens at 8.30.

My dad was queuing in 4 degrees a couple of weeks ago, with a chest infection when he collapsed with an asthma attack and others waiting in the queue went get the surgery to open early.

Man he had been chatting to in the queue was elderly and cared for his terminally ill wife, but had left her alone to try and get a GP out to her as she'd gotten a lot worse overnight.

Too many patients, not enough staff. I moved to different surgery 2 miles up the road, no such problems.

I think we are lucky with ours, you do have to do the dial, redial thing for a while, and then they ask if you want to be seen today, or is it urgent, in which case the triage nurse calls you back.

I am a Dr surgery receptionist.. Its really horrible asking if its an emergency but for example I took a call last week asking for a urgent appointment for her husband I offered one in about 2 hrs and she oh no he will still be on the Golf course then.

Most Doctors are on the point of overload.. There is just not enough time in the day to see people and the elderly ( well my surgery) take about 80% of the appointments . Where I live ( do not want to out self) there is also a massive GP shortage and at least 4 practices are using locums daily .

Some receptionists are bloody awful but I'm not and and there are loads like me that just need to weed out real asap need to see Dr today over can see the Dr in a week ... Wish there was a better solution all I can say is I almost 99% fit a child under 5 in with a Dr same day if mum/dad is worried and same goes with asthma any age.

MY GP practice also does the ring at 8.30 thing, but they will always offer you an appt if it is urgent (though it may be a sit and wait appt at the end of the surgery)

I am very happy with them. They are always willing to offer telephone consults too - I often prefer this if I know the problem doesn't need an examination or I just need to discuss something. (eg when my coil disappeared - they booked me an ultrasound without insisting on me seeing them first as I was confident in my anatomy and it wasn't hiding somewhere )

I hate phoning up for an appointment. Very rarely get an appointment that day as they have all been taken even though it's still early and they won't give you an appointment for another day either. You have to try again in the morning

We can't start ringing until 8.50 for a same day appointment. Which means I have to wait at home when I should be at work ten miles the other side of the surgery at 9am. Then they offer me one in 10 minutes' time but it takes 20 minutes to get there. Perhaps I should phone from the surgery car park.

Would also like to add do look around at other practices. I work in a very small one that is very caring and we always try and fit you in and if not we can book up to 6 weeks in advance so only on the day is for urgents..

This is totally different to one about 500m down the road that is massive and is more of a health centre . They wont book in advance and have people queing 7.30am in the morning

Yanbu I bloody hate it. We can't Pre book appointments at my drs and I always feel I'm taking an important appointment up with something that could wait. Ringing early feels like it should be an urgent appointment rather than them fitting me in where there's a space.

We are very lucky at our practice.

We do have the 'ring at 8.30' thing going on - I usually have both the landline and the mobile and am trying with both at the same time to get through, but I can always get an appointment same day, and if its the kids I can usually get one before 10am. (Unless its Monday, which is a bit more tricky - Monday I will actually go to the surgery and wait outside until the doors open rather than attempting to phone them)

They are exceptionally good with the children - me/DH have had to visit 5 times in the last 10 days (DS1 had nasty splinter and DS2 ear infection then burst eardrum) The receptionist will usually suggest that the nurses are seen rather than doctors if that is more appropriate which makes sense to me, but the nurses can prescribe (and I rarely have to wait more than a few minutes for them to get hold of a dr to sign the prescription)

They always take our worries seriously - from the splinter incident to when DS1 had pneumonia - and take the time to examine the children carefully.

I am very reluctant to ever leave this town for fear of never getting the same service (lived in Tooting once - couldnt get an appointment within less than a week for love nor money - at the time it was just me so not such a worry - but if I'd have children then would have driven me insance)

I really don't understand the system some surgeries have that you can't book routine appointments in advance. Our surgery isn't perfect, but you can book necessary appts well in advance. In fact, when I used to have the Depo contraceptive injection, I could book the next one as I left after each one.

That's 11 weeks between appts, so as it was all pre-booked and on the calendar I didn't miss it. Routine appts should be bookable well ahead.

It is frustrating! I phoned this morning for an appointment, just checked and I pressed redial 98 times!! Our surgery allows for booking in advance AND on the day appointments so it's the best of both worlds. I got one for 2.20 so all good here :)