to not want to wait 4 weeks to see my GP

[OhLori]

I've been given a date of 4 June for next appointment (4 weeks hence).

I mean, whats the point?

I did ring the surgery back to check it was a "holiday" reason, but no this is just a normal waiting list. I live in London.

Before AIBU releases the Dobermans here, I have a chronic illness and am feeling totally ill at the moment and needing some personal kind of touch/approach.

[Groovee]

Meant to say that if I call in the morning happy to see any GP then I can get a same day one. But because I want to see my GP I have to wait.

[Groovee]

I have a hidden disability and trying to see my GP is like this. Earliest appointment is 31st May that was yesterday. But at least I can see him.

[OhLori]

I can see other doctors in an emergency, but find it very anonymous seeing a different doctor every time, especially when its more personal. I think I was upset because I realised I can't have a proper relationship with my own GP when its like this. Its always been difficult to see her, as she is one of the popular ones I guess. But now it seems night impossible. I think I'll make an appointment for 4 weeks time and tell her all this, assuming I'm feeling better and up to it by then .

[gobbin]

I tried getting an appt for son last yr as his hayfever meds wern't effective any more. Couldn't get a thing despite ringing at 8am and 2pm as asked. In the end I just turned up at the surgery at 4.30 with his face streaming and looking like he'd spent 10 rounds in a boxing ring and explained that he was in the middle of GCSEs and needed treatment. They saw him within the hour.

[elah11]

4 weeks!!! Thats mad, I know I give out about having to pay here in Ireland but at least you always get an appt either the same day or definitely by the next day. Surely whatever was ailing you would either have cleared up or killed you by then??

[quesadilla]

It is depressing that it is going that way but not all surgeries are like this. Mine (South London suburbs) has a two tier system wher pre-booked appointments are usually impossible to get within three weeks but you can get seen the same day if you are prepared to call the surgery at 8 and basically sit on hold for a bit. It's far from ideal because you rarely get a choice as to when you are seen but it does mean people get seen on a same day basis.

It's shit that it has to be like this but you should shop around a bit.

[Sirzy]

I would be phoning up each morning for an appointment if it is a problem which cant wait. They should have some emergency appointments available on the day

[valiumredhead]

I find the nurses good, they are usually my first port of call, we have about 10 at our surgery, they are all lovely.( big surgery though)

[busymum1]

Same day normally easy to get routine up to 4 weeks but if you ring up and speak to receptionist not on appointment line you can do a phone consultation with doctor then if he wants to see you he books appointment whilst you talking to him.

[GrendelsMum]

We have the opposite problem - you can only get appts for today or tomorrow. Great if you have a real problem, a real hassle if you have a chronic illness and need to put in regular appts for checkups.

[valiumredhead]

You need to ring first thing, the minute the surgery opens and ask for an emergency appt if it's something that can't wait 4 weeks.

[starlingsintheslipstream]

YANBU. It's hopeless and so many surgeries seem the same. DH needs to discuss the results of a liver test and they wanted to book a time a week ahead for the doctor to telephone him about it. I assume the good news is he isn't dying but I mean, come on, a week for a telephone call!

[MrsOakenshield]

in my surgery if you want to book an appointment it's about a 2 week wait, I think these appts are mainly filled by those who need regular repeat appts. But you can ring up every day at 8 and after a bit of a wait on the phone, you can get either an actual appt or a telephone appt on the day. Which seems like a good balance. 4 weeks is ludicrous. Time to find another GP's?

[Sallystyle]

I thought mine was bad making me wait 4 or 5 days.

Where I used to live my surgery was great. If you rang up between 8.30-9.00am you were guaranteed a same day appointment, if by any chance they were booked you were offered a sit and wait after surgery.

My new one is crap and they just send people to walk in clinic if it's something that needs seeing straight away.

[fanjoforthemammaries7850]

Was that the actual next appt or next one you could make?

No Dobermans here..just I work f9r a dentist and people often ask for an 845am or 5pm appt and reject one the same week...then moan about having to wait weeks.

If it's the first appointment. .YANBU

[andubelievedthat]

round this way if you can manage it you can q outside surgery in morn and be seen that day ,which seems a lot like the good(bad) old days, phone for an appointment ?pointless.

[andubelievedthat]

round this way if you can manage it you can q outside surgery in morn and be seen that day ,which seems a lot like the good(bad) old days, phone for an appointment ?pointless.

[SmellsLikeTeenStrop]

I think it depends on the GPs surgery. I have a friend who can get same day/next day/ 3 days time appointments with no problem at all. I can't, the pre-bookable appointments are all booked up weeks in advance so instead I have to start trying to phone at 8 AM in the morning and constantly redial and redial and redial until I eventually get through and if I'm lucky there are appointments left, if I'm not then I have to go through the whole process the next day.

[EldonAve]

Change surgery
We are in London & I can usually get an appt for the next day no problem

[Purple2012]

This happens to me. I see my doctor eventually he tells me to make appointment in 6 weeks. I try to do that and get told no, computer only allows up to 4 weeks. So I ring back in 2 weeks, and get an appointment 5 weeks later!!! So what happened to only being able to do 4 weeks.

Sometime you have a problem that isn't urgent enough to take a same day urgent appointment, but too urgent to wait 4 or more weeks.

[NotYoMomma]

I think the NHS is fantastic and sad it seems to be slowly going to shit under Tories

No doc appointments,
111 bloody useless
A&E overcrowded due to the above
Nurses feeling villified for not having enough of them

:(

[Dawndonna]

Same here. Next appointment (booked yesterday) is 11th June. Having said that, I had a blip yesterday and was seen by a doctor (not mine, but damn good) at 3.30 yesterday afternoon.

[NotYoMomma]

I never wait. I ring up on the day I know preferred doctor is working at 8.30 sharp and ask for an appointment with xyz

I have Dr number on redial lol

[XBenedict]

It's getting bad isn't if? Not enough GPs and too many patients