To think that 3 weeks wait for a GP appointment is too long

[theresnowheretohidewithachip]

Just been told that the next non-urgent appointment with any doctor in our practice (there are 5 GPs) is on 20th May. I feel exhausted, hungover and a bit dizzy and unwell and don't think it's unreasonable to wish to see a GP before then. How long do you generally have to wait for a non-urgent appointment where you go?

[HolidayCriminal]

this is actually quite relevant to work right now! Thx :).

[DrWrongbottom]

The general public don't seem to get it. GPs have been made slaves to the public for peanuts. The government is to be blamed for the failure in NHS. They want GPs to absorb all the workload but forget to increase to budget and workforce for that.
The general public is to be blamed too! Patients come to see GPs for absolutely EVERYTHING! Let it be medical (quite rightly so), social, benefits, their pets at home, and anything you can think of .. they go to the GPs and expect their own problems to be sorted with a magic wand. As a result we do not have enough time to deal with what is really important. Also patients turn up with a list of problems for a 10 minute appointment, so other patients end up having to wait for ages.
Basically, it is a system failure due to a number of reasons, if the public don't value the NHS and their doctors, then it will only fail, NHS will disappear, and everyone will have to pay for private health.

[macdoodle]

Those lovely old fashioned practices will be the first to go sadly. My own GP is one and the 2 GPs are retiring, no one will take over so they are amalagamating with the next surgery to make one huge surgery.

[LumionaMoonsplash]

I've changed practices for this reason. I rarely visit the doctor unless I really need to, my old surgery grew too big amd now do the phone first thing to get an appt or discuss your issue with the receptionist. I didn't like it so moved to a small village practice with not many patients. I now can get emergency appts on the day or next day if not urgent without playing the phone game at 8am. The receptionists are nicer and my new GP is more sincere. Are there opportunities to switch practices?

[FrancesHB]

macdoodle is completely correct. Morale is rock bottom , compassion fatigue and burnout set in a long time ago. We have one full time doctor off with stress and another has resigned and we can't recruit a replacement because there are no effing GPs. Patients complain, rightly, because care is suffering, but they're complaining to the wrong people. I used to love my job, but I can't do it any more. The minute I can leave, I will.

[macdoodle]

Well round here OOH is struggling too but am sure there are some that are coping, just as some GP surgeries are. They will be the very large ones with hordes of young low paid inexperienced GP's with no continuity or longevity. That is the future. The old fashioned GP is dying a painful death. I quite like the idea of working for virgin because quite frankly the stress of keeping our practice going with ever dwindling funds is killing me and any love or care of my job.

[grassroots]

Five weeks for a 'non-urgent' appointment for my son at the moment.

[macdoodle]

plus.google.com/app/basic/stream/z133s5rxlkrutxola22gf51gsmiuh35bv04

[FatalCabbage]

Actually, out of hours round here is so good people save their illness for the weekend

[macdoodle]

blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2014/05/02/jonathon-tomlinson-four-problems-a-typical-day-for-a-gp/

[FatalCabbage]

So your response to the complaint reads "We are sorry you had such a long wait; we are overstretched due to central government funding" or whatever, at which point the patient can escalate so it will be heard. But every complaint always has to start with the actual point of contact, that's how it works.

[Nosleeptillbedtime]

My surgery has open access where you can just turn up and be seen. Appts are normally quick too, next day or two if you don't mind who you see. It is why I have kept with that practice despit it being a bit of a slog to get to now we moved.

[macdoodle]

The government plan is to privatise general practice, see how well that worked for GP out of hours and the railways.

[macdoodle]

We see a lot of unnecessary stuff, that has been governent driven for the last 10 years, more and more access with no means to control it. Complaining to us just takes up more time and energy and distress than we have. Do you really think we dont know it's a problem do you think I like not being able to see my palliative patients or those in need.
The problem is politics and funding. GPs receive less than 10% of the health budget but see more than 80% of the contacts. Government spin has made it our fault. Instead of theirs.
We cannot fix it we are fire fighting and drowning, complain to the government.

[FatalCabbage]

mac we get that. But patients are going unseen who need to be seen. And presumably you see several patients every day who ought to have taken some paracetamol at home, or had a chat with the pharmacist in the chemist's.

If complaints aren't made, practices don't know and/or can't prove that they're overstretched.

[Groovee]

If I need to be seen I will see any doctor that day by emergency or as a call back which does a triage sort of assessment and can leave me a prescription at reception or free me an appointment.

The first appointment at the beginning on April for my GP was tomorrow! I've waited over 4 weeks. As I have chronic condition, I like to have continuity care.

[macdoodle]

Is no one listening to me, if 100 patients want to be seen within a week but there are only enough GPs to offer 50 appointments, there is no system which can magic 50 more appointments from fresh air.
GPs are already seeing 20 + patients in a session, we cannot safely work more or faster. And I am sorry but I have had a pay cut every year for 10 years while giving my staff rises and working harder year on year. I stay till 8 pm to finish the admin/letters/beurocracy. I cannot work any more hours and I certainly won't do for free.
exacEexactly do you suggest as a solution? You are free to move surgeries but all the surgeries local to me are in exactly the same boat.

[laura2323]

Its a 3 week minimum wait at my GP surgery too (8 GPs) but can only book appointments 2 weeks in advance, figure that one out! Emergencies only include serious breathing problems (but not my asthma....) and there is only the bog standard 10 min appointment, no urgent etc so it is apparently more "fair" for patients this way, even cannot see someone the same day for my 6month dd, though we are normally seen within 5 days. I also cannot request a certain GP unless it's the 1 female GP for "lady problems" (her words not mine! Plus her wait is much longer). We do not have our own GP, our GP is classed as the surgery at whole iyswim (on forms when asked for GP name just put the surgery name) and the practise manager is non existent and doesn't respond to emails/letter/phone calls.
Then the staff at the walk in centre wonder why they're always busy and in the end the amount of people who go to a&e are well above the norm. It's a joke. I'd change but the only other surgery that I live within the catchment area for is fully booked and apparently run on the same system.

[Thecircle]

No triage service, I DID got to walk in centre and was advised to see my gp within a week. I actually needed to anyway to get a longer prescription

[HolidayCriminal]

And GPs wonder why people go to A&E with minor issues. :(

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

Go to a walk in centre?

[maggiethemagpie]

Does your GP have a triage service? In which case you can speak to a real doctor that day, get assessed and if it's urgent they will see you pretty sharpish. If it doesn't I'd change to one that does.

[Thecircle]

Mac, I understand that gps are busy, I get that they work hard. I'm complaining about how appointments are issued.

It's impossible to book an appointment more than 7 days in advance, as I stated above I had to try for 9 weeks running to see a specific gp to have an implant fitted and had to take an emergency appointment for my son as I was physically unable to book a routine appointment, even ten days in advance.

Surely something can be done? A system which allows booking more in advance??

[macdoodle]

Complaining won't help if there just aren't the GPs to see people? What exactly do you expect them to do? Personally after 20 odd patients I know no longer feel safe to practice. What do you think they're doing instead of seeing patients? Every single GP I know is working absolutely flat out.
Better write to your MP, but hey the government spin has been so successful that we all know that all GPs are lazy terrible overpaid fat cats. Flogging a dead horse is not helping, morale and recruitment is the worst I have known it in 15 years. It's going to get muchmuch worse.

[Thecircle]

That's a good point, I was speaking to my aunt today who has ongoing health issues which require fairly frequent visits to gp for monitoring.

She has had the exact same issue this week and now has to ring on Tuesday for an appointment the following Tuesday.

I'm off for a look at the practice website now