To be surprised by how difficult it is to get (non-urgent) medical attention?

[VelvetSpoon]

I phoned my GP surgery today to make an appointment.

I am not ill, it is not life threatening. However, it is something that ideally I would prefer to arrange sooner rather than later.

The next available appointment is on 10 June.

The surgery used to operate open appointments on certain mornings (between 8.30-9.30 I think) where you could turn up and wait to be seen. This has now been replaced by an arrangement where you call in on the morning, and there are 10 appointments available (so if you're caller 11, hard luck). However, the next one of those is not til next Tues and of course absolutely no guarantee I'll even get seen then.

I asked if there were any other options - yes, apparently I can attend a local clinic. Great, I thought. Except it then transpires the local clinics only see the under 25s

I was left feeling distinctly unimpressed, and still no closer to actually seeing a Dr! Oh, and to add insult to injury, the only appt they had on the 10th is at 1pm, too early to get to if I take an afternoon off, and too late to get to work in time if I have the morning off. Surely I should not have to take an entire day off for a (pretty routine) Dr's appointment, and have to wait 2 bloody weeks for it?!!

Yes, Nunyabiz - I've used NHS 24 a lot for the kids and have always been impressed by the service.

The same day appointments make sense. I'm guessing there will be an almost 100% turn up rate. Three weeks in advance is a nonsense.

For those of you who are NHS type people (or just more knowledgeable about these things than me - which tbh wouldn't be difficult) am I able to access services in another local area? - friend I mentioned upthread has suggested I could pop along to one of the walk in clinics near where she lives, which also happens to be near where I work, and be seen there - can I do this? Or is there some sort of geographical red tape, which on the basis I live and am registered to a GP in borough A, means I can only be seen there and not in borough B?

Not sure velvet we don't have walk in centres round here

I can totally believe that many/most GPs are under huge strain with high workloads. But how come some surgeries get it so right and some so wrong? I still can't quite believe the difference between my old surgery and my current one, which served very similar populations. This one is amazing- you will usually see a lovely, knowledgeable, polite Dr the same day unless you specifically want a later appointment and to arrange this you will speak to a lovely, knowledgeable, polite receptionist. The old one was just useless- 2 weeks if you were lucky and everyone was just nasty whilst they were saying no, no, no, who do you think you are, no. My dad is at a surgery similar to my old one and it makes me cross.

Hi velvet I have attended walk in centres near work rather than home and had no problems at all.
I've found that they are few and far between now though so do check that it's still operating as a walk in centre and not a urgent care centre.

NHS direct have always been brilliant when I've dealt with them. But then that's the same for the whole NHS, of couse.

My experience of the last few years has taught me not to be surprised at all.

We do our best we run a combination of some of the systems mentioned here and always see someone who insists on it. However we need another GP and cannot recruit one for love nor money. We are trying to recruit anurse prpractitioner instead. What do you suggestbwe do. We are already working 12 hr days.

My surgery is a nightmare too, if you ring up for an appt they're usually booked up for month. They also have on the day emergency appointments if you ring at 8am.

When I'm ill I don't see the point in waiting for weeks as I'll be better by then, so I don't bother calling the doc. DP gets cross tho as I've twice ended up in A&E by ignoring a bad throat infection. Somehow he always manages to get me a same day appointment and forces me to go.

Whole system is ridic.

I only go for the children or contraception..

So much so that I once went for a repeat of my pill and left with antibiotics for a chest infection I was dealing with as just a cough.

I'm in a lot though with the children due to them both having allergies and asthma anything they catch seems to go straight to their chests.

I have to use auto redial on average 44 times once the line opens to get though then 30 minutes on hold to get the very last appointment normally.

This thread has made me smile as I have had a day of ranting about the exact same thing. My midwife (am 23 weeks) recommended yesterday I see a doctor over a complaint I spoke to her about yesterday.

I phoned the surgery straight away as the midwife didn't make the appointment - nothing available for the next two weeks, looked on line at 10pm last night nothing available, rang at 8am this morning nothing again. Did finally get the offer of a Doctor calling me back during the day to see if they could assist - both when I asked to speak to the Midwife and book the doctor the receptionist has wanted full details of the complaint which I find quite invasive but do provide.

Asked for them to call me after 3:30 as I was running revision sessions at school from 10-3 and they called at 2:30, did finally get an appointment at the late night surgery. What had really frustrated me is when I got there tonight I went in 20 mins late, there was a gentleman in front of me and one lady after - I came out 20 mins late and no one else in the waiting room except the one lady. So all the evening appointments (they are open till 9pm I was there at 5:30) which were fully booked this morning were either cancelled or no shows - I am somewhat sceptical.

Their main answer is well you can turn up at 8:30 and sit and wait for the next slot free at one clinic - not really great when its not routine, nor urgent as I then have to take potentially the whole day off work.

I do find this surgery seem to think that no one works, or their job is so insignificant they can be interupted at will.

I have ended the day writing to the practice manager and my MP as the situation and the way in which I have been spoken to has been dire.

Good to know I am not in this alone - although I can't see how it will improve!

Spottyteacakes, my sister got stung by something called a tiger mosquito while abroad and the bite turned nasty... think dark red/ purple, fist-sized swelling that was hard, hot, throbbing, with a temperature etc.

She's the kind of person who's never ill (I think she's been to the dr's 4 times as an adult and she's 37!)

Dr was v concerned and gave antibiotics and.antihistamines... said to go to a&e if no improvement in 24 hrs. Luckily it did get better!

Welcome to primary care in 2014.

We're understaffed, underfunded, overworked and dealing with an increasingly elderly, sick and complex practice population.

Throw into the mix a culture of entitlement, an expectation of instant gratification, a lack of social support and common sense and unrealistic targets from On High and it's no wonder primary care provision is buckling under the strain.

I don't think two weeks wait for a non urgent appointment is that bad. 2 weeks isn't very long at all.

Sidge, I couldn't agree more. Particularly interested in the 'lack of social support'. For example, old people shouldn't have to go to the doctor to talk to someone about their corns (when it's not the corns that are the issue, it's the talking that is needed).

I get very frustrated with my GP surgery. In fairness, when I've been properly ill, I've been able to get an appointment in the same day - I rang last week and explained I'd like to see someone as my urine was bright red and was told to come straight up. Similarly, I just have to mention the words "asthma" and "uncomfortable" in the same sentence and they'll fit me in. Which is great - I don't worry that they'll leave me without an appointment when I'm in need of quick attention.

However, I was told to follow up after the kidney infection last week - and they can't fit me in. So no follow up urine test. I'm fine, the antibiotics have worked and I'm pretty sure the infection is completely gone. So that's grand. But the GP did say to follow up, and they can't fit me in! I got the less accommodating receptionist when I rang - I suspect if I had got the other lady on the phone she would have fit me in...

Similarly, when I want to book a routine appointment at a time convenient for work and don't mind waiting for it, they will still just give me the next available appointment. So it's a Thursday at 12 in 3 weeks, even when I say I'd prefer something first or last thing and am happy to wait longer. Presumably due to meeting targets.

I tried to get an appointment today for my Ds who has had a persistent cough for months on end that keeps him awake at night. No appointments today and I can't seem to make one for another day, I just have to ring each day to se if any emergency appointments available, of go at 3pm today and just wait as long as needed to see the first dr available. I really need to see my own GP as she knows what has been going on and has made hospital referral etc. Also was told hospital appointment would be sent through the post, I chased it up today only to be told the cinic is full and we have to go back to GP to get her to re-refer with a written referral rather than online. So 2 weeks of waiting only to be back at square one. the whole system seems to be a shambles.

Stokes what targets are these you are presuming?

My doctor is amazing. A single gp surgery. You go between 8.30 and 11.30 every day and you will be seen. Guaranteed. Its amazing - I just moved a mile and a half away and was so relieved when she said I could still be a patient there.

People are too quick to rush off to the doctors these days. They have lost the ability to self nurse and don't have a clue about simple, everyday illnesses.

Ignorance
Selfishness
Laziness

People who really need medical attention can't access it due to these time wasters.

They need to start charging people imo.

Forward planning is not always possible In 2003 I went on Depo provera which has to be administered sometime during the first 3 days of your period. And you don't always know when its going to start.

whats that sound I hear .....,probably Bevan turning in his grave.

The NHS was set up to help people in genuine need, not to cater to people with general whinges and simple to treat with homecare illnesses.

Our grandparents and great grandparents knew about home remedies due to the fact that they couldn't afford the doctor for everyday problems.

What people forget though, is that the NHS is 'free at the point of use' not 'free'. I pay an absolute fortune through general taxation for my NHS care and get so frustrated that I am not treated as a paying customer, as I would be with a solicitor or accountant.

The daft thing is that for years we've been discouraged from using home remedies on the grounds that they're not evidence-based. If we are to stop bothering doctors, the nonsense that only pharmaceutical drugs are effective will have to stop. And GPs will have to stop getting people hooked on them.

My Gp surgery is fantastic. They offer open surgery every weekday morning from 8.30am until 10.30 am. You can choose which dr to see and are guaranteed to see someone as long as you can wait.

They have book able apptments in the afternoon which are booked a way in advance, but if you have an emergency which can't wait until morning, they will see you before 4pm or after 6pm.

To be fair, I can't fault them at all. It's a great system that really works.