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 This has now been replaced by an arrangement where you call in on the morning, and there are 10 appointments available (so if you're caller 11, hard luck).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?!!

What needs monitoring weekly by a GP diagnosed by A+E ?? We are doing vast amounts of stuff that used to be/should be/ is hospital funded.

80% of our gp's workload is from 20% of our patients.

But couldn't you log each time you had a time wasting appointment and after 3 send an automated polite letter out.I suspect some time wasters would be unaware that is what it was and a letter may educate.

It's hard to get an appointment at my GPS but my dm has terminal cancer and the gp has been wonderful. Always available even on her days off. They have given us a point of contact to help in any way. Had a phone call last night to say that she will be visiting my dm today,her day off, and if we want to be there and have any questions she will be happy to see all of us. She is treating the whole family with kindness and courtesy.

Haven't read all but assume that people are saying we are so lucky to have an NHS. I don't agree. I have never lived anywhere else in the world where people are so neglected and feel guilty for seeing a doctor or anywhere else where a nurse with a degree is allowed to treat patients. Even Bangladesh was more civilised.

Go and be a patient in Bangladesh then. Don't be ridiculous anywhere you can afford to pay for healthcare will be good, trust me those that could not pay would not have had great healthcare. And that is what would happen here, those most in need would suffer, what is your solution please do share?

Spotty - I am one of those 20%. Like many of those 20%, I have a chronic illness that needs frequent treatment. At one time, I would have been treated by the hospital. Now that care is devolved to GP's.

Oh and read the thread before you wade in why don't you. Not a single person has said we are lucky to have the nhs. Neglected my arse. In what way?

If you have paid for private healthcare elsewhere, you really should be comparing it to paying for private healthcare in the UK.

Dont they have doctor assistants in the US, not even nurses trtreating patients. Don't let facts get in the way of a good rant eh?

I don't pay for healthcare and rarely have actually. The system is clearly not working but do calm down, getting so defensive may cause you to need a doctor.

I have to say I agree with Mac.

I am 46, we'd have 3 children and 4 elderly parents.

Bar dmil's bowel cancer diagnosis and ds's alleged asthma(not convinced he actually has it)management(by a nurse sorry I disagree with this) the care for all sorts of things over the years has been amazing.

It's far more complex than just 'offer more appointments'. I think we could be like Tesco and open 24/7 and we'd still be fully booked.

People don't stop and think for themselves. Probably 90% of our patients have access to the internet but won't stop and think about looking on the NHS website for info on minor illnesses or injuries - they just pick up the phone and make an appointment.

People don't want to self medicate or pay for over the counter stuff if they can get a little piece of green paper "for free" - just because they don't pay means they don't stop to think that we (the GP surgery) does.

People often lack common sense - they wake up with a sore throat and a headache but instead of having some paracetamol and a glass of water and seeing how it goes they pick up the phone and call for an appointment.

You sensible lot on MN will read this and think 'but I never do that' and don't realise that across the country literally thousands of patients do exactly that, every day.

It's just not sustainable.

I think it depends where you are, I guess perhaps due to how large the surgery?

I recently moved from the North of Scotland to the South of England. At my previous practice, I could phone up one day, and I would be offered an appointment within a few days at most. As a teacher, I struggled to take time off during the working day (which I realise many people do) and this surgery offered appointments from 7.15am twice a week, or up to 7pm on two other days. I was always very impressed with them. However, a friend of mine was a GP there and said they were expected to work very, very long hours to have these appointments available and it sounded very hard on the GPs in my opinion.

My new surgery is on an RAF base, partially serviced with RAF doctors, and partially by civilian GPs. I think because the military personnel can pop in during the working day relatively easily (DH's words, he is in the military), I find it is a nightmare to get an appointment. On phoning up two months ago to book my first midwife appointment, I was told I had to see a GP first. I asked for an appointment and was offered one at 1pm two days later 3 weeks later. However, I now teach over an hours drive away so needed an appointment at the beginning or end of the day. I was told they opened at 9.30am , last appointment was at 3.30, or at 3.45 but that one was for school children so they didn't miss school- slightly ironic given I had just explained I was a teacher! Long story short, services really do seem to vary but it is getting harder to get access to a gp if you need one I think.

Side but do gp's like self diagnosis?

I've walked in with my theories before and I'm not convinced it was appreciated.

In fact my gp once said never Google after I scared myself shitless with the dc.

I had as many problems getting GP appointments 20/30 years ago as I do now to be fair. If the OP's problem is non urgent then I don't think waiting until 10th June is too long either.

I'd be very happy to pay more for the NHS but when I do I expect far higher standards of service from it, especially from the front-line. On the whole I have found doctors to be effective, polite and kind. On the whole I have found the services around them to be pretty dire and pretty unpleasant: nursing, HCA's, reception staff, etc. How some desks have the cheek to have up the notice saying we will not tolerate rudeness to our staff when the rudest people I have ever come across are sitting behind the desk I shall never know.

I fully appreciate private medicine is not better than the NHS but the overall experience is better because it feels more oganised, more pleasant and sadly, cleaner.

Generally I agree with Macdoodle. I think doctor's time is wasted over a nothing and I think it would help if charge were made like on the Contintent, refundable for those on benefits, etc. But what never fails to amaze me at my dr's practice is the inefficiency, the referral that isn't made or sent to the wrong place, the grubby reception and rude receptionists, the blood test results that get lost and require three phone calls, the repeat prescriptions that don't get written. This all results in a lot of my time being wasted and it feels as though there is zero respect for the patient and the patient's time.

Sidge - The problem is how do you deal with that and not penalise those who do actually need to go to the GP lots, like myself? Any ideas the Government has of how to tackle it, always make me panic as they would have a big negative affect on me. And people like myself used to be dealt with at hospital clinics. Why should we be penalised because it is now our GP who has to treat us?

Just to add, I actually agree with my care is fine being devolved to the GP. I know what I need and the Consultant has written up treatment guidelines. And I am referred back to the Consultant if I need to be.

Theodorous - but where else in the world can you see a GP and not have to pay anything up front? In France and Belgium you pay the doctor on the spot (usually around 40 euros) and get some of the money back via their health system and/or insurance.

I have no problem with seeing a nurse for minor ailments or being prescribed eg antibiotics by them.

That said my Google diagnosis of dp yesterday was spot on.

'Twas quite complex too.

I wasn't saying the majority of them didn't need it camlet. I've got a chronic illness and deteriorating neurological disease so know all about it but there are some that feel they can just call the dr for a chat about minor things whenever they want.

Sorry calmet

And if there are exemptions for paying to visit a GP because of a chronic health problem or being on benefits, most people who go to the GP would actually be exempt. Thereby negating the point of it.

calmet - you can't. Nobody is penalised and I don't think any doctor or nurse would have a problem with seeing patients attending appropriately, however frequently.

But when you politely say to a patient in your surgery that you think their attendance could have been avoided to better dealt with elsewhere you meet with the "I've paid my taxes and deserve to be seen whenever I like" mentality.

retropear I think HCPs have a mixed response to self-diagnosis from google. Using a website to diagnose and treat minor illness is fine but when they come in with a printout of an article from the Mail or a random American we page detailing a new wonder drug just discovered for their condition (that isn't even released!) their heart sinks!!

I have never lived anywhere else in the world where people are so neglected and feel guilty for seeing a doctor
Seriously?

or anywhere else where a nurse with a degree is allowed to treat patients
USA, Australia, Canada, SA, NZ, these are all places where nurses can prescribe....

Even Bangladesh was more civilised
YY, as evidenced by the higher life expectancy there? And where all medicine is practised by doctors?