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 This has now been replaced by an arrangement where you call in on the morning, and there are 10 appointments available (so if you're caller 11, hard luck).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

Spotty - Its fine. I know that is the case. I used to work besides a young healthy man who would be convinced he needed to go to the GP with every minor symptom. I felt sorry for his poor GP. But how do you tackle that without penalising those who actually do need to visit the GP?

When ever for example people talk about a small payment to see the GP, they assume that you would not be paying that regularly. If the charge was say £10 a visit, as a family I would estimate that we would be paying £40 a moth, most months for our family. These are not optional visits. For some £40 a month is a drop in the ocean. It is not for me, although I would have no choice but to pay it.

And I find the suggestion that seeing a nurse is inferior quite insulting.

I've got a degree, numerous diplomas and twenty years experience. I know more about certain things such as contraception, asthma, wound care etc than most of my GPs (by their own admission) and definitely more Han a junior doctor. I know my limitations and remit and will always refer to a GP when needed.

My Nurse Practitioner colleague trains GPs. I guess some of you wouldn't want to see her either because 'she's just a nurse'.

Then there is the prescription on top.Ouch!

That said something like £5 perhaps for an appointment,free obviously for OAPs,kids and unemployed?

Iseenyou - One factor is that many patients with serious illnesses used to go to regular clinics at the hospital. Now you will be seen by a consultant, and then usually you see your GP regularly instead. This actually makes sense a lot of the time, as these visits are normally for regular checks to monitor your condition. But it does mean that GPs are now seeing patients that would have once been seen at hospitals.

Retro - So patients like me with chronic health problems who struggle, but continue to work, should have to pay?

Yes seriously. Even in India and Africa. As for the US, never saw a nurse even though they have a much better training than UK nurses. Easy to argue when you haven't actually experienced it. I have lived in those places. That doesn't make me an expert, fair enough but it does mean I can compare the experience and say that I wouldn't trust the NHS with my healthcare. I am not sure what is wrong with people having the chance to pay for a better service anyway, the whole cradle to grave thing is not possible anymore so why not give people a choice?

I have to Sidge though the problems with asthma are I'm convinced due to outsourcing by gps and the lack of involvement.

My DS hasn't been seen by a gp for years re his supposed asthma,the advice we get changes from nurse to nurse and he is supposed to use inhalers I don't think he needs because he suffered from night coughs 2 years ago.He has never wheezed or had an asthma attack.

Surely long term illnesses could be exempt.

There are a lot of appointments which are unnecessary. In order to be given an appointment with a midwife for booking in the surgery insisted I had a doctors appointment first. It was realistically a waste of time as nothing happened but a chat, no tests, information etc. I rarely need to see a doctor so being told I must see one and then struggling to get the appointment was frustrating.

As I said before they also seem to have zero respect for other peoples professional commitments.

Macdoodle, the trouble i have, and i hope you'll agree, is that you have to see a gp to access the other services. I have eds, and a load of associated problems, and the rheumatologist fobbed me off with "heres this leaflet, off you go". So i then have to see the gp for any new problems/problems that i didnt realise were symptoms for years, as the rheum wont see me til my next scheduled appointment. Gp had to refer to gynae for my rectocele, gp had to refer to wheelchair services, gp had to refer to physio... Also had to see gp with ds to get us referred for genetic testing, this all could have been done elsewhere, there is no one department for dealing with chronic issues.

As an aside, my gp is one of the fab few that still offer same day surgery for everyone.

Umm actually I lived trained and practiced in a third world country before moving to the UK. It was fine for the rich, utterly pants for the middle and poor. Healthcare is expensive.

My GPs have a 2 week diary running. They are good at prioritising issues with DCs on the same day (rashes, chest infections etc), but if I want an appt its a nightmare.

You ring up and they just say they have no free appts for the two weeks. If you ask about the following week, they advise that their diary only runs for 2 weeks (why???). You then have to ring on the dot of 8.30 when you will then spend an hour getting an engaged signal. When you finally get through you'll be advised that all the new appts have gone. And don't try ringing at 8.29 cos the answer phone will be on. Its reminiscent of trying to get Take That tickets tbh!

Really noodle? What do you do if you need a plumber, electrician, solicitor, delivery etc etc ? Do you expect them to provide the exact time you want at 6 pm? For nothing? Sat delivery slots cost a lot extra if even there. My solicitor only ever saw me in working hours?

I am that not all GPs surgeries are like mine. I've only not complained previously because I presumed all GPs were as shit. Am amazed at how many people have said they (as adults) can get same day appts!!!

Bee because the further you open appointments the more they get booked so if you book 6 weeks in advance they would all go and people needing to then be seen in a month wouldn't be able to and the DNA rate goes up massively.

One other thing. I dont work, but dh does, so we wouldnt be entitled to free prescriptions in england, but neither can we afford to spend money at pharmacists. Luckily we're in wales, so get free prescriptions anyway. I try to keep a stock of clomitrozole etc at home, but if i need something that is for sale at the pharmacist and cant afford it, i have to see a gp to get a script, and not wait a week to see them.

They have nurse practitioners in lots of countries and as mac says they also have physicians assistants in the US. Furthermore I don't actually see what the problem is with seeing a NP.

I agree with those saying some people want seen when they don't need it and others playing down serious symptoms. I've had people insist they don't want to be a bother even though they've central crushing chest pain not responding to GEN, sudden onset one sided weakness or neck stiffness accompanied by light aversion and fever.

On the other hand we've had people demand to see a doctor and threaten to go to A&e because someone has sneezed 10 times so they must be dying, the rhyme says so (no other symptoms), minutes late having a bowel movement so demand treatment for severe constipation despite no other symptoms the worst so far was "baby not breathing" blue light sent then irate call from paramedic because said baby was lying cooing and smiling with just a slightly snotty nose.

Bee our practise is huge though,spread over two sites in two towns.There is also an alternative practise within the town.

I think it is well managed too.

We have loads of DNAs even though the vast majority get a text message reminder two days before even for minor op procedures

I have no issue seeing a np. So long as i dont have to see that bastard cmht nurse again, or i might poke him in the eye

That's a daft system noodle here you just request a booking appointment with the MW and you're given one.

Retro - With all those exemptions, you are exempting nearly everyone who goes to the GP regularly anyway. I suspect the impact would be slight, and the cost of collecting £5 charge needs to be taken into account.

Theo - I have friends who were born and live in India. Their experience of healthcare is that it is very very basic. I suspect you are very well off and have been able to pay for very good healthcare.

But they do that with prescriptions and tbh I think prescriptions going up and up is wrong.If you get a prescription you need it,not so all gp appointments.

Prescriptions are expensive and if you need more than one it's a lot of money.

If they get much more expensive I can see some not using them when they should.

I went to the drs in Antigua once. Once they'd looked in my ear they just wiped the instrument with a bit of kitchen roll and put it back in the case