GP just told me why we are only allowed same day appointments!

[QuacksLikeADuck]

OK, a caveat - if you see a Dr they can book appointments for you in the future. But if you phone reception, they will only ever offer you an appointment that day. It means the phone lines are jammed for the first hour, then all appointments have been taken by 9 am!

I was moaning to the doc about this and she said, "well I think the official line is that when you phone up, if they offer appointments beyond today, then people often forget to turn up"!

So as patients we are apparently too stupid to be able to manage the concept of an appointment beyond today. Why do some idiots who don't turn up have to ruin it for everyone else.

I think the best idea would be to offer appointments in the future, but have a one strike and you're out policy - so as soon as someone performs a no-show, a note is put on their file that they are only allowed same day appointments from then on! If I was feeling kind perhaps I might let them have a clean slate after 12 months .

No I'm not. Apparently to register for online services, you have to physically visit the GP surgery. What genius thought that one up?

At ours, you have to physically visit with your passport or driving licence. Which is fucking nuts because you didn't need to prove your identity to register with them in person in the first place.

OP, your system is nuts. Ours is similarly bad, but we have ONLINE BOOKING!!!! which only lets you book advance appointments (up to two weeks). To get a today appointment you have to ring at 8.30 - my record is 48 engaged calls, finally getting through at 8.45 by which time all the appointments had gone. I tried again for several weeks, by which time the toddler needed steroids and antibiotics.

The online system has two or three appointments per surgery (eg if Dr Smith is doing morning surgery that day, there will be a 10.30 and 10.40 appointment available online that the receptionists can't book on their system) which is very odd. But you can book things like asthma clinic and smears online too.

YANBU. People with chronic conditions having to join the phone frenzy first thing means that people with urgent conditions are less likely to be seen immediately. Its bad for everyone. Also, if you've got a complicated set of problems (my DH has) then you really need to be able to book to see a specific doctor who understands them, not the 'registrar' who knows (frankly) bugger all. The inability to do this (the competent GP seems to take an inordinate amount of holiday) led to DH having to have an appointment with a consultant instead. After waiting for that, it was then weeks before the letter from the consultant made it back to the GP - he rang to ask why he'd not heard anythign and apparently it was because 'they were behind with the typing' . Grossly inefficient, I think he's now had his medication adjusted to exactly what he told the registrar he needed in the first place, and which the competent GP would have prescribed straight away if he'd just been able to forward-book an appointment.

Yes, online booking for non urgent conditions would be incredible!

Blimey. I can get an appointment same day, or at some point in the future by phoning up one of the lovely receptionists or by booking online. Think my GP practice should expand!

You are offered a choice at our surgery, same day or routine in advance, seems to work fine, I have used both.

The thing is there are some conditions where whilst it is not urgent you still need to see a doctor.

When I commuted to work this system was very hard for me as I needed to leave the house to get to work at 7 but I couldn't call the doctors until 8.30 to see if I could get an appointment, then if the only appointment I could get was at say 2pm I would have to have the whole day off and if I couldn't get an appointment then I would be late into work for no reason.

If they let you book for the next few days then you would know you had an appointment and may be able to get it for a more convenient time so you could either come in a bit later to work or leave early.

At our GP, you can make an appointment with the doctor you prefer by telephone or on line. This can be 2 or 3 weeks due to the appointment schedules.

Or you can see the first available doctor (or the first one you want to see) if you want to see someone sooner.

Or, if it is urgent, you will see someone on the day with the duty doctor, or if the appointments are taken, a doctor will call you and issue prescription/make an appointment to fit you in somewhere if that is needed.

If it is very urgent, they will fit you in at the end of the current surgery.

No complaints, really.

We have to call up in the morning and fight to be seen. So even when things could have waited, i've had to call in as an emergency appointment. Apparently 69 hours of appointments were missed last month at our surgery, which, as you need to call in on the morning, is stupid. You can text to cancel, so i've done that a couple of times when needed with the nurse.

She's the only one you can pre-book in, but even my asthma check took three weeks to be seen.

We have to call up in the morning and fight to be seen. So even when things could have waited, i've had to call in as an emergency appointment. Apparently 69 hours of appointments were missed last month at our surgery, which, as you need to call in on the morning, is stupid. You can text to cancel, so i've done that a couple of times when needed with the nurse.

She's the only one you can pre-book in, but even my asthma check took three weeks to be seen.

My GP does drop in surgeries three days per week. You just go and wait. It starts at 9.30 so if you're there for e.g. 8.45, you'll see a doctor before 10. Get there at 9.30 and it can be noon before you're seen.

It means you are always seen on the same day, and it doesn't have to be urgent. (You can still call for urgent same day appointments if it's not appropriate to wait)

Ours is the same as daylillie, however if you see the duty doctor for anything other than an emergency you get a telling off! It's frustrating because the wait for a normal appointment is generally 10-14 days at the moment.

Our GPs do this (although we you can book ahead if it's something specific that needs that) and I much prefer this than ringing up and getting an appointment in three weeks time as it's all booked. At least you can get seen when you are ill.

We have to phone at 8.30am for a same-day appointment. Usually have to try a few times to get though, but have always been offered an appointment if calling at that time. Leave it until 9am to call and you stand little chance.

We can book appointments in advance (up to 3 weeks) - I've just phoned, got straight through and booked a non-urgent appointment for 4th Feb. Surely you are allowed to book smear tests/blood tests and non-urgent appointments in advance?

our surgery has also switched to the 'call at 8am and pray' system. Nature of the illness here is that we don't need an urgent appointment but we DO need one that we can book a few days ahead. The only ones for this are the early ones, which are not practical for us.

it's all about the stupid targets: booking ahead means you aren't seen in the target time.

it's not hard: reserve a block of appointments for the same day and allow others to be booked ahead.

I would also de-register anyone who missed more than one appointment unless due to sudden hospitalisation or bereavement. Anyone who makes an appointment has a phone by definition, and can cancel it. It is so arrogant and entitled to waste appointments.

Ours have introduced a new utterly shite system.

You have to phone the receptionist and tell her your problem. She will then decide which doctor you should speak to, you then have to wait for the doctor to phone you and the can either make an appointment or tell you what to do over the phone.

I don't want to discuss all of my medical issues with the receptionist thanks. And it means certain things like my snoring, I just won't bother with. Plus I think the doctors are going to waste a lot of time being on the phone to people, then the majority will probably need to be seen anyway so ththe doctor will sort the appointment out then see the person later, taking up more time!

Like PP said, when you have something long term and ongoing, future appointments are very useful.

We have sit and wait appointments at the main surgery from 8am til noon,sit and wait appointments at the little satelite surgery 1pm til 2.30pm and then bookable appointments from 4pm til 7,30pm at the main surgery.
Bookable appointments can be made on the day or as far in advance as needed so we have fantastic service tbh.It's a family run practise of husband,wife and their child rather than a group of practises under a healthcare team.

Our GP does have a telephone queing system that won't let you get in it until 8.30 so there is no ringing back repeatedly though, you just wait in the queue. If you can't get in in the morning you can try again at 2pm. They always have emergency appts as well.

unfortunately the nhs simply does not have enough money for services and also people often do not respect the nhs for the wonderful service that it is

at my old gp's they would inform us on the tv screens of the percentage of appointments missed each month from what I remember it was around 15-20% that is appalling of course some this could not be helped

many people have little regard for others using the nhs or those working for the nhs

i have clients who pay and others who do not. for my work there is often something about not attending but those who have to pay (unless they cancel by phone) very rarely do not inform me while those who do not pay will often not

handing over money even if a small sum sadly makes people treat services differently this is not how i want the nhs to go, it think it may one day but i would prefer people to really think about the service they receive

Very true that people do not value what what they do not pay for.

i know we do pay for it before someone tells me .....

but it is different to handing over a payment when you use a service

My gp often does this, I phone to ask for an appointment for tomorrow, they tell me to phone back in the morning, I phone, get put on hold for half an hour only to be told 'all appointments have gone, please phone back tomorrow' . Monday is the worst day, I don't even bother trying, Thursday seems to be a good day to be ill, sometimes I get through straight away .

Don't get me started on my GP surgery's appointment system!

You cannot call or book an appointment on the day, you have to arrive at the surgery before 9am and put your name on a waiting list and then sit in the waiting room until called to be seen by a Dr. Meanwhile they hand out leaflets saying what you can and can't be seen for (or no eye infections please - go to Boots and get Optrec).

This queuing system is - ahem - less than ideal when you have a weak and sick toddler with norovirus. Last time I waited two hours to be seen, standing up as all seats were taken. If you leave the waiting room (even if planning to return) you get struck off the list.

You can only book routine appointments two weeks ahead. Except you can't get them. I have tried four times to get a routine appointment to get a mole checked and each time I've been told that all appointments for the next fortnight are closed and to call back when the next week opens. When I do (diarised to call early) all appointments are full.

I had to go private for DS2's routine 8wk and 12wk innoculations because they couldn't give me an appointment, even though I tried for weeks to book in

My understanding is that the appointment system has everything to do with targets and nothing at all to do with patients falling to turn up if they are allowed to book non-emergency appointments. Because every surgery in this area has a system where you have to phone at 8.30am in order to try and get an appointment on the same day. You can certainly make non-urgent appointments with my surgery too.

It's how surgeries choose to administer the system that makes all the difference. Mine try their best to accommodate patients. DH's surgery, on the other hand, appears to design their systems so they are as difficult for patients as possible. Including a requirement to turn up in person and register for online appointments.

Our gps have that system Crapbag as I mentioned above. it works really well. If you dont want to talk to the receptionist then you can book the doctors call online.
I dont think gps will have to necessarily see the patient. DH has had a number of phone appointments and only had to go in once for an exam, the other times the gp has left prescriptions or blood test papers etc for him and he just goes in and picks it up.

I'm all for fixed penalties for missed appointments, however small (missed hospital appointments should cost even more) Apologies for my American theoriesIt should be made like a library card system and not allow someone to make another appointment until fine is paid.

Other aspects of the NHS are on a pay basis, prescriptions, dental care, etc. Don't see why it couldn't extend to primary care.