to have had it with the GP. Won't give me a repeat without an appointment but won't give me an appointment. ARGHHHH

[foxinsocks]

I have bad reflux. So much so that the last few days I have been vomiting. I need a repeat scrip for meds plus the anti nausea drug. Because I haven't had them for a while, the GP refused my repeat request and said I must come in. Fine, I understand that. This was a month ago. Since then I have not managed to get one appointment. I went home early yesterday because I threw up and I called them but there were no appointments left for yesterday and all the prebookable ones after work for the next 3 weeks had gone.

They advised I work from home today and call at 830. Which I arranged with work (who aren't particularly happy) and I called at 830 and by the time I got through, all the appointments had gone. The receptionist was very apologetic but suggested I take another day at home and do the same tomorrow!

Are they INSANE?!

I have the type of job where I need to actually be in the office!

I have given up now and had to book a private GP near the office tomorrow which is ludicrously expensive (£70) just to get this prescription which I then have to pay for as it's a private prescription. ARGHHHHH

We have a similar system at our GPs - you can now book online which means it's less likely you have to sit in a telephone queue and then get nothing, but when my dh was having to get appointments on a regular basis he used to go down in person. He always got one that way except one time when he wanted his own doctor and hadn't realised he wasn't working that day, so had to do the same the next day.

Our doctor now also offers a minor injuries clinic, and a drop-in with a nurse where you can just turn up and wait, but neither of them would help when you need a prescription from the actual doctor NOW.

You might find a private prescription is not as expensive as you think, they are not always much more than an NHS one. I feel your pain however. And sympathy for possibly needing an endoscopy - I truly hope I never ever have to endure that torment.

Its annoying yes. I did once read something along the lines of a drs guide to getting an appt. Oneof the tips was to go in person at the time they open the phonelines to get a same day appt.

I once rang 3 days in a row, and when she said no more appointments today and to try again tomorrow i said this is the third day ive rung, she said 515 ok for you?

Had this with my last GP - had severe cystitis, getting worse by the day, over the counter treatments not touching it, and would be on the phone from 7.55am onwards with the phone permanently engaged. (literally just pressing redial... redial...) When finally I'd get through around 9am all appointments were gone. Seriously, their attitude towards a worsening infection they admitted was not good to just let keep rolling was 'well try again tomorrow'. Or ring NHS direct as it then was, get on their list which apparently put me on a DIFFERENT list on their surgery, and might result in an appointment if I stood by the phone all day. I worked full time in a face to face job where I couldn't stop at any moment to answer my phone so this wasn't an option.

The whole practice was biased towards patients who didn't work. I suppose the attitude was if you're ill enough to need us you'll have to take time off - which is ok if you could get in on the day. Not when you were expected to take several days off in the hope that you might manage to win 2 minutes with a doctor out of the lottery system.

I changed GPs.

The system is at complete breaking point and nobody wants to pay to prop it up. The private GP costs £80 per month yet GPs get about £80 per year per patient to try and provide a service. OP have you asked for a telephone consultation with your GP? Lots of the problems mentioned above could be dealt with by telephone.

Ask for a doctor to phone you, and then ask them if you need to have an appointment, they may well be happy to prescribe over the phone for such things.

thanks everyone

am off to see the private GP tomorrow at 9 so at least that's sorted

I would always rather see a GP at my surgery as they have all my history/notes and any private one, you start all over again but at least I will get to see someone

I will look at changing surgeries, I can't see a way around this. I am going to write a letter to my GP and practice manager and just ask them to think about how the appointments get booked. I do think if a GP says YES I NEED TO SEE YOU FOXINSOCKS then they should book the appointment for me, no matter whether those slots can be pre booked or not rather than leaving it up to me. I mean what happens if it's important and you give up and you don't go and see them. They took the time to phone me and tell me the doctor wanted to see me so surely they can just book a slot!

I mentioned on another thread that I had ended up at a private GP with my daughter for just this reason. I just couldn't get my head round the logistics of her being at school, me being at work, making the same day appointment, then ensuring school didn't take her anywhere while I then wasn't at work anymore going to get her. Maybe I'd have felt the energy if it had been urgent, but it wasn't and our surgery won't let you book an appointment at all if they don't have anything within the week.

My friend works at my GP surgery - she says there are loads of patients who DO book regular appointments (eg same time each week) on the off chance that they or one of their family will be feeling unwell that day. The receptionists try really hard to discourage it but without asking for confidential info, what can they realistically do? Unfortunately some people see it as their right to see the doc whenever they want, regardless of whether they need to. Buggers it all up for the rest of us who actually have a life!

I'm a fairly high functioning bipolar patient- work full time but this means other aspects of my life suffer. I recently started lithium to try to get a bit extra functioning after 20yrs of being unwell. I take other meds. I'm a healthcare professional. When you start lithium it is important to test bloods for thyroid; kidney function and lithium levels. Well 6 weeks into the therapy I'm still trying to organise my lithium levels which were meant to be done 1 week after- to check I'm not being poisoned. I cannot get an appointment. In fact I just needed a telephone appointment to ask for a blood form. There was. 2 week wait for even a telephone apt. I've given up. I run out of lithium in 2 weeks. If I run out there is a massive chance I will flip into mania. I can't get more lithium till bloods are done. Remember a lot of mental health patients don't have the motivation or will to sort this out. If I finally get an appointment it is a waste of an appointment in my eyes as it could easily have been sorted in minutes on the phone. Systems need to change and fast

I'm a fairly high functioning bipolar patient- work full time but this means other aspects of my life suffer. I recently started lithium to try to get a bit extra functioning after 20yrs of being unwell. I take other meds. I'm a healthcare professional. When you start lithium it is important to test bloods for thyroid; kidney function and lithium levels. Well 6 weeks into the therapy I'm still trying to organise my lithium levels which were meant to be done 1 week after- to check I'm not being poisoned. I cannot get an appointment. In fact I just needed a telephone appointment to ask for a blood form. There was. 2 week wait for even a telephone apt. I've given up. I run out of lithium in 2 weeks. If I run out there is a massive chance I will flip into mania. I can't get more lithium till bloods are done. Remember a lot of mental health patients don't have the motivation or will to sort this out. If I finally get an appointment it is a waste of an appointment in my eyes as it could easily have been sorted in minutes on the phone. Systems need to change and fast

There seems to be a massive difference between GP surgeries. I got a same day appoinntment yesterday. I was asked if it was an emergency. I said no, but that I needed a sick note so needed to be seen at some point. I got an appointment that day.

With this I would have just said I needed to be seen the same day e.g. as an emergency. You have a condition that requires a prescription and is making you vomit/have time off work.

When I was with a surgery and struggling to get an appointment when I beeded to be seen, I just said to the receptionist that in that case I will have to go to A&E. She found me an appointment.

that's sad wherethere'sawill

my mother was also high functioning bipolar and an alcoholic and never could be bothered with the appointments either.

Someone I know, their brother had reflux. Couldn't get a GP appointment. Finally got one, got prescribed basic drugs. Needed a follow up - couldn't get one. Took months. Eventually got one. Doctor saw he had lost weight and referred him. Saw the hospital who booked an endoscopy but not as an emergency. Went on holiday, got sicker, came back. The endoscopy was cancelled by the hospital. Eventually, he got another GP's appointment and by this time he was so ill, he got admitted as an emergency to the hospital. Endoscopy the next day - oespahgeal cancer, spread to his liver. Time between going to the doctor and finally getting the endoscopy was almost a year. It's terminal and he's had chemo but it's now a waiting game.

OP why do you need to take the day of work to ring at 8.30? Couldnt you just go to work and ring from there at 8.30?

Surlycue the OP has a 1.5 hour commute from work. If she calls from work & they say "we can offer you one in the next 90 mins" she can't possibly get back in time.

Ah silly me. I was thinking she was booking for an appt within the next few days.