To think my GP Surgery should stop taking new patients?

[VioletVaccine]

Obviously I know everyone needs access to a Doctor. But, our doctor surgery is absolutely jam packed every single day.
It takes 3 weeks to get a general doctor's appointment, and up to 5 weeks to see your named GP. I'm not exaggerating!

I phoned for an appt for DD1 on Monday for a possible ear infection, they booked her in for March 28th. I said its a bit more urgent than that, reception said "Well if she is suffering, you'll have to attend the Walk in Centre".
Fair enough if that's necessary, but outside the surgery doors, there's a big banner that says, "We welcome new NHS Patients".

AIBU to think, if a surgery is that over-run you need to wait a month to see a Doctor, it's wrong to keep taking in more patients?

Why should people need to attend a Walk-in Centre for 4 hours because they can't see their own doctor for a month, while the surgery they are registered with are encouraging new patients to register?

Yanbu. My old docs was like this, and on top of that you usually had to make sure you had an least an hour to spare due to apts over running. In the end I changed doctors, current ones you usually get an apt that week or they can book you one at the local walk-in which is brilliant!

Yanbu

YANBU - for some reason three or four local surgeries have closed down and all their patients have gone to my surgery which was absolutely struggling already. As in your case, at least six weeks for an appointment with "your" GP - probably a month for anyone else. Can't get through on the phone - last time I tried for one of the emergency on the day appointments I tried 104 times (literally) and finally got told they'd all gone. Blood tests are about a three week wait.

This is why people go to A&E and I can't blame them when these very basic services are not available on an acceptable timescale.

YANBU

There needs to be more investment into GP services. There needs to be an even distribution of patients between practices. I would go as far to say that patients should be transferred to a less crowded practice provided it is in reasonable distance of their home. A new GP practice has opened nearer my house than practice my family belongs to. I have just not got round to transferring.

That sounds very much like our local practice VioletVaccine, with the exception that our booking system only goes 3 weeks ahead, so frequently you cannot book an appointment at all. We do have a prescribing nurse who it is possible to see with generally less than 7 days notice, but can often only advise you to rebook to see a GP!

We take people from a town over 15 miles away, so I dread to think how bad it is there.

Do they have a choice about how many people they can sign up? I'd assumed it was imposed on them as the waiting room is plastered with posters acknowledging how difficult it is to get an appointment due to government cuts and urging us to write to MPs etc.

I had this conversation once with our local GP. They have no choice over it. If you are in catchment area, you can sign up and they cannot say no.

YANBU, bit you need to email Jeremy Hunt and local mp and complain.

Or suggest that htye recruit another Dr.

They don't have a choice.

If someone lives in their catchment area they have to register them.

GP services are understaffed and underfunded - they receive approximately 9% of NHS funding and it is predicted that this will fall to approx 7% by 2017/18. The number of consultations will increase by about 69 million to 409 million.

redexpat "Or suggest that htye recruit another Dr"

I expect they've tried that - it is incredibly difficult to fill GP vacancies.

YABU if a walk-in centre is available. You wanted to be seen, and you have the choice of either waiting for an appointment, or going to a walk-in centre.

So many of my friends are GPs and they are buckling under the pressure. Up to a third of GP posts are unfilled - there is a massive recruitment crisis as GPs are retiring and they can't fill the posts as there simply aren't enough applicants

A walk in centre is a perfectly reasonable alternative. I've had a great service from my local one on many occasions. Children with suspected infections are usually seen by a Dr or nurse practitioner. This type of thing is their bread and butter so she'll be in safe hands.

The whole GP system needs an overhaul.

Does your practise not offer any on the day emergency appointments?

If someone lives in their catchment area they have to register them

Since when? (Genuine question btw, not being arsey). I remember about 12 years ago, trying to find a doctors in my area and was turned down twice. Did it come in with the new contracts?

YABU. How are businesses supposed to work if they can't take new customers ?

That analogy doesn't work because GPs are required to provide certain services regardless of their profitability or capacity to do so. Not the same as a greengrocer.

What's more even a private sector business has to ensure that it can continue to provide the service it is set up to provide. Limitless customers is not actually the goal. The goal is providing a service to an appropriate number of customers with growth being managed to ensure the service is maintained.

What's more even a private sector business has to ensure that it can continue to provide the service it is set up to provide. Limitless customers is not actually the goal. The goal is providing a service to an appropriate number of customers with growth being managed to ensure the service is maintained.

Bollocks. The goal is to make as much money as possible. Unless shareholders are being paid in customer satisfaction vouchers ?

Private schools, private nurseries put a cap on the number of customers. My daughter's violin teacher has a waiting list for new pupils. Not all businesses set out to expand.

GPs aren't allowed to close their list - NHS England get very cross and can shut them down. Practices in my area are about to have their funding cut by over 25%. Blame the government, not your practice.

Not all businesses set out to expand.

I didn't say they did. I did say they all set out to make money.

Yes the goal is to make as much money as possible. You can't do that if you've taken on so many clients you can't actually service them and they all walk out the door...

Yes the goal is to make as much money as possible. You can't do that if you've taken on so many clients you can't actually service them and they all walk out the door...

Depends on how many other doors there are to go through ...

yanbu same at my practice

it used to be the best in the area for appointments a few years ago very differrent now

AliceInUnderpants

YABU if a walk-in centre is available. You wanted to be seen, and you have the choice of either waiting for an appointment, or going to a walk-in centre

My DH works f/t, 2 other children aside from DD with an ear infection, and no family. I can't tell you what a nightmare it was waiting 4.5 bloody hours in a boiling hot packed waiting room, with poorly DD and also trying to entertain a bored 8yo and disabled DS, because my GP surgery is packed to the rafters.