To think not having any pre bookable dr's appointments is very inconvenient?

[SweetElizaRose]

Apparently my GP is changing so you have to phone on the day you want the appointment and can no longer pre book even for routine type stuff like medication reviews.
Why? If you are working this will be very difficult to manage because you won't be able to book or arrange any time off. I don't understand why they are doing this?

My GP started this ages ago.

It is a bloody nightmare, you have to phone at 8am, the phones are jammed and takes about an hour to eventually get through by which point all appointments are gone and they only have emergencies.

Ours does this and has for a while. It's absolutely crap as you end up constantly getting an engaged tone from the second you're allowed to ring for appointments that day for about 20 minutes. They once wouldn't give me appointments for my very poorly kids so had to threaten a+e, magically found 2 appointments.

The receptionist said you ring them and then they arrange a telephone consultation and then they decide if you need to be seen?!
How can you manage that if you're at work?!

They do it because it makes their 'everyone who wanted an appointment the same day' stats look better, by conveniently excluding all those who couldn't get through on the phone, along with all those who know there is no point phoning after 8.10 am or whatever because all the appointments have gone .

Agree that it's a hopeless system for when you don't need an urgent appointment, but want to arrange one for next Tuesday at 4 pm or whatever so you can fit other commitments around it.

It is also no good if you need to go to work and don't work near the surgery because if you do get an appointment it will be for 11 am or 2 pm so can't go to work a bit late or finish a bit early because they only seem to offer appointments in the middle of the day.

It's absolutely atrocious and ineffective. I get so annoyed.

Luckily, we have a company GP at work (3 mins from my desk). If I had loads of cash, I'd just go private all the way.

It's just so inconvenient. And it makes everything more stressful.

I've just popped in to my surgery this morning and they have just started this as well. It's ridiculous, I can't understand how they think this is a good idea. It's totally inconvenient.

You can book online at my surgery - it's great!

It's a shame as my GP is excellent but it makes me want to change surgeries. Or are they all doing this now?

That's rubbish, really rubbish and not in the interest of patients at all. Probably makes some stats look better and they don't have to bother with a good booking system. I'm very very lucky I have a private GP through work, I haven't seen mine in years.

I just book into the nurse, say it's a pill check, then when I get there say actually I also need to renew my prescription for ads , she says oh I can't do that, I say I can't get a gp appt, she nabs the receptionist who nabs the doctor BTW patients
I know, I know, not ideal but how else am I supposed to do it

This is caused by targets, which change nothing and in this situation makes things worse.

It's also worth complaining on the website, theyes have gp reviews now, a bit like trip advisor, same for dentists

My surgery has had this for a while. They've recently started having pre-bookables for when the doctor wants to see you. You can now book the nurse practicioner and they're trying to encourage more people to see her I think.

It's an absolute PITA when it comes to working, especially if they're as unflexible with appointment times as mine was (you got offered one time - could be in 10 minutes or 4 hours and you either accepted or rang the next day).

We have this.

You have to ring before 8.30am to get into the "triage" system who then call you back at some point to see if you get an appointment. Of course the system completely precludes anyone who works/does the school run etc.

You did used to be able to book a handful (think 3/4) same day appointments but they stopped that as it was "unfair on people who couldn't use it".

Last two times I needed an appointment the wait was 23 and 29 days respectively. The latter I only got because I mentioned it was time sensitive (pill check) and if I got pregnant I would sue

Yep, us too. Bloody nightmare.
Calling from 8am....but I need to have left for work by that point, so I either stay at home, and am late for work if I don't get an appointment, or set off and turn back.

Last time I tried, the first bookable appointment was over a month away. So I had to take an appointment that day, potentially from someone who needed it far more, because what I had couldn't wait a fucking month.

It's mainly because they are snowed under with a combination of overfull lists and high numbers of no shows.

Do complain, but remember to copy your complaint to the relevant government minister, who might just start to see why so many poeple are unhappy with GP services... oh, sorry, cancel that.. it's him and he won't give a shite!

YANBU

Me last week - rang up at 8.30 on the dot, got put in the automated queue system, told i was no.18 in the queue, thought fine - i'll ride this out! Got on with dealing with stuff - DD4s pooey nappy, her snack, hung out washing, went to loo, washed up, bins out, all with the phone jammed in my bra listening to the count down of my queue placement. Finally ''you are number ONE in the queue'' ........... yes! Hello, can i have ... No, sorry, all appointments for today have gone, you need to ring at 8.30. No, no bookable appts.
aaaaaaaaaaaarrrrgghhhh.

YANBU

Mines the same too, have to call and leave a message for a doctor to call you back. Usually takes about 4-5 hours to call back and and then IF they think its appointment worthy they tell you to come in at 5 and sit and wait - first come first served basis so you can be there for an hour and theres no guarantee you will be seen.

Dead good with a 14mo

Our doctors have a long queue waiting for them to open to ensure an appointment. People who work just cannot do that. I dread needing the doctor these days.

Ours is like this, in fact you have to phone in the morning or afternoon you want the appointment, not just on the day. Then you have to wait for the GP to call you back and only then might you get an appointment. It's a nightmare on a work day as I'm already at work 15 miles away before they open and have to start ringing / sitting in a half hour queue.

Ok, instead of moaning. Get onto your MPs and get them to fund general practice properly. Here in scotland we used to get 11% of the NHS budget for general practice, now we get 7% for a lot more work. In England they are target driven more than in Scotland but if someone says to you that if you don't have enough on the day appointments we will penalise you financially then what do you do. GPs have to be able to pay their staff, electric bills gas bills postage, phones repairs to their building and also huge fees to the care quality commission that have just been quadrupled.
We can't get GPs practices are closing. At the moment it's awful and I agree really impossible if you work or do school run but there is a huge crisis in general practice, (and hospitals). Can I suggest you all engage with your surgeries to help them.
You will miss us when we are gone. And we hate this as much as you do.

I just cannot see how it is a viable system for most people

Why not just have some bookable appointments even if the wait is a couple of weeks? It's going to be hopeless and compete chaos at 8am when they open. It's bad enough anyway!