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?

Probably because a load of people complained that they couldn't get an appointment on the day.
Surgeries can't win.

Only my surgery in my area runs the system where you can book apps, in advance, all the others give you an app when you ring at 830.
My friends were shocked when i told them i can't do that at my surgery.

Having a few prebookable doesn't work any better really.
Actually I challenge all of you to sort out the problem for us. It really isn't as easy as it sounds. If it were we would all be doing it.

Yeah we had this and it didn't go down well with work at all - if you arrive at 10 and have to leave at 2 to get back for a 3pm appt - boss wasn't impressed. Now it's recently changed to the telephone consultation thing, arranged call back at 3pm - doc called early at 2pm while I was in meeting and was unavailable to speak to all afternoon so had to go through the whole thing again the following day. It irks me to have to tell the receptionist what it's about in order to get a telephone consultation with the dr!!

We have a similar system and it seems to work very well. My dd and dh have both needed the GP callback at very specific times to fit round work and this has been possible. And when they need to see a GP (which is often not necessary), an appointment has been arranged for that day at a convenient time or they ring back on a day when they have a work gap and they will be slotted in at a convenient time then, having already been triaged. Because the triage system frees up so many slots, it seems to mean you can get one on the day you need one at a time you can do. I am sure not all surgeries manage it this well, but I was sceptical at first and it really has been fine - much more flexible and responsive than the old system. Just our experience.

I think this is becoming the norm for GP surgeries unfortunately, there's only 2 doctors at my GP surgery... Both of them are the partners and both work part-time which is a nightmare!

I think they still do prebookable appointments but I think they're fully booked up until September...

My GP has been using this system for about 2 years. Works brilliantly for the practice as most people give up trying to get appointments.

My annual thyroid check & smear are over due but I cant get an appointment as I rarely can call at 8am. When I have eventually got through, all appointments were gone.

our GP started this well over aa year ago and it works very well, far betetr than the old system. You phone up to ask for an appointment and give (if you want to) a brief description of the problem. GP phones you back within 1 hour and if you need to be seen - 605+ of us don't need to be seen - sees you that day. Under the old system when you booked for face to face consultation you probably had to wait 3-5 working days. I was very sceptical when first introduced but would not want to back to the old system

60%= not 605+

I work at GP and we have same day and advanced, still not good enough. Unfortunately, the demand is too much for the supply.

My gl is a nightmare.

Ring at 8:30am if you want an appointment between 8:40am-1pm ring at 2:30pm for appointments from 2:40pm - 5pm.

You can't even always get in the bloody phone line que I've had 96 attempts to get in the que before on my mobile in one morning.

I'm told by my GP that part of the problem is caused by an increasing number of people now booking up lots of appointments for themselves online weeks and months in advance on the offchance they may need to see a GP at that time, rather than waiting until they do need one and then finding themselves with a 3-4 week wait. Which of course makes it harder for others with legitimate needs to get an appointnent in the meantime. So I believe the practice is now going to limit the numbers of appointments that can be booked up online in advance.

Most patients I've seen today (60-70%) have been seen in the past month. Usually with a separate self-limiting condition from the one they are currently consulting with.

Just in from my 'half day' so I can't really see this as an issue with how hard GPs work or even how they manage their practice.

Demand far outstrips supply and it's getting worse. Complain to your MPs about it.

Agree, another GP here, there just is not enough time in the day. We have a similar system where we speak to everyone on the phone and then give them an appointment if they want one/we need to see them. But people can book in advance if they prefer (but stats show 80% of patients will want an on the day appointment if offered one). So to book in advance at ours, people can call to go on our phone list at anytime between 8am and 6pm, and for most people even if working they could take a phone call at some point (eg they can call at 5.50 to make an appointment with me for another day). So if it's really a problem, it's worth speaking to a GP about it... We're reasonable people and will try and find a way to make the system work! But actually On the day triage is a so much more efficient way of running a totally underfunded and overstretched system.

We have a similar triage system. Over half the people who ring for an appointment don't need to be seen. It's the only way to manage unstoppable demand and falling funding. We do have some early morning prebookable slots but not many.

Blame years and years of real terms funding cuts, an ageing population and govt stoking up demand to make themselves look better. It's not going to improve any time soon as the much vaunted 2.4bn investment in primary care is largely smoke and mirrors.

Tell me about it, my contraceptive needed taking out two weeks ago 😒

Write to the practice manager with your concerns because if you don't feedback the system will never improve (no guarentee it will improve as its majorly underfunded but if you don't try there is no chance of your concerns being addressed.

I'd say 60-70% of my booked-ahead visits today didn't need seen!

My GP has used this system for a while and it works well IMO. The system can be overridden if a follow up appointment is needed within a fortnight and appointments are gradually released. They can also be booked online.

vodka we book implants in advance and coils and postnatal.

peppasnanna thyroid review can generally be done on the phone and smear is nurse not Dr.

I tell them the GP asked to see me to renew my prescription and it is due to run out (true) and they can usually give me one of the impossible to get bookable appointments. 2 days a week they do a late night and early morning surgery and it is purely for people who work however I have spotted pensioners starting to get these. I once had to call NHS 24 to get an out of hours do I could get a prescription as I had tried at 8am 4 days in a row and was due to go on holiday.

What sort of things don't need to be seen?

I know to see the pharmacist first, but they are very reluctant to let you have anything for a small child.

This worked quite well at my old drs surgery, but only because 3 days a week it was drop-in only between 2-5pm. So you were always guaranteed an appointment that day.

It's not your GPs or their systems that are the nightmares it's patient demand. Surgeries simply can not cope with the demand to be seen due to in part reduced funding, GPs leaving the profession as they simply can't take any more for themselves or their families and unrealistic patient expectations (e.g sore throat/ankle/insert relevant part for one day).