Annoyed by Doctors Surgery

[CheshireGirl38]

Tried to book the teenager a (non-urgent) appointment at the doctors surgery for tomorrow, but told 'you have to book on the day of the appointment'. This is a complete pain as tomorrow morning I'm on the motorway and she's at school, and all our mornings are a mad rush anyway! By the time I'm able to do it, chances are there won't be any appointments or you we'll get the most inconvenient time available. AIBU or is the system weighted for people who have plenty of time in the morning (that excludes anyone with kids or a job)?

[SquidgyRedBall]

I changed my GP as my old one was impossible to get an appointment - even speaking to someone was near impossible. After sitting on hold for half hour and then being hung up on I had enough.

My new doctors is amazing, all the doctors and staff are lovely and they have open surgery every morning from 7:30, plus an evening surgery until 7:30 for workers which can be booked a week in advance. With the open surgery you have to wait your turn and it can be a pain if it's busy but I've never waited longer than an hour, which is actually quicker than my old doctors when you had a timed appointment!

[harderandharder2breathe]

My GP surgery has bookable appointments 2 weeks in advance and on the day phone at 8am ones.

Just the way it is in most places I'm afraid. And of course it's not geared to people at work, because generally if you need a doctors appointment the same day you're quite unwell.

[Solina]

This is much better system than the one in my old gp practice. You had to go there at 8 am and sit and wait until your name was called rather than be given a time. Such a waste of time.

I have no issue with phoning in the morning for a urget appointment and yes I work. If its not urgent just book a time ahead just like everyone else does.

[Piscivorus]

Surely people could then cancel? In fact I'll go further and say that if there was a charge they would cancel. There will always be some missed appointments that are reasonable and unavoidable but the majority are just because it takes an effort to ring and cancel while there is no penalty

[tinyterrors]

Our surgery do both book on the day which are gone within 20 minutes of the phone lines opening and also have some pre-bookable appointments. They also have phone appointments where the doctor will either prescribe without seeing you or give you an appointment for later that day, there are also late appointments until 8pm two nights a week for those who can't get time off work for even an urgent appointment.

The only problem is that the pre-bookable appointments tend to be booked up for four weeks in advance and are the late opening appointments which completely nullifys the entire point of having late opening times for those who need to see a doctor within a day or two but who can't get time off work.

In theory my surgery is great but the system needs tweaking to have more pre-bookable daytime appointments and keep some late opening appointments for book on the day for those who can't get time off work.

[HelenaDove]

Im willing to bet that part of the problem is employers. An ex boss of mine tried to prevent me from attending an appointment even though she had agreed to me that i could nip out to it beforehand. Couldnt book it for my day off because she would change my day off at less than 24 hours (sometimes 12 hours) notice.

Im willing to bet that employers like these are responsible for some of the non attendance.

[sleepy16]

We don't have routine bookable appointments what so ever.
You have to phone on the day end of.

[Barksdale]

OP, are you sure you didn't misunderstand the receptionists? There is a legal requirement to have same-day and 48 hour appointments at least.

[Piscivorus]

It must be difficult for the surgeries too though. Our doctors used to have a lot more of them but several retired or moved and they cannot get enough replacements so the waits have got longer.
Unfortunately there are still irresponsible idiots who book then don't turn up (the notice in the waiting room said about 270 appointments missed last month) and, apparently, others who take up time demanding emergency appointments for things like referral requests and running out of medicines which is not helping.

Part of the problem is the systems but a large part is the public

[RainyDayBear]

That's ridiculous. I used to belong to a surgery like that (they never answered the bloody phone either) - moved house and have luckily ended up at a great one that does same day and telephone appointments, but also has online booking for non urgent appointments. Its brilliant, but I imagine it works so well because it's in a small town so there's less demand.

[Goingtobeawesome]

Ours seems to change the system every time you ring.

Our old GP was great. You'd ring and if they were full you were told to come at 11 and sit and wait and everyone would be seen.

[Barksdale]

Tried to book the teenager a (non-urgent) appointment at the doctors surgery for tomorrow

I think that the "you have to book on the day" thing is a red herring here. It's the fact you've tried to book a non-urgent appointment for tomorrow that's causing problems.

If you need a non-urgent appointment it's standard to wait 2-4 weeks, or you have to phone and book on the day.

[CheshireGirl38]

Yes, all appointments have to be booked on the day, with doctors and nurses! There is no facility to even book anything three weeks in advance

[honeysucklejasmine]

Ours is also a "phone on the day but they are all gone" place. However they can usually do telephone appointments that day, and the GP usually does what I need (e.g. lets me come in, prescribes, etc)

[honkinghaddock]

I think it's pretty standard that if you want a non urgent appointment you have to book at least a couple of days before. Unless you are saying that all appointments have to be booked on the day.

[RichardBucket]

My surgery also has this system. I leave at 6:30am and get home at 5:30pm from a job 30 miles away, so can I get an appointment? Can I fuck.

[HunterHearstHelmsley]

Mine are a total farce. For an appointment you must call between 9am and 11am. I told them I'm at work and it's not possible so they said to get someone else to call. What's the bloody point in that if they can't check you can make it?! Best I can get is a telephone appointment in 3 weeks. Ridiculous thing is I'll still need an appointment so I'll end up taking an emergency one.

[elderberryflower]

Is there a minor illness/nurse practitioner clinic that's easier to get an appointment at? I make an appointment there and if the nurse can't deal with it she calls in the duty doctor so it gets sorted out either way.

[WankingMonkey]

You are so lucky to have this system. Only time we get a same day appointment is if its an emergency. All of the time, you call for an appointment and they have nothing at all for a MONTH. Obviously by that time you have either died, been taken to hospital, found some way to cure yourself, or its just gone away naturally. Last time I was at the doctors I got a lecture on 'self medicating' but I had had to wait just over 3 weeks to see her and I didn't fancy going to A&E with something I could manage at home..so got a box of dihydrocodeine from a friend to last til docs appointment. Was nothing on my usual oramorph mind, but it helped :S

[Soubriquet]

It's mad!

How are people supposed to book a routine or non emergency appoitment if all slots are taken by 8.10?

Even emergency appointments are hard to get if you have to call by a certain time. They are all gone

It's understandable people are going to A&E for silly things

[Monochromecat]

I now self-diagnose and buy drugs online

[RunningLulu]

My surgery allows you to book non urgent appointments, and telephone appointments. I think this is a NHS requirement so I'd check to make sure you can't do the same.

[glueandstick]

I've been asked to ring back in three weeks for a non-emergency appointment hopefully for October. I tried this month but none available. Oh and to see a specified GP... Well that's looking like November when they release appointments. If you can get one.

[Discobabe]

Our pre-bookable appts are all at school run times

[Discobabe]

It's a pain. We used to leave for school at 8.40, I could ring as soon as lines opened at 8.30 and get an appt. We moved house, we now do school run at 8.20 and by the time I get in all the appts are gone. I live just round the corner and often drive round to the surgery, line up at opening time to ensure an appt, then drive to school (we normally walk). I used to love the system, now I hate it. Overall though I do think it's better than being offered an appt in two wks time.