To think it is no wonder people go to A and E unnecessarily

[Keremy]

I have a series of medical problems and history of a lot of operations and pain.
I have been in agony for a week and unable to sleep. All I need is tablets I previously had on repeat prescription but haven't had in a few months as I haven't needed them but obviously I can't get them without seeing the doctor because of time frame which I understand but I can't get an appointment!

Our doctors has a system where you call when they open for appointments that day. I've called, I've been in but no luck.

I want to cry.

Chardonnay "I get receptionists being rude all every single time I ring."

I wonder why that might be?

Because they are rude for pleasure?
Because they aren't really rude but had a bad morning?
Because they were born rude?
Because they were nice to start with but got arsey somewhere along the way?
Because their cat ran away?
Because the tube was late?

Take your pick. How would I know? I'm not their therapist. I don't know. I don't care. I manage to do my job perfectly agreeably and smiley, and fuck knows it's more demanding than being a receptionist, I do expect then to manage as well.

I ring, I want to make an appointment, usually because II have something delightful like an ear ache similar, otherwise I wouldn't be wasting their precious time, so even if I wanted to be rude to them I don't really feel like it.

What do you want? Do you want people to be begging over the phone for an appointment?

I've never had a doctor's receptionist be rude to me when I've called. But then, I'm always pleasant and polite to them.

Try it.

Well, maybe you've never rang my surgery.

Try it.

Mine are terribly rude. And we pay for the GP. I changed surgeries because of them.

Around ten years ago I changed GP surgeries simply because the receptionists at the first GP were so horribly rude! At my present GP surgery the receptionists are mostly v nice. But I can sense they are overworked, understaffed and burdened by bureaucracy. It's frustrating when they don't answer the phone. I've given up telephoning as it's so frustrating. Instead I drive two miles, queue at the counter to speak to someone in order to make an appointment. The phone is usually ringing and the receptionist will pick up the handset and immediately replace it without speaking.

My doctors receptionists are awful, I can't believe they get away with their tone on the phone.

No other call handler would get away with that level of rudeness. They need some serious customer service training.

Another positive review for PushDoctor from me, if you're desperate. First time users get an introductory offer, my appointment was only £5 and the prescription £6.50. If they hadn't had been able to help me I would only have lost £5 so I thought it worth a shot. I had a terrible infection over Christmas, there was no way I could have seen my GP (and few pharmacies in my area were open!). I made an appointment around 6am, was seen by 7am. The medicine itself cost less from the pharmacy than an nhs prescription would have - it was only £5. In total, it cost me £16.50 for the appointment and medication, which is much less than I was paying for otc treatments in the weeks I hoped it was a virus that would just go away!

I will defend the NHS until I am blue in the face, and I wish there wasn't a market for onlime private gp services, but having used PushDoctor in desperation I couldn't recommend them more. They have an unlimited subscription service if you need regular appointments, but I imagine they're limited in what they can treat.

Hope you feel better soon

I urge you all to change surgery if you are getting awful service, if you have any other options. You can put your postcode into the NHS site. We did and it has made a huge difference. Do it when you are not ill...! It is a mystery to me why a national service can vary so much even in the same local area.

Interesting thought struck me recently.
We're all so adamant about not paying for medical treatment and resent the high cost of prescriptions and so forth.
Yet I merrily took the dog to the vet's yesterday and paid out £50 for treatment without question. Follow-up tomorrow will be another £30 or so.
Why do we pay out for pets but then resent doing so for ourselves?

Of course we pay for ourselves.

It's called tax. I resent paying twice, because that's what happens when I go private.

Or did you think the NHS was free?

We do pay for medical treatment through NI. There are many animals out there that have their health neglected because of money, who rely on charities or crowdfunding. Or just not bother.

I'd rather not live in a not bother because of money society... where people are disposable because of money.

Sadly it is so coming that we will become a 2 tier society, where you have to wait or pay to be seen quicker.. it's the slippery, ease you in slope to paying completely.

Still, it'll trim the population down a bit

I hope you are ok OP
My friend works in A&E and at least 25% of his patients start by saying "I could not get a GP appt"
I don't think it's the fault of GPs. They are over worked and underpaid.
But something is very very broken. In our surgery it is a fight to get an appointment. Calling x 10-20 at certain times of day etc. However I was in there waiting to see a nurse recently and 3 separate elderly people came in begging for appointments to be told there were none for weeks. Fourth person who came in was someone new to the area looking to register with a doctor. Oh yes answered the receiptinst here's a form How can they take on new patients when they can't look after the existing ones? The situation is only getting worse.

Do you really need to be quite so aggressive, chardonnay?
Which part of my post led you to believe I thought treatment was free?

We're all so adamant about not paying for medical treatment

This bit.
Not paying = free.

I don't think I'm aggressive, I'm answering the questions you keep on asking.
You just don't seem to like my answers.

I can certainly see why you seem to attract problems on the phone to your surgery if this is the way you speak to people in real life.

I also said, if you read my post properly, "and resent the high cost of prescriptions," as in, we pay. I think we all know that of course most of us pay NI, but we do not pay further cash up front for a GP's appointment in the same way that we do at the vet's.

But I can't be arsed to be the butt of your frustrations in life, so I'm out. Good luck finding a doctor who will satisfy your demands.

*Chardonnay "I get receptionists being rude all every single time I ring."

I wonder why that might be? hmm*

This is your first post addressed to me. I didn't start this bunfightdiscusion.

I'm not sure why my demands appear high to you. Is it too much to want to see a GP when I need to?

Yes, I'm unhappy with their service. Yes, I am frustrated with them. Yes, they are rude.

I wonder why you are so reluctant to admit some GP surgeries are less than perfect.

I think that is what they are planning to do across the whole scheme Moonshine which imo is a great idea.

Slight update. I rang on opening again this morning, was told after two minutes that there were no appointments again. I might have politely lost my shit a little bit and have an appointment for six pm.