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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think GP system is broken?

159 replies

moutonfou · 22/09/2017 09:07

My morning, or, Getting a doctor's appointment in the UK:

  • Wake up at 8.30
  • Call doctor's 28 times and get engaged tone
  • Finally get a ring tone and wait 9 minutes for someone to answer
  • All appointments for the day are gone, try again on Monday

And it's not even cold and flu season yet.

As much as I love the NHS, this element just doesn't seem to be working? Or is my surgery just specifically not great and others have better experiences?

OP posts:
GreyCloudsToday · 22/09/2017 10:01

Exactly the case here, OP. The Drs is near my home so I just walk there and queue up. I just can't stand the phone system. An "urgent" appointment means getting seen at some point in the next week. "Non urgent" appointments tend to be around 3 weeks. They make exceptions for small babies, though and always find a slot of they are poorly.

Sallystyle · 22/09/2017 10:03

I think it doesn't help that people waste doctors appointments with minor ailments that could easily be fixed at the chemist

Sometimes my surgery seems to waste appointments themselves. I was made to come in to pick up a prescription when it could have been left at the reception. My derm did all the pre-tests and wrote to my GP but for some reason I had to go see the GP who did nothing but hand me the prescription face to face. What a waste of an appointment.

For a non-urgent appointment I usually have to wait for about 10 days.

At work I often have to help make appointments for people and the surgery we use is really good. They often get seen the same day or in the next day or two for minor things. That surgery works really well and I'm always impressed when I deal with them.

baffledcoconut · 22/09/2017 10:05

Ha,mine told me to ring back at the beginning of November when they open bookings Grin

Thankfully I've got a GP friend who is happy to skill swap. Works really well Grin

silkpyjamasallday · 22/09/2017 10:05

We have the same system at our GP, it's a nightmare to try and get an appointment. My old GP had open surgery, but on more than one occasion I had waited 5 hours only to be told that it was now time for scheduled appointments so I couldn't be seen that day.

Purplemeddler · 22/09/2017 10:09

There are plenty of appointments but for some reason people make them and don't turn up, which means others can't have them.

I went for a smear test on Monday and there was a sign up in my GP saying that 100 appointments were missed last month. And they do send email and text reminders where they have those details for people.

What the actual wotsit?

I am coming round to the fact that we need to charge for GP appointments.

StormTreader · 22/09/2017 10:09

My GP is always at least an hour late on being seen, always, often more than that.
I once managed to get first appointment of the day, 8.50, only to see him wander into the building at 9.20 with Costa in hand.
I appreciate sometimes there are emergencies but I have never been seen anywhere near on time and its frustrating to have to tell work "I have an appointment at 3, I dont know if ill be back in today".

Vinorosso74 · 22/09/2017 10:09

There is a shortage of GPs, lack of funding, ageing population so the system can't cope.
I do agree some surgeries are better than others. Ours has a about 3 week wait for routine appointments but they have an urgent access surgery each morning so you turn up and wait-this is only for one issue at a time. Apparently feedback on it is good (so says the surgery noticeboard).

80sMum · 22/09/2017 10:10

GPs need to find a way to filter out all the people who don't really need to see a Dr. At our surgery they've introduced a GP triage system. You phone in and a Dr calls you back to assess your need for an appointment, prescription etc. I haven't used this system yet - luckily for me I am hardly ever ill enough to need a Dr - but I can see that it could be very useful in keeping people out of the surgery who don't need to be there.

StormTreader · 22/09/2017 10:13

"there was a sign up in my GP saying that 100 appointments were missed last month. And they do send email and text reminders where they have those details for people."

Is it really bad that I dont believe those numbers any more? If that was true then its weird that none of those are ever on the days Im in, because they are always running very late. 100 per month over 23 week days is almost 4 per day, I just dont see it. I could do with more missed appointments so they can catch up on some of the huge delay!

PseuDenim · 22/09/2017 10:13

I really love my surgery - they always manage to find appointments, usually on the day, but especially for DS. And I live in central London in one of the poorest boroughs.

mumofone234 · 22/09/2017 10:14

My surgery is like this. It's ridiculous. And when I can't get an appointment after 30+ times of calling, they won't book me one for the Monday - they just tell me to repeat the whole charade then.

DarceyBusselsNose · 22/09/2017 10:16

You need to raise it with the practice manager.

Not all practices work the same way Eg ours does prebook clinics in the morning and stand by appts from 2pm to around 8pm at night but people still moan that they want an AM appt before work. I believe there is also now a Saturday morning clinic too.

metalmum15 · 22/09/2017 10:17

I managed to get the first appointment of the day, 8.50, only to see the doctor wander into the building at 9.20 with Costa in hand Yes I've experienced this too. And it was another 10/15 minutes before anyone got called through so I can only assume he was having his breakfast with his coffee.

AccrualIntentions · 22/09/2017 10:18

It's pretty good at my surgery actually. For advance appointments you can book online, and there's always some available in the next 3 days to 2 weeks. For same day you have to do the phoning at 8:30 thing, but I've never not been able to get one the same day.

HotelEuphoria · 22/09/2017 10:20

Ours has recently stopped this ludicrous appointment system due to it not working. Yehhhh!

stringbean · 22/09/2017 10:25

Our GP surgery is closing. They've been trying to recruit GPs for a number of years; the last of the original doctors when we joined the practice about 15 years ago is just about to retire, and this has prompted the closure. There is one other permanent GP there, but they've been operating with locums for several years now and just cannot seem to attract anyone new (although it's a lovely family area, nice community, great local schools, great transport links etc).

They've always been brilliant; dd gets recurring ear infections, the consequences of which could be disastrous for her, and they will always fit her in to check her ears if we ask. She's on ABs at the moment for yet another infection; complained of pain at about 5pm and dh was in the surgery with her by 6pm. I don't honestly know if whatever surgery we get allocated to next will be as understanding.

crazycatgal · 22/09/2017 10:27

My surgery has recently joined with another surgery and since then it's become impossible to get an appointment.

I rang one afternoon and mentioned to the receptionist that I needed to see someone about my mental health (diagnosed conditions) and she said she could try to arrange an emergency appointment for that day or I could ring at 8am the next day and have an appointment the same day. I didn't want to take an emergency appointment when I would be ok to wait a day so I told her that I would ring for an appointment the next day like she said.

The next day I rang at 8am on the dot. I got through to a different receptionist who said that no appointments were left. I explained the situation and what the other receptionist had said and she just said 'there's nothing I can do' didn't offer an emergency appointment or anything.

I think receptionists need more training, the first one was lovely and seemed to take mental health seriously, whilst the second one didn't seem to care. They need to recognise when someone needs to see a doctor quite urgently instead of fobbing them off and telling them to 'try again on monday.'

KimGordonsKinkyBoots · 22/09/2017 10:28

Ours do a walk-in every morning between 8-10 so getting an appointment is never a problem. They also offer evening and weekend appointments for less urgent issues. The receptionists are also very helpful.

blackteasplease · 22/09/2017 10:29

Ours is supposed to be "call at 8" but you have to dial at exactly 7.58 to get through.

If it's earlier they will say you phoned too early and not let you hang on. IF later you will never get through.

blackteasplease · 22/09/2017 10:30

We do have walk in centres nearby though.

Memememeandyou · 22/09/2017 10:30

Gps are leaving in droves at the same time as patient requests for consultations are going up.
It can only get worse. No one wants to be a GP. If it was the cushy number the media would have you believe it was this wouldn't be happening. The system is broken. GPs are broken and very unhappy. They are working 14 hour days with no break. And yet can't make a mistake.

MaddeningtheUnhelpful · 22/09/2017 10:33

I think the system is completly buggered. I had abdo pain last night, I did the 432 calls to get through to the GP. Doctor sent me straight to a and e with suspected appedicitis... I sat there for 8 hours then the doctors realised I should be on a ward. Three days I sat in a ward doing nothing (and nil by mouth) because two surgeons couldnt agree - cyst or appendix (in a hospital with a huge and new maternity until so I would presumevthey could have scanned!) It wasnt until my bloods went crazy and my veins started collapsing that they operated. It was a burst chocolate cyst. Shock Afterwards they said "Sorry we thought we had more time, you must have a really high pain threshold!"

LetsSplashMummy · 22/09/2017 10:33

Mine is great, has minor ailments in Pharmacy below and they send necessary people to duty doctor (they only take same day and drop ins) straight from there and a large nurse department offering asthma/ diabetes nurse specialists. Has open access in the morning and offers same day appointments to high risk patients. I can phone 1pm and be seen before 3.

However, I think that is luck as it falls in a very "young" catchment - student area mainly. There aren't many complicated, elderly patients, but cheaper, popping in for contraception patients. Also, being city centre, I would go to minor injuries for possible fractures, straight to consultant for ongoing condition, maternity if needed - it must be harder in areas where GP is the default for everything. It is also in Scotland, so no drop in centres (or whatever shares the load with GPs in England).

I don't think the system is broken but chronically underfunded, if it was recognised that older cohorts and rural GPs have higher costs then everyone would have this kind of service.

Opheliasgoldenwine · 22/09/2017 10:34

You forgot the situation where receptionists think they're doctors too Wink

MrsSchadenfreude · 22/09/2017 10:36

If we can get an appointment within 10 days, that's good going. I needed stitches removed within two weeks - called as soon as they had gone in, to be told they didn't have any appointments for four weeks, but they booked me in to another surgery two miles away that could do it in two weeks.

All of the doctors at our surgery work part time. If you want to see a particular doctor, you can wait up to six weeks for an appointment. Otherwise you see a locum (in 10-21 days). It's easier to be ill at the weekend and go along to the out of hours place. All of the walk in centres seem to have closed as well.