To expect a doctor's appointment when I ask for one?

[AstridPeth]

Ok so I know how overstretched our nhs is and how long it can take to get appointments but...

I took my dd (12) to the doctors last Mon, whilst there it was discovered that her oxygen levels were at 72% , she was ambulanced into the hospital and we spent until Friday evening in there with her on constant oxygen, regular nebs. Diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia. She was very poorly bless her and at one stage they almost put her in HDU.
She got discharged on Friday evening with the instructions that we are to book an appointment to get her seen at the doctors again this Friday.
My dh tried to make the appointment today and they said the earliest they could give him is the 10th Dec. Dh said this wouldn't be acceptable as the hospital specifically asked for an appointment on Friday and the receptionist informed him that he would have to ring up on the day to try and get an appointment.

AIBU to think that in these circumstances; where it has been specifically requested from the hospital that she should see a doctor that she should have been given an appointment? I know that they keep a certain number of appointments available for release on the day, so in theory she could have just been given one of those.

In this circumstance, YANBU. Can you go to the surgery and explain in person?

If she's given one of the on the day appointments then that's one off the quota for those needing an urgent appt on the day. They are embargoed for a reason.

Call on the day as advised and ask for a callback if none are available.

You need to speak to the practice manager. What you describe is totally unacceptable. Ask to speak to the practice manager in person, urgently and outline exactly the situation. Don't be fobbed off.

A call back won't do tho...She needs to go and have her breathing and obs checked. She was very very poorly, she still is poorly. When my dh rang they remembered her and how poorly she was when she was in and they asked th how she was doing but they still said he had to call on the day.

Call on the day and you will get one of the emergency appointments. That's how the system works.

Why did the hospital not make her an outpatient appointment to ensure she gets seen?

Thank you YVB will contact them tomoz.

I don't know tingrey they just asked us to do it at our surgery. Never been in this situation before so don't know how it usually works.

I’m sorry your poor daughter was so ill. I had similar, recently. My appointment was cancelled and I explained that I was recently discharged after an operation for a very serious infection, under straight instructions for dates when dressings had to be changed. Cheeky fucker receptionist was really sarcastic. I’ve had dealings with her before and the rest of the lovely receptionists are so very different.

Point is, i sweetly said, ‘no problem, I’ll go to casualty and get them to do it. Of course I’ll explain that you couldn’t help.’ Strangely enough, she managed to fit me in.

Previous time, she refused to ask the doctor to call me back about my terminally ill husband’s increase in pain, as I phoned outside the ‘booking time’ (early morning). I told her it wasn’t a problem, I’ll just wait until they close, then call the doctor out for a home visit. Got the call back.

I’m not an awkward patient, worked for the NHS for 25yrs, but you’ll always get a ‘gatekeeper’.

If it's for checks is there a nurse at the surgery that would be able to do them.

That's how the system works.

No it isn't that's just having rules for the sake of rules. Surely anyone with any common sense would have just booked an appointment regardless of how the system supposedly worked.

Call and speak to either her g.p. directly or the practice manager, the hospital,could have done that for you. They always ask me to call on the day but I just keep ringing until I get an appointment.

If you have no joy then call the hospital consultants secretary and ask them to chase it up or see if they can see her in their own clinic at the hospital.

I'm sorry to hear how poorly your daughter is, I hope she's soon better.

If you have no joy then call the hospital consultants secretary and ask them to chase it up or see if they can see her in their own clinic at the hospital

I wouldn't let it get to this. The practice manager should sort this out and the OP needs to make sure they do.

Unfortunately the doctors discharging inpatients from hospital don't always realise how difficult it can be to get a specific day appointment with GPs, so give patients sometimes unachievable plans for follow-up. So both the hospital and the GP are a bit U in this case.

Pretty sure the receptionists don't have the technical permissions to release on-the-day appointments early, they just can't do it on their system, otherwise everyone would want squeezing in. I'd suggest call on the day and see how you get on, and speak to the duty GP and/or Practice Manager if no joy. Going to A&E to try to get your appointment expedited would be completely inappropriate.

I agree that you should be able to book an appointment - even if you’re able to get an appointment on the day you have the stress of ‘what if there aren’t any’ hanging over your head for the week.

Do you know if your hospital has a paediatric day unit or assessment unit? Some hospitals have it but the downside being that it will unlikely work on an appointment basis and might take a few hours. If you’re able to I’d call the ward and explain to see if this is a possibility.

I wouldn’t agree to a GP telephone appointment because she definitely needs to be physically assessed and have observations checked that you cannot do at home. It may not be appropriate for a nurse to assess as there might need to be a decision about extending/changing/stopping antibiotics which not all nurses can make.

With the utmost respect, put a sock in it Queen.

In the circumstances, an extremely poorly child with very worried parents, using high handed and judge mental phrases like “completely inappropriate” in that way, is well, completely inappropriate.

Clutch your pearls elsewhere m’dear.

See if you can speak to one of the drs and get something booked. Lots of gps seem to have appt systems that make very little sense but if you can get through to a dr most would be very happy to try and accommodate a recently discharged child. Was it written in your discharge letter?

Practically speaking if the receptionists wont budge I would try to book a telephone appt with a dr to discuss (if they want to know why you could say to discuss your poorly daughter who is recovering from pneumonia - which is true) and hopefully you can get a face to face from there.

You shouldn’t have to be scrabbling like this so I don’t think it’s unreasonable to highlight to your practice manager either.

Hope it gets sorted, and that dd feeling better!!

My DH is a GP and their practice works the same way. You ring up for an appointment and are given the next available appointment - sometimes it’s up to three weeks ahead. A certain amount of time is held back each morning for emergencies - you have to that morning to see if you can get one.

I’m sorry your DD has been ill but where my DH works they wouldn’t cancel someone else’s appointment to make way for you. You would need to try and get one of the emergency appointments.

"Completely inappropriate" is failing to carry out medically necessary follow ups when required.

Lives are more important than fucking admin.

Also meant to say - yes, the hospital could have arranged follow up and where I work that’s generally what would happen, but it’s not for Gp practice to ignore a wee girl recovering from pneumonia just because they think the hospital should follow up.

If gps unhappy with hospitals putting follow ups on them they can report that back to the hospital and not make it mum’s problem by not offering appts.

Thankyou. Yes I did think that a nurse may not be able to change her antib's If needed. It was specifically an appointment with the G.P that was asked for on discharge. I do appreciate how difficult it is and receptionists may not be able to authorise releasing appointments but surely in a case such as this it is comman sense to defer to the practice manager for approval.
I am back at work at the moment, I wish I wasn't but we need the money and dh has arranged to be at home to look after our dd as he is much more flexible then I am
But I do want to be at her appointment to ask any necessary questions my dh might not think of and to be sure I have Information first hand from the doctor. Dh is brilliant but doesn't always remember all the facts from the appointments he has been to in the past. So I was hoping to book the time off work before hand.

they wouldn’t cancel someone else’s appointment to make way for you.

That's fine she's not asking them to do that. What she wants is an appointment for Friday, without having to add to her worry over her daughter that if she waits until Friday to call there will be no appointments left. It's not rocket science to want it all sorted so she can concentrating on her daughter getting better.

@HappyGoodHairBear there was no respect in your post whatsoever so don't bother with the niceties.

A&E would be completely appropriate for an "extremely unwell child," as the OP's DD was a week and a half ago. She has now been discharged home. Unless she has suddenly deteriorated, there is nothing "emergency" about her condition now. And her need for an appointment on Friday is a)not something that A&E can help with (which a PP had suggested) and b) a waste of their time and hers.