To think I SHOULD be able to book a blooming Dr’s apt!

[iamallastonishment92]

Really cheesed off atm
DH and I are TTC (started several months ago) and although my periods have always been a little irregular (21-36 days) they’ve chosen this past 6 months to go TOTALLY mental.

I’m talking weekly periods for 8 weeks (resulting in me being VERY poorly fainting and cracking my head) and then 3 months with NOTHING (again feeling very unwell for most of it). Have had hormone tablets, vitamins, an ultrasound ...etc but no explanation.

Getting routine apt’s has been a NIGHTMARE they never have them EVER! Despite having 9 large surgeries on the go they currently have NOTHING at all! Not even into August- just NOTHING! The very rare ones I have gotten result in a ‘let’s try this and then if it doesn’t work come back and we’ll do X,Y and Z’ the Dr I last saw agreed that there obviously is a problem and they just need the pin point what.

I did point out to the Dr last time that coming back is incredibly hard as they never have apt’s 🤔 and he just looked very awkward and said ‘I know’.

I’m a very conscientious NHS user, always turn up on time...etc and understand not everyone is (DP is a hospital Dr) but I know there’s something wrong and can’t get help!

I’m currently sat here, on my 8th week without a period, not pregnant (although you’d think I was at least 4 months to look at me) crazy bloated, horrible cramps and ‘period’ feeling but not coming on! This went on for 14 weeks last time and SERIOUSLY affected my mental health/work!

How can Dr’s surgeries just have nothing to offer? It’s a basic service - surely THIS is why A&E is over run with silly minor stuff because people can’t see a GP?

I get that GP’s are ‘over stretched’ but their contracts (currently) are significantly more reasonable than their hospital based equivalents so I find it hard to believe that their services couldn’t be extended (hours, clinics...etc).

Just find it totally ridiculous and slightly wonder why I’m paying into the NHS system when I can’t seem to access it when needed 🤔

Download the NHS app. Then you can book your appointment online

Sorry you’ve struggled to get an appointment.

Disclaimer: not all surgeries have released appointments into the app.

I can totally understand your frustration! In your position I would be tempted to book any appointment under any means and press for referral. At least then the follow up tests can be managed directly with the specialty and you won’t have to go back to the GP. You’ve tried to do it their way so however immoral I’d just book an emergency slot if that’s what it takes.

@WingBingo thanks 😊 I’ve tried that though and still nothing available!

@moreismore- I know I should buy something about taking an urgent apt makes me feel awful. I might have to do it though - although the receptionist is VERY funny about giving those out and expects lots of info

‘Are you sure you can’t fit me in, because otherwise i’ll have to go to A&E?’ got me an appointment once when in a similar situation. You shouldn’t have to do that, though.

As sympathetic as I am, GPs aren’t ‘over-stretched’; they are overstretched. I would book an urgent one and I wouldn’t feel bad about it.

Yes, definitely get an urgent appointment and don't let the receptionist stop you.

You need a referral to a gynaecologist. Can you ask for a telephone consultation to have this arranged?

How did you manage to have hormone tablets prescribed, blood tests and an ultrasound, if you have been unable to get an appointment for this issue?

@herculepoirot2

🤔 that’s a very pedantic point to be raising on a site where the vast majority post from their smart phones whilst rather upset 🙄

@lavenderbluedilly

I’ve had ongoing problems for a while. As I explained, I’ve had a few apt’s - always resulting in the Dr thinking I need something new test/tablets and asking me to come back once done - then struggled to go back.

What the hell is that MN Shop Bot post doing on this thread?! Suggesting that plastic boxes might help? I feel as if I'm going mad on this site sometimes.

And now it's disappeared - sorry to hijack your thread, OP. This is too weird for words.

I've never been able to book an appointment with my GP. Been with them for 10 years. I always just have to go to the urgent sit and wait clinic and wait 4 hours to be seen. It's a nightmare.

I have reported this thread as the shopbot link is completely inappropriate. Yanbu OP!

shopbot??

iamallastonishment92

It’s not that, it is that you are suggesting that they might be able to do more hours. That’s not the solution. Much as I sympathise.

When I need to go back, the GP often makes the appointment during the first appointment. So at the end of the first appointment she'll say, "back in a week, I'm working Tuesday- can you come in at 9.10," for example.

I wouldn't wait and see before making the next appointment. If the GP can't make it, I'd go straight from the first, to the receptionist and say "I've to come back in a week, can I make that appointment now?" That will be treated as a continuation of care, not a brand new presentation (hopefully). If they say there's no appointments, just reiterate that the Dr you just saw needs to see you back, what can they do, it can't really wait.

There's being demanding over nothing and there's taking some control over your health. It probably costs the NHS more for a diagnosis to be dragged out than to get it done and onto the specialist, don't feel guilty.

YANBU to be frustrated you can’t get an appointment.

YABU to imply this is because GPs are not working hard enough. The lack of appointments is an NHS failing.

If you have bloating and a change in periods it would not be unreasonable to request an urgent appointment, then ask for a gynae referral.

Do your gp do online consult? I found it really
Useful when I can't get appointments for months and I need something sorting. Fill it in then they will get back to you in two days.

I’ve asked to make a return apt In the apt but get told to go to the front desk...where they tell me they have nothing.

I’m not meaning to directly insinuate that GP’s should work longer hours...however they do receive roughly the same pay as their hospital equivalents whilst working less hours (and MUCH kinder shift patterns).

The difference is that when you need emergency surgery it doesn’t matter if there’s no spaces on the lists...they’ll just stick them on there. Imagine if you needed emergency surgery and were faced with a woman at a desk saying ‘really sorry we’ve got nothing at all. Maybe try back in a few weeks!’

Whilst I understand that apt’s at the GP are rarely life or death, the ‘doctor’ role is very much the same and I’m not sure why one type is allowed to say ‘we’re full sorry’ and the others are made to just work as long as it takes 🤔 whilst receiving essentially the same pay 🤔

What I don't understand is that if you've seen the dr and they've updated your notes that you need to return in a certain time frame why the receptionist doesn't book it for you when you go to make the appointment

We have a sit and wait clinic, you just book yourself in.

Not that it helps your situation, but I think some of this GP bashing is a bit unfair. A lot of them still have letters and results to process for hours after surgery has finished, have to debrief with GP registrars, complete home visits, dictate letters, attend child protection conferences and other safeguarding work, etc. And when they’ve finished the work at their own surgery for the day, a lot of them then travel to the out of hours base and do and evening, weekend or overnight shift there too.

I know that you’re frustrated, but I think you are barking up the wrong tree venting your anger onto this group of clinicians. It’s all shit, everyone’s in the same boat, nobody is sat having a great time tossing it off. While your hospital Dr DH probably has 4 hours or more to see, take a history from a patient, request investigations, review results and formulate a plan and consult/refer to specialities, GP’s have around ten minutes for every single person they see that day. Ten minutes to see, get past the waffle and to the crux of the issue, examine, diagnose, provide treatment or discuss referral and then possibly a few minutes afterwards to document.

I sometimes wonder if GP's are unaware of the difficulties in getting appointments. Three different GP's this year have looked surprised at me when they say "come back in 7-10 days" and I reply "won't be able to get an appointment"!!

For goodness sake I am so sick of all the GP bashing threads this week!

Im a Gp- the comments about working hours etc on this thread compared to hospital doctors are completely factually incorrect. The general public have a misconception about how we work.

Firstly, we do see emergencies as extras, everyday. Your periods definitely do need sorting - but that isn’t the type of emergency to be fitted in on the end of list.

Most practices should offer extended 8am-8pm clinics of some sort (ours is in a different town but our patients are still eligible to access the appointments)

Yes we don’t do nights and weekends but the average full time GP still does 50-60 hours a week. Many, including myself, work part time as honestly I cannot stand the job and can’t tolerate it 5 days a week as I’d have a break down.

Sorry for the rant, and I’m sorry for your problems and you do need to be seen and sorted. But there have been an excessive amount of GP bashing threads this week and I am trying to explain that maybe people don’t actually understand that just because there aren’t appointments, we are still working our behinds off! We do 90% of the NHS interactions with 10% of the resources so for those that think we are overpaid, think again!!

Sorry that was so ranty but I really don’t understand why the public seems to hate GPS so much when we do try very hard, and it’s not our fault resources are stretched. Pretty sure I’m about to get absolutely murdered for that outburst tho!

I've never seen anyone actually slag their GP's themselves off. It's the shitty system. When you're poorly and just want to be seen by a doctor its the most frustrating thing.