What counts as "urgent" for a same day doctor's appointment?

[NovemberRose90]

Fully up for being told that I'm absolutely being unreasonable! I keep getting bad headaches / feeling sick and throwing up, can't look at light and so on, over the last month or so... just rode it out the first few times, but it's really getting to me now. I was trying to get a doctor's appointment, but they are all booked up till next month so I've called a couple of times in case of cancellations. This morning one of the receptionists told me that I could call tomorrow first thing for an urgent appointment if I feel that it's urgent, but I am not sure it is! I don't want to waste appointment time when it really probably is something that could wait, but I'd rather not wait another 3 weeks at the same time! I know I sound a bit overdramatic about a few headaches, but they are getting to me and it's so debilitating!

What do you think- be cheeky and beg an emergency same-day appointment or just wait it out?

If you can wait 3 weeks, do.

^^

If you can't wait three weeks, don't.

Have to tried speaking to a pharmacist?

actually had to get eye test done for work a couple of weeks back and it was fine, so can't be that

There are several types of eye test, including one that examines the back of the eye, its blood vessels and retinopathy, did you have this done too? Differences in this optic chiasm between the eyes can point to an eye issue, sometimes very serious. It connects the brain to your optic nerves.

GP admin here...that's fine for an urgent appointment.

Book on the day appointments aren't for dire emergencies, that's what a&e is for. It's for problems that can't wait for however long a routine appointment would be so in your case I would say it's appropriate. Especially as it's not usual for you to have severe headaches. They do sound like migraines but as others have said, they can also be symptoms of something a lot more serious. Also, you need some medication ready for the next one if it is migraines and you don't know when that might be.

To reassure you I had my first migraine in my twenties on the way home from work as a teacher! I suddenly realised I couldn't see the prices on the shelves at Tesco and then started slurring my words. I was tested for a stroke as I was obese but it turned out to be hemiplegic migraines.

Probably migraine, small chance of something far more serious.

GPs are not gods and you cannot wait three weeks vomiting and being photophobic. Of course try for a same day appointment if you can possibly get one.

Going private is also an option, will cost £50-100 depending where you are in the country and you will get 15-30 mins with a doctor.

It is shocking that this is even a debate in the 7th richest economy in the entire world and we continue to sanctify the NHS...

Book on the day appointments aren't for dire emergencies, that's what a&e is for. It's for problems that can't wait for however long a routine appointment would be

Yeah, exactly, so many GP surgeries call them "emergency " rather than "on the day" appointments, this then generates scenarios like OP's.

I had my first migraine out of the blue at your age. 20 years later I still get them but fairly rarely (tends to be in clusters).

I'd book a same day for that as it's affecting your life. Our surgery keeps about half its appointments for same day and the receptionists always say if it's affecting sleep or significantly impacting day to day life and where appropriate you've tried otc remedy then that's ok for an urgent (they also keep back some proper mega urgent spaces no one can book so I don't feel guilty if I meet the criteria and need a same day).

Hope you feel better soon

OP are you on any contraception? I was on the same one from my teens until my twenties and suddenly started having issues with it, migraines being one of them
Do they have a triage? Our gp does then atleast speak to the them on the phone and they decide if it's same day

Definitely sounds like migraines. Mine started in my 20s. I’ve just seen a neurologist because I was getting ‘headaches’ Which were very different from the migraines I started with 12 years ago. The neurologist took my history and explained they were migraines. He basically the difference between headaches and migraines were that you can carry on with a headache but migraines are debilitating. If they’re stopping you from living life then they’re probably migraines. It’s worth keeping a diary to see if you have any triggers - there are some food triggers but stress and tiredness can cause them too. This definitely warrants an urgent GP visit to rule out anything underlying like you’ve mentioned but there are excellent drugs out there. I have triptans for the onset of migraines and amitriptyline to stop them coming altogether now.

This drives me crazy about GP practices- mine is EXACTLY the same. NO routine apt’s- I’ll call and ask to be told ‘we don’t have a single routine apt to offer you for the next month’ and you can’t book further than one month. So basically - it’s NOTHING or it’s URGENT!

I feel bad taking urgent apt’s but if it’s bad enough to call the GP you probably can’t wait over a month 🙄😒

My DH is a hospital Dr and regularly fumes about how GP practices (who are supposed to be front line to keep non urgent cases away from the hospital) are basically redirecting 30-40% of non urgent cases to A&E saying ‘we can’t cope’ when hospitals can’t cope either (full wards, understaffed...etc) but they simply don’t get to turn people away (like GP’s do).

In reality it’s causing huge problems for the NHS hospitals but GP practices don’t seem to care. If Gp’s met demand hospitals could crack on with the urgent cases who actually need their attention.

I’m currently 16+4 and have had the worlds worst pregnancy (HG and EVERY other symptom) I’m told reguarly by Midwife to book apt’s with GP as need to be seen but they NEVER have routine apt’s available. I’ve now taken decided that everything is urgent and will use urgent apt’s without guilt as it’s that or sit in A&E for hours.

If you didn't have them before and are now getting debilitating migraines - then yes you need an emergency appointment. And don't just say "I've been having headaches". Tell them exactly how debilitating the headaches are and when you started to have them.
Don't under play your symptoms. And if they give you some medicine and say come back if it doesn't get better go back if it doesn't get better. Too many of us "don't want to be a nuisance".

I work with GPs Disney and l can assure you that they do care very much but there's only so many hours in a day and so many people they can see, what would your DH suggest?! Has he not heard about the national GP shortage?! Also I can guarantee that quite a large amount of people, not all I know, but a lot go to hospital because they've not been given the appointment they wanted/suited them then told the staff they were 'refused' an appointment or they have tried to blackmail the doctor with 'if you don't see me with this issue within two hours I'll go to hospital' to which the response is usually that's your decision. We have a growing population and not enough clinical staff.

OP: if you are having a headache on the day then you will definitely count as urgent. Don't wait if you get another, call them that day and see what they can do. If you aren't but they have lots of appointments available same day then they would probably see you because it's such a change in history. Alternatively, have you asked if they do any telephone consultations?

I hate how all the worries about burdening the NHS mean that people are scared to seek the help they need. Urgent isn't the same as emergency - those people in a serious life or death situation will go to A and E. In your case, I would absolutely get a same day appointment. Although it does sound like migraines, it seems weird to get them suddenly and reoccuring like this. Although I got my first at 18, I didn't get my second until a year later.

Frankly if you can't wait 3 weeks it's urgent.

I would just book an appointment for 3 weeks times and see if the symptoms continue.......I find if I'm ill and think I might need a doctors appointment for say a prescription I'll book an appointment on the app for a couple of weeks time and cancel it if I get better without medical input ......if i can survive the 3 weeks until the appointment maybe i didn't need it in the first place
(probably more people should do this than clog up the GPs waiting room!)

I don't really think there are many illnesses which warrant a same day appointment if I'm honest unless it's for children

@Passmeabrew

Oh I know it’s not directly the GP’s faults (we have several close friends who are GP’s) but the GP surgeries are nationally failing to meet demand. They face similar problems to the rest of the NHS - all understaffed and underfunded yet GP practices turn people (willing to attend any apt- like myself) away, whilst A&E can’t. I’ve been signed off work for almost 3 months so I’m not ‘picky’ about when I go and STILL find ‘urgent’ apt’s are my ONLY option!

The ONLY Direct criticism I have of GP’s and this is (amongst the GP’s we know) generally well accepted! Is that they don’t work weekends! They’re the ONLY U.K. Dr’s who had it excluded from their contracts 🤔 - and yes they’ll likely lose that perk when contracts are renegotiated but it’s ignorant to pretend that hasn’t contributed significantly to ‘awkward’ apt’s for those (tax paying) patients who are selfish enough to work full time 😂🙈 Gp’s should absoloutley be accessible on weekends (even on a reduced service)!

My gp has same day appointments for any reason, you just call at 8am. If it's worrying you go

Sounds like migraines to me too, I have only developed them in recent years, obviously something to do with peri-menopause in my case.

I've never bothered going to the doctors with mine as OTC medication and a can of cola does the job for me, but clearly, if you are in debilitating pain, you need help. And quicker than 3 weeks. Just say to the receptionist you have having regular headaches and need to see someone today (and if they try to send you to A&E you just say no, that's not appropriate, it's a GP I need to see). Good luck (we can't get same day appointments in my practice, you get a telephone triage call and then they get you in if they think they need to see you in person).

Hi, sorry for the slow reply! Getting DD up and phoning the surgery at the same time proved to be quite all-consuming

Thanks for all the advice... I did call and did get through, but the senior receptionist who I spoke to says this doesn't qualify for a same day appointment. So I'll keep the one I booked in November.

Thanks though!

I wonder if you can register in your surgery for booking appointments/ managing prescriptions online. It makes life much more easier. Phoning to surgery is very time consuming whereas with the online access you can quickly check availability several times a day. I usually check every hour and it never took me more than 3 days to get an appointment. Of course, it’s different if you want to see particular GP, but in my area this luxury is vanished long times ago.
Just a thought.

I would take the urgent appointment, I think they are there for situations like this! At the end of the day urgent to a gp is less of an emergency usually than urgent would mean to a hospital, so I don’t think you would be unreasonable at all, the bottom line is you need to be seen before the next free appointment which is a month away, and otherwise it would be a hospital trip for care so I think you would be right to accept the urgent appointment, don’t feel bad or silly at all and I hope you feel better soon!

Just read they wouldn’t give you the appointment, I’m really sorry to hear that now!!!
That’s such a pain!!!

@DisneyMadeMeDoIt we actually do open on a Saturday and they trialled opening longer/offering more GPS on those sessions previously (it's usually an ANP) but the issue was that they obviously can't work 7 days a week long term, there simply aren't enough GPs to cover weekend opening without reducing the amount of appointments offered in the week. And we found that it wasn't the people who could only come on a weekend that was using them because they were still getting booked up by the same people who come in week in, week out. We were unable to refuse these people appointments based on 'we know you can come other times' and they would still get in there first and book up everything. Its a problem we gave tried solving believe me!