GP practice "not offering appointments"

[Darkestseasonofall]

This is a new low. Just called to make an appointment to be told they aren't doing any for the foreseeable future.
If it's an emergency you can call on the day and try to get a telephone consultation, but that's it.
I can see a huge rise in people attending ED in appropriately or just becoming very ill with avoidable things.
This isn't NHS bashing, I'm a nurse, but I can't understand how primary care can just opt out of 90% of their contract.
AIBU to think this is just silly?

to all the GPs and practice nurses who have been working their arses off all year. I see you. It's a tough game at the moment.

I filled in an online form about 2 wks ago, no response, tried phoning, but just hold 60 mins x3 calls. Found out spire offer private gp appts nearly hundred quid but dont know what else I can do.

2 weeks ago I called my surgery and the reception lady booked me to see a doctor and the last time I saw a doctor was in 2018 so it was time to see the doctor and sort out my medicine and I had a lot of questions to ask the doctor about my health but when I entered the room I was in shock to find out the person they booked me with was a health care assistant. I was so annoyed and if I new it was not going to be a doctor I could have not waisted my time. And now I have to go back in 6 months time.

Hi OP

That does not sound right all, surgery the surgery must be offering telephone appointments as a starting point- if it's found that you need to be seen on the day then you'll be given a face to face appointment.

Surely there is a duty doctor covering all the "emergencies" and other GPs doing more routine appointments?

Here in SE London, my local GP surgery offers telephone appointments, relatively easy to book one. Plus they recently started eConsults which are fab, in my opinion

Posted too soon- luckily I've not needed an urgent appointment in a long time, eConsults suit me as I'd prefer not to take a telephone appointment unless it was massively urgent.

I'm a GP and I find it hard to believe this is happening. I'm also on tons of GP forums and it's not happening anywhere as far as I know

I agree. GPs on Twitter are pretty clear that this isn’t happening everywhere as well, despite what the politicians are saying.

We can't pre book at my GP
You ring in the am or pm for a phone appointment. I had half a day off work so rang PM. 36 minutes to get through and all the appointments had gone
So now I can't get one until my next half day off work and I might not get one then if they all go
Can't take calls at work and can't book an appointment in advance for when I'm off work

To add it's a 5hr or so window for the telephone appointment, hence why I can't take the call when I'm at work. It's not great as I need a thyroid review and can't get an appointment

To all the GPs on this thread thank you for your hard work, it's not the medics who are bad, it's the system (and sometimes the receptionists unfortunately).
Covid is a killer, no on is disputing that, but the health system seems to be crumbling and I'm scared to imagine what we'll be left with at the end.
The GP was the last straw for me today, DP can't get a vasectomy due to Covid, annoying but we'll live. What I think is unacceptable is that I was left with a growth on my cervix for 6 mo this, which was CIN3 by the time it was removed, as a mother of 2 young children that scares me.

My GP's have been fabulous, as they usually are tbf. My smear was done late but was done safely and with little fuss.

I deal with quite a few GP surgeries as part of work (community midwife) and can say >97% ish are brill. The other

This feels very much like the schools threads. Some surgeries are doing shitloads, some not so much. There needs to be more consistency, and better comms, so that people understand what’s being offered. I know that’s pie in the sky but it’s just so hard to navigate as a service user.

FWIW I had an econsult with my GP, which led to an in-person appointment the next day (in an almost empty surgery) and then blood tests and hospital scans within a fortnight. It worked really well for me- better than pre covid! But it obviously isn’t working like that for everyone.

@tortoiseshell1985 change GPs. What do you need? I’ve been able to get emergency supply of meds from Pharmacist

I'm a GP and I find it hard to believe this is happening. I'm also on tons of GP forums and it's not happening anywhere as far as I know

Well it IS.

@Janegrey333

I'm a GP and I find it hard to believe this is happening. I'm also on tons of GP forums and it's not happening anywhere as far as I know

Well it IS.

I can assure you it is where I live.

If your husband wants a vasectomy go via BPAS directly rather than via GP.

My daughter did 11 hours for an 8 hour shift yesterday. She saw people aplenty. Including a child whose mother thought he needed a psychiatric referral because he’d split with his girlfriend and fallen out with his best friend. Mother hadn’t bothered to ask him about why he was miserable. People waste and overload the system rather than thinking they might be able to manage themselves.
Phone/video consultation allows more people to be seen. Most things don’t need a physical presence.

Contracts require face to face appointments to be available so can’t imagine why some people think there aren’t any. Some people don’t count video consultation as seeing a doctor.

@MintyMabel

I'm a GP and I find it hard to believe this is happening. I'm also on tons of GP forums and it's not happening anywhere as far as I know

I agree. GPs on Twitter are pretty clear that this isn’t happening everywhere as well, despite what the politicians are saying.

GPs on Twitter are pretty clear that this isn’t happening everywhere as well, despite what the politicians are saying

Oh well, in that case, let’s all believe what we read on Twitter - of all places - and ignore everyone here and elsewhere who is saying the very opposite.

[quote Mumsnorthernmonkey]@tortoiseshell1985 change GPs. What do you need? I’ve been able to get emergency supply of meds from Pharmacist[/quote]
I think I need to change. How annoying only changed to them a couple of years back after house move
Had irregularities in white blood cell counts due to meds its supposed to be checked every three months and hasn't been since January. Worst case scenario I could be vulnerable to infections which is a slight anxiety
That said even if I get through to gp they probably won't do the blood tests anyway

This has been the case off and on at my GP practice for years. You could have a nurse appointment for contraception or ongoing conditions (well, until the ongoing condition nurse left).

So they are or they aren't offering appointments? You say they aren't however you've then said they are doing same day appointments. And I assume "emergency" isn't emergency in the true sense; any emergencies would go to A&E.

My GP surgery is the same, triage by the nurse then he/she will decide if it's something that she can give advice on or point you in the direction of the most appropriate community professional ie pharmacist, to deal with. Otherwise they will schedule you in for an appointment with the GP/Nurse Practitioner.

I find this system works really well actually, more efficient than pre covid! I usually wait 2 weeks for an appt, however with this new system, I spoke to a GP within 5 hours of calling and got the referral that I needed.

I was due an asthma review in April. Had been seen every month then was allowed to wait three. Got cancelled. No phone call since to see if I'm still breathing.

It's the same at my GP surgery, they are very busy with flu jabs, and so there is no capacity sadly.

I'm a practice nurse who has seen hundreds of patients face to face throughout all this, initially without ppe (and have since tested positive for antibodies). As have the GP's, including daily cover of a hot hub for suspected Covid patients. I've also dealt with hundreds on the phone, which for most, when they actually answer the pre arranged call, has worked very well.
If everyone who wanted a face to face appointment without triage was given one on request, there would be a several months wait to be seen, simply due to the limited number of patients allowed in the clinic.
It might not be the same everywhere, but we've never been as busy.

[quote Bubbleandboba]@QuestionableMouse

Could you try other dentists in the area? I recently had a filling done. I called a few months ago but they wouldn’t see me. Couple of weeks ago I managed to speak for the dentist on the phone who then booked me in. It seems that most are doing tel appt first and then if needed they will do face to face.[/quote]
I've been trying but most seem to only be taking on private patients which I simply can't afford.

Mine won’t let you make an appointment over the phone you have to use the ‘Ask my gp’ app. Then if you are lucky the GP will call you. Face to face appointments are between 11-12pm and 4-5pm. Smeer tests are also still cancelled.

This thread has just highlighted how some practices have embraced technology and found new ways of working, and some are so rigid that they can't move with what's needed.
If they were a private company I'm sure all of us with bad experiences would vote with our feet, but as that's not always possible we must just accept the poor quality it seems.