‘Call at 8am for a GP appointment’

[purplepufferfish]

I work for the NHS and personally understand the stress that the service is under. I get it. But does this frustrate anyone else?

Call for a GP appointment. Get told that the nearest one is two weeks away and to call back the next day at 8am for a same day appointment.

Call back at 8am the next day, as is everyone else of course.

Finally get through at 10am to be told that the next appointment is two weeks away and to call back at 8am for a same day appointment!

Again I know that this is no one’s fault and I genuinely blame no one for this.

Am I being unreasonable for being frustrated?

[quote Darkbrownistheriver]@gurglebelly

Check with them that they haven’t already done so. Most surgeries do something like this now. Unfortunately most of us don’t check the surgery website or Facebook page before ringing, so don’t know when things change. I only normally go to my own surgery every few years (smear) and unless I knew this was a ‘thing’ it wouldn’t occur to me to check if they did it. It’s the same with all the changes tbh, nobody knows (why would they) and then the poor receptionists get an earful when a patient rings up expecting the system to be the same as when they rang a year ago and it isn’t. Not either of their fault.[/quote]
Thanks but they definitely haven't, I have been checking FB and the Surgery website regularly to look for vaccine updates

The NHS is devolved. Not all the countries of the U.K. Have online booking, or the option to pick who you see.

I've not been seen in a year. My benefits have stopped. I've been illegally buying medication online because I can no longer access a GP or mental health team or other teams I was under. I'm now looking at a fraud investigation because the dwp think I got better a year ago when it all stopped. I can access nothing. E-consult won't work on my device at all. My phone, due to safeguarding, blocks witheld numbers. When I rang with tonsilitis two weeks ago I was told to phone back when I could speak or swallow or breathe as until then it wasn't an emergency (ended up buying antibiotics online as I'd be unable to phone when I was considered ill enough).

It's rediculous, not to mention terrifying, I was given two years to live just over two years ago. My health has badly deterioated in the last twelve months but all anyone can comment on is twelve months ago.

The process if your device accepts witheld calls is:

Phone at 8am where you will be triaged by "specialist receptionists". They will decide if you qualify to speak to nurse or dr and choose which you speak to. Strictly emergencies only. And no calls accepted after a set time (I don't know what that is).

You will be rung anytime between your call and 6pm. You get two rings to answer the phone. Messages are not left. If you don't answer you are classed as DNA in statistics. When rung you will be either treated, directed to use e-consult and possibly offered an appointment. There's no choice when this happens during the day.

No pre-book. No waiting outside, must wait in car for call to mobile to come to door, no being driven. Must wear mask at all times, even if exempt, refusal to do so means no appointment.

It's been the same now for a year, our A&E runs the same.

In that year I've had a hip injury that's now become disabling to the point I can no longer get into a car and is agony. I was refused an x-ray because of risk and wasn't even seen because of risk. Six months later I was offered an appointment I couldn't get to due to deterioration I've now been told I'm to phone when I can get into a car.

I complained and got short shrift for being unfair on staff who are putting themselves at risk and told to unblock witheld numbers (so don't care about the risk that puts me at, and to buy new phone (would still block witheld numbers) and IT equipment and wifi so I can have online appointments). Then they said they'd see me at my home - having no understanding that some people only have a tiny studio flat which isn't big enough for another person, never mind social distancing.

Ps @feistyoneyouare I totally agree. It isn’t free, we pay a fortune for the NHS and it is v badly managed, with some questionable decisions made about what NHS will pay for and what it will not. I personally am pretty unhappy about my taxes having been used to fund puberty blockers and sex changes for example. Would much rather the NHS had working IT / shorter waiting lists. A child family member spent a year on a waiting list for “urgent” surgery because the available beds kept being taken by emergency cases. How about a few more paediatric beds and a few less sex changes eh.

Eventually my family member’s condition deteriorated and they were moved from the urgent list to ‘emergency’ at which point an ambulance took them in for emergeny operation. The NHS shouldn’t have put a child through a year of steady decline and there were long term consequences. Child was under age 5.

By a stroke of fortune my GPs had just moved to online before Covid struck. Anyone phoning them is told to go online and leave the phone lines for people who can’t access online. About bloody time too, it’s not 1950.

We can email with symptoms if we think we may need to see a doctor. They either sort an appointment, the doc replies direct, redirect to a specialist or write a scrip. I may hold the record of 8 minutes between sending an email with symptoms and being advised a scrip was awaiting my collection.

I agree with PP that GPs have it easier than hospital doctors.

All GPs should be online now, no excuses, but maybe some of them, and their admin staff, think why bother as the present system suits them fine.

Yet another result of allowing unrestricted immigration. It’s not rocket science that a huge rise in population without a significant increase in health care provision would lead to long waits for appointments.
And don’t mention housing shortages........

My conditions are rare. I literally cannot safely be treated by anyone other than those qualified in my conditions, which is one GP in the practice.

@riceuten

No, of course you're not unreasonable...unless you're one of the people who voted for Boris in 2019 and Theresa in 2017, then perhaps, the chickens are coming home to roost.

You say that, but in our area the noticeable decline in GP service came while labour were in power, so I think ALL recent governments regardless of party have royally fucked this one up

I can't even get appointments anymore without speaking to a GP first. Had a phone appt 5 weeks ago about my daughter, they told me to phone back when she was 6 months to come in and be seen. Receptionist would only book me in for another phone appt in 3 weeks time (first one available ) so I'll have to do that, have the same conversation again, just to rebook an in person appointment for 2-3 weeks later, JUST to hopefully be referred to a specialist! Arghhh!

@gurglebelly
In that case I’d change surgeries if you can - not always possible I know.

@otterbaby
No help now I know, but in future If anyone says come back in 6 weeks or whatever, ask them to put that on your record too. That way the receptionist can see what they’ve said and will hopefully be able to get you something earlier or at least ask the doc if it can wait. GPs are ALWAYS telling patients to come back at some specific time in the future and not noting it on the record.

@Darkbrownistheriver you're absolutely right, I even asked the receptionist to check with the GP but they refused, as apparently 'it would've been in the notes if they wanted me to come in' 🙄 the GP is going to wonder why we're having the same phone conversation again!

My Drs have this system, in fact the 4 surgeries around this way all do.

I've been hit by it this week, I was too ahem busy to call at 8am both days, DH couldn't ring for me because he was handling the school runs I wasn't able to do. They used to offer online booking and afternoon cancellations pre covid, so even more people are calling than would have been before too.

I ended up calling 111 who managed to work out what was wrong, get me an appt that day with my gp and some medication.

It's frustrating as well when you know you've got something that's not urgent, but isnt going to wait 2 weeks either.

@Botherfreedays

I complain about this all the time at my GO surgery. It does not ensure equal access.

Yes, I am autistic and don't find using the phone accessible, so these appointments are simply not open to me (on top of my other issues accessing healthcare).

We have this it's ridiculous. If any of us is sick we are all on our phones at 7.55 on redial no queuing system. We all three of us speed dial continuously until one of us gets through. If it gets beyond 8:30 we are buggered and all appts gone. We are then given the two week option. If we take the two week option we are not allowed to try again the next day.

Haven't RTFT, but yes this is my main issue with my GP who offers a similar service. They did use to offer online appointment booking also, which was fantastic if it wasn't urgent, as an adult you could make that decision and book an appointment a week later. Great. Along came COVID and they immediately reverted to the 'everyone ring at 8am' nonsense - with the same result as you have been getting. Hanging on the phone until you get through, then no appointments.
It's useless. I called 96 times to get an appointment, (my mobile phone counted the recalls) by which point I was FURIOUS and frustrated. I refrained from being an arse to the receptionist, but I can see how it happens. Can't wait for the GP survey to come out so I can give them the feedback this system deserves.

Couldn’t agree more. I called at 8am a few weeks ago was on hold for 40 mins to be told someone would call me be back which they did, only they weren’t sure and wanted a second opinion so I waited another 5 hours to be called back again. Had an ultrasound, waited in hold for 25 minutes at about 4pm (thinning this would be a safe time to call, nope!) only to be told I needed to speak to a doctor but I couldn’t make an appointment and I had to call on the day.. which I did and there were no appointments. Remains an unsolved problem which has now been ongoing for weeks, filled out an e consult last night saying someone would
contact me today.. it’s now 2pm🤷🏼‍♀️ I work in a job where I can’t be waiting by the phone all day, the hospitals are functioning as well as can be, why are GPs still insisting on this phone triage system?! I just want to see someone in person. I can see why people just give up and leave problems😔

@Skysblue

Ps *@feistyoneyouare* I totally agree. It isn’t free, we pay a fortune for the NHS and it is v badly managed, with some questionable decisions made about what NHS will pay for and what it will not. I personally am pretty unhappy about my taxes having been used to fund puberty blockers and sex changes for example. Would much rather the NHS had working IT / shorter waiting lists. A child family member spent a year on a waiting list for “urgent” surgery because the available beds kept being taken by emergency cases. How about a few more paediatric beds and a few less sex changes eh.

Eventually my family member’s condition deteriorated and they were moved from the urgent list to ‘emergency’ at which point an ambulance took them in for emergeny operation. The NHS shouldn’t have put a child through a year of steady decline and there were long term consequences. Child was under age 5.

@Skysblue that's awful, so sorry it had to get to that point for your family member. I agree, some of the NHS's priorities really need interrogating.

@Bagamoyo1

While some of you slag off the NHS, can you remember a post last week from someone in Portugal, who's child needed treatment for an infection? This cost 200 euros, so they were left with very little for food that week. What a wonderful service Europe has!

But go for it - slag off the NHS - never mind the fact that all NHS staff have worked harder this past year than most of you can imagine. While some of you have been furloughed, learning languages and wondering which Netflix series to watch next, NHS staff have been nearly killing themselves keeping it all going.

I'm hiding this thread now so don't bother having a go at me.

I can appreciate the NHS while simultaneously being annoyed that my GP surgery have not answered the phone once despite DH and I both trying multiple times throughout the day, every day, for nearly two weeks. Our one year old needs to be seen by a Dr (or at least be discussed with a dr over the phone). It is like they have just taken the phone off the hook.

My old surgery had that essentially you got better or poorly enough to need hospital treatment. I was hospitalised for intravenous antibiotics due to untreated tonsillitus. I went to a Brooks clinic (are they even still a thing) for birth control.

You could only book 3 weeks in advance; ring at 8 for same day/ within 72 hours appointments. All appointments gone every day.

My doctors now is fab, call first thing and you'll get a same day appointment maybe next day if unlucky. They'll always squeeze in a sick child and the receptionist doesn't ask for details.

It's a real postcode lottery tbh.

Mine has no bookable appointments at all, you must ring at 8. Last year just before lockdown I tried every morning for a week, then eventually phoned at lunchtime, and burst into tears - funnily enough they found me a slot an hour later. It was just a stupid sinus infection, and although I felt lousy, it wasn’t going to kill me, but it struck me that there must be people who really did need to see someone urgently.

You will be rung anytime between your call and 6pm. You get two rings to answer the phone. Messages are not left. If you don't answer you are classed as DNA in statistics. When rung you will be either treated, directed to use e-consult and possibly offered an appointment.

God don't!!!! My doctors does this, always from a withheld number too. I can't sit staring at my phone all day.

The calling at any random time of the day always confuses me because surely as healthcare workers they realise this is totally inaccessible to lots of working people including most notably, erm, other healthcare workers? My DH works in an A&E department, every time he needs to speak to a GP at his practice he has to spend ages explaining why he needs a time slot and then inevitably speaking to the practice manager to complain before they will agree to this. He can't answer the phone in the middle of a consultation with a severely ill child at work

@MeadowHay

The calling at any random time of the day always confuses me because surely as healthcare workers they realise this is totally inaccessible to lots of working people including most notably, erm, other healthcare workers? My DH works in an A&E department, every time he needs to speak to a GP at his practice he has to spend ages explaining why he needs a time slot and then inevitably speaking to the practice manager to complain before they will agree to this. He can't answer the phone in the middle of a consultation with a severely ill child at work

They told me when I complained that if you're ill enough to need an appointment then you wouldn't be working/doing anything else and could simply wait by the phone. Then there's a bit about how busy the NHS is due to covid and how it can't be done any other way.

The people who pay the doctors' wages and probably earn the most into the NHS are the ones least likely to get NHS care because they work such long hours in jobs. It is a massive turn around from when we set up the NHS whe my NHS doctor uncle ever got a council house (because in those days the idea was we all paid in and worked hard and all took out including free university, council houses even for doctors, loads of tax reliefs and set offs - my father even got tax relief on money covenanted to me to pay university rent - I only got a minimum grant). Now all that has gone and never in British history have a few of us paid so much of the burden of tax and got so little back from it.

It is time for a much small state and much lower taxes.

@peak2021

8am is probably the second worst time to pick after 830am. Even if you do not have children you will be preparing to start work or travel to work. 730am or 930am would be less inconvenient.

Appointments made by the internet should be easier to do, with some penalty for no-shows. Not being able to make an appointment may be understandable, but then failing to cancel is not.

Couldn’t agree more. My doctors opens at 8:30am and any hope of a same day appointment means ringing at 8:30am. I’m a teacher and the children start walking into my room at 8:35. If I don’t get through immediately, I miss my chance until 10:35 when it’s break time.

Face to face appt if I ring at 8am fat chance. Booked solid for 2weeks & can't enter appts after that "because the system doesn't release them that far ahead". Mysteriously Dr themself booked me an appt a month ahead last time, but hey ho. If you want a Tel appt tho, you can always get one same day if you ring at 8. Then the Dr says I need to see you & books you in a few days later. Every. Single. Time.