‘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?

Our GP doesn't do any advance appointments 😞 so if you need blood tests, medication, b12 injections you have to run the gauntlet of phoning at 8am and crossing your fingers. My dd1 had a urine infe tion that landed her in hospital at the beginning of lockdown, the gp refused to see her and she was seen by the nurse, the nurse would leave the room speak to gp amd return. She was sent to hospital with sispected appendicitus. Luckily it was a bad urine infection with complication of too much blood that they couldn't work out where it was comong from. We were told ahe had to be seen by a dr if she got another. (dd was7) she got another a few months later and the gp refused to see her. Only checked her urine because my mil took a sample to the surgery and refused to leave unless they checked it. Gp was to phone us back but never did, after 2h waiting to get through they finally agreed to send a prescription to the chemist at 5pm. I actually don't think they care, it's a shame as it was a great surgery before all the gps changed.

It just doesn't work
Say I wake up with the start of a UTI. I start work at 8am so ring my boss to say I need time to ring the GP. Get through at 8.20am (if lucky), all appointments gone. Apologise to my boss, ask to take time to try again at 2pm. Get through. No appointments
Try again the next day. Again, taking time off work. They ask me to bring a urine sample down but they won't test at the surgery now. Take time off work, drop it off
Next day sample comes back. So it's now 3 days and still no treatment (and I'm at risk of neutropenic sepsis). GP reception rings and says I need a telephone appointment. Ring boss, explain. Have to take the afternoon off as I can't do my job and wait for a call
Get the call. Yes, you're got a UTI and need antibiotics

Take the antibiotics, but it's been too long since the UTI started and it's not working and I need stronger ones.... repeat all the above

Add on to that not being able to get bloods done out of work time, hospital appointments and several chronic illnesses that all need regular bloods/consultants etc and I run out of annual leave from work by august! Even WFH I can't just take 30 mins off, it has to be booked in advance or I go sick and then affect my sickness record

Oh and you can't book GP appointments in advance now so god knows what I do when they want to do a thyroid review

We can't even call for your appointments y. You register online and go through a complex form. Then if you are deserving they will call you at a time of their choosing.

I used to have monthly appointments. I've not been called once. Frankly I've had it with them.

Yanbu. It's not about resources, just a badly designed and poorly managed system.

I would rather have the NZ system. Pay 25 quid for an appointment. Have never been unable to get one same day/next day whatever we need.
Just because something is 'free' (it's not btw) doesn't mean it's any good.

Oh and to add, those with chronic illness/on benefits get their doctors appts free as do ALL children

My GP was lovely. But my last appointment left me broken. Having gone on holiday for two weeks to a very high risk covid area (the GP not believing covid was actually a risk) they came back to work the following day, told me I was severely depressed and very unwell and to go back ten days later. I was frightened as they said they'd just come back from Italy but they laughed, I'd also had a shielding letter from my specialist and had no safe help, told not to worry my appointments would remain as I was so ill and couldn't get appointments, and a friend had recently ended their life.

My appointment ten days later they went for me for turning up. And I mean went for me. Called me selfish. Told me the staff were all off with covid because of me (they weren't they were off due to sheilding) no appointments as I had plenty of support (people who have read my posts before will know that two of the my abusers were allowed to work as volunteers, not prosecuted, and allowed access to my data). They didn't care. They complained about needing to work. People like me were ungrateful and unfair and rude. Why didn't I feel more sorry for them for being forced to work? I knew their partner was a hospital consultant so they'd both be forced to be off because I selfishly turned up in a taxi. People were dying because of me (I've lost people close to me to covid and it was horrific and I blame myself). Didn't I know everything was going to be closed indefinitely from now on (not surprised at all that people panic bought everything if GPs were telling people things like that). I needed to have "more respect" for them in s horrific job and I could simply buy a new phone or borrow one from friends/family I'd mentioned (abusive family that'd be) then told me only phone calls from then on or online. If I couldn't access (and I can't) I was to just pop to the shop and buy brand new. There was zero consideration for where the money was to come from (prompting a lecture about me needing to understand how little they earnt). If I got covid I'd be left to die as I'm dying anyway.

Then I was told to stop being silly and they were stopping the daily medication I was on that prevented me ending my life because daily collection meant others would die and I was being selfish and irresponsible. I didn't argue I was so devastated I was actually glad they were helping me end my life but knew the pharmacy wouldn't give me meds to end my life, gp refused me a a letter and consequently they stayed in place. I'm supposed to be seen weekly, due to being high risk but it's been a year now.

I missed my friends service (I was only one allowed to go) to go through that because the surgery sent me a letter telling me to attend. I've not been more than half a mile from my door step in years. Yet that GP not only recent to that appointment but since then has been repeatedly to Italy to ski and blames me for covid.

But worse than that I'm the gullible idiot who put them and the surgery forward for awards for my care, and, they didn't really give a shit. I got home from that appointment in tears to find my rapist at my door because he'd been allowed to become my volunteer. No one gave a shit. I even had threads on here removed about it, being called irresponsible for not sheilding. How could I? Knowing he was allowed to volunteer? That another abusers was also allowed to volunteer? Why? Because the police did nothing so they had full DBS.

Now I've no appointments. No treatment and facing dwp fraud charges, I feel a total fool for thinking I was good enough to be helped. More than two dozen safeguarding reports have been made about my health by the pharmacy, alone. All ignored and dismissed.

The NHS is broken. When I worked for them I sat in seminars about global pandemic, which the NHS would hold every few years and it was utter bullshit excuses. Anyone who said so was given short shrift and shown the door. This is what they decided in a sentence "the uk will not be effected because it is an island". Seriously.

@QueenPaw if it’s any help I had a UTI recently and couldn’t get an appointment and went to the Walk in Centre. Might be an option if you live near one. The one in my area is the only place you can see a doctor in person

ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/pdfscache/37382.pdf Here’s a comparison of GP numbers per capita in the UK and other European countries. It may explain why service appears or is better elsewhere.

For all those still with the ring at 8, do you not have the option of online? My gp triages online then contacts you if you need to be seen. It works really well and I’ve been brought in there ASAP when I’ve mentioned poorly children.

Our practise have stopped online booking since coronavirus. Even then you could only use it to book a limited variety of in advance slots not on the day.

Yesterday it took me over 200 goes to get through. Receptionist said no to speaking to a doctor but when I explained the complex situation agreed to do a medicine request with the GP. An hour later the GP phoned me and we had a very useful phone appointment!

@LadyWithLapdog

ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/pdfscache/37382.pdf Here’s a comparison of GP numbers per capita in the UK and other European countries. It may explain why service appears or is better elsewhere.

Interesting stats quick glance UK GPs seem on average to be younger than other countries. Do we need to encourage GPs to work longer.

Ours has a queueing system on the phone and if you ring at 8 you can often get an appointment that day but it's always with a nurse practitioner. I've been with my surgery for years and neither I nor my DC have ever had even a scheduled appointment with one of the practice GPs. It has always been a nurse or a locum. I don't even know what the GPs look like. They are all part time too.

My GP surgery used to be great, but all of the other local surgeries have closed and they have taken on too many patients. Since the pandemic started they have suspended online booking and will not book non urgent appointments in advance, so the only way to book is to ring at 8am, if you have a spare couple of hours to try and get through.

My smear test is overdue because it takes about 40 minutes at least to get through at the best of times, and I don’t have that much time on a working day.

Ours you can book for anything except same day online which takes a lot of pressure off the phone lines
Unfortunately their booking system is the only good thing about them. The drs are rubbish and they have a huge turnover of staff (senior partner is a bit of an arse personally and professionally) so even if they do occasionally have a good dr they are gone by the time you next have an appointment.
I've had dangerous advice from them, luckily I have a great consultant for a long term condition and DH is also a hospital consultant and I've been able to double check things.
Unfortunately it's a rural practice so we are unable to change as nobody else covers our area.

I have resorted to sending recorded delivery letters to clinics in some instances when I haven’t been able to get through. That usually shakes things up.

Yes, that is a good plan. I use those too for various purposes and they tend to be taken more seriously - the one to head office of our holiday company last year got me a full refund of our holiday deposit rather than vouchers and we got it quickly.

These stories are dreadful. What use is the NHS if you can’t access it?

@LadyWithLapdog

ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/pdfscache/37382.pdf Here’s a comparison of GP numbers per capita in the UK and other European countries. It may explain why service appears or is better elsewhere.

It also varies what they're expected to do. From what I've seen in Germany, GPs mostly refer out to specialists - so you'd see a gynaecologist for a smear, rather than your GP. Here, GPs do almost everything and only refer when there's really nothing more they can do themselves.

@AgentCooper

These stories are dreadful. What use is the NHS if you can’t access it?

It's probably pretty good dealing with emergencies and treating illnesses in hospital as long as you haven't died on the waiting list.

"It also varies what they're expected to do. From what I've seen in Germany, GPs mostly refer out to specialists - so you'd see a gynaecologist for a smear, rather than your GP. Here, GPs do almost everything and only refer when there's really nothing more they can do themselves."

Yes, in many countries you can go straight to a specialist. Even in some countries where you have to be referred by a GP for some specialists, some others are direct access, most often things like gynaecologists and paediatricians.
We definitely need more GPs.

@MajorTomBola

My GP surgery used to be great, but all of the other local surgeries have closed and they have taken on too many patients. Since the pandemic started they have suspended online booking and will not book non urgent appointments in advance, so the only way to book is to ring at 8am, if you have a spare couple of hours to try and get through.

My smear test is overdue because it takes about 40 minutes at least to get through at the best of times, and I don’t have that much time on a working day.

My smear test is over due too I looked up NHS inform website it’s supposed to be every three years for my age group It’s been about 4 years since I’ve had one. I’m not stressing myself trying to call the surgery about it. Surely they should be issuing automatic letters ?

Letters in Scotland are sent by the health board not GP surgeries. Routine screening is only just restarting but surgeries are limited by the number of patients they can accommodate in the waiting room with social distancing. Many surgeries are also doing Covid imms at the moment. In Scotland we still have severe restrictions

I woke up ill this morning and rang 111 as my GP would have ran out of appointments at that time, turns out they did a referall to my GP and they found time to call me a couple of hours later, they were willing to give me anti emetics and antibiotics when it could be a viral issue as they noticed I have a baby on my record so very good service really.

I love our new GP appointment system. They have either a online questionnaire or you call up before 12. Then you are triaged and either get a same day appointment or the doctor will message you with additional questions and create a prescription for you. They also have signed up the livi so you can have doctors appointments for one offs whenever you like.
I think our gp practice is brilliant now.