‘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?

I am a GP receptionist. Here u have to call at 8am for a phone consult that day. I run out at 8:15. Then give out the GP overflow number where they can speak to a qualified doctor in the area. Amazing how many people MUST speak to the doctir here, f and blind at me, but don't want to speak to a doctor. Some patients have to call for 2 or 3 days at 8am to get a call back. I know it's frustrating but there are only 30 appoinments available per day and we have 5000 patients

Make it impossible if you work. My fella is off on holiday for a week so thought he would book appointment this week. Almost 200 calls and still hasn't got through. He walked to doctors but was told he would have to call as wouldnt accept anything else. Mind blown!

I was 33rd in the queue at 0800 on monday morning but at least they gave a same day telephone appointment.

I've lived in different places with 3 diff GPs and always had this problem.

Ours now offers e-consultations or you ring when you need to (within reason) and the doctor will call you back for an appointment and if they feel the need, will summon you to attend the surgery.

Very sensible, it's been a godsend since I got Covid in December and my body has been doing all sorts of weird tiresome shit. It's enabled diabetes to be picked up, and high blood pressure issues too,

It does have one negative- you do have to be available to take the callback.

I hope that they keep this system going after Covid is declared over and done with, it seems much more efficient.

@notacooldad
I went to the pharmacist first ACTUALLY, but they wouldn't sell anything to me as she's only 4. She wasn't "suffering for 3 days" it was a dot the size of a pen top, it wasn't covering her entire face

I thought most GPs would have an online system by now.
I have never been disappointed with my GP surgery, I do feel very lucky after hearing most of the posts here.
I have always managed to book a same day appointment using their app for bookings, I usually either check in the evenings and I find something for the next day or check first thing in the morning for the same day. If I can't find something I then call and the receptionists can find a slot.

Same thing has been happening at my GP for years now

My Gp is the same . Took me 30 minutes to get through after being held in a queue. Had to listen to awful music whilst a recorded bored voice interrupted occasionally to give a count down to where I was in the queue. Finally spoke to the receptionist . Who definitely had ideas of grandeur. Wanted to know why I was calling . After a heated conversation I gave up . Found a number on line to a medical hub in my area . Spoke to the receptionist who arranged for a doctor to call me back later . Which he did .

I can only assume that we are very fortunate at our surgery in Devon. They operate a daily walk in system between 8am - 9:30am. If you turn up during those times you get to see a doctor. The longest I have ever waited is probably 20 mins. Even during the past year it has worked. You turn up, call reception from your car and a doctor calls you back within 5 - 10 mins. If deemed necessary, you get to go into the surgery. It’s not a tiny surgery either, it covers 80 Sqm and 12 reasonably sized villages.

Tessabelle1
ACTUALLY!!!
😂😂😂

It's like a stropy 14 year old typed that!!

@notacooldad
Or a stropPy mother that doesn't appreciate mansplaining when most of us deal with poorly children whilst Dads swan off to work

@Tessabelle1
Or a stropPy mother that doesn't appreciate mansplaining when most of us deal with poorly children whilst Dads swan off to work
What on earth are you rambling on about?

We have the same. So annoying.. wait on the line for 1 hour to get through, then they tell you there is nothing free for next two weeks and to call again... This can really be much better organized, why only booking for two weeks, why not more in the future? If something pops up they can call and reschedule instead of asking people to call and block the line again and again. So frustrated. Does anyone know - if I have private insurance, can I just go directly to private GP and skip this nonsense?

I managed, after 3 hours of being engaged then in a holding queue to speak to a Doctor on Tuesday about my poorly DH. The Doctor said DH needed a chest X-ray, blood tests and he would see him on Thursday (today). He said someone would contact us with further details.
No-one did. I phoned for hours yesterday and today and finally got through at 5.45 tonight. While I was speaking to the receptionist, who knew nothing, I got a text from NHS no-reply telling DH off not not attending his appointment today at 16.30 and wasting NHS resources. At the same time he pinged up on the receptionists system as a DNA (did not attend). She managed to sort it out and he's having blood tests tomorrow and seeing a doctor tomorrow evening. The chest X-ray has been requested. I feel I have spent the past few days permanently on the phone to the surgery. No option to do it online. It's so very frustrating.

Pre-pandemic we had to call 8.30 and it was a nightmare trying to get through. Now the surgery aren't taking calls and we have to book a call back via an online system to arrange a phone appointment. However, the last time we tried this we didn't receive a call back from the surgery and my husband ended up in A&E.

About 8 year ago I was with a different surgery and I could call at any time of the day and book an appointment.

My GP does the 8am thing. But they don't book appointments in advance. So you have to phone everyday just to get a routine appointment "on the same day". This annoys me greatly because other people will be needing an emergency appointment and I have taken it!

My son used to catch the school bus at 8am so I had this dilemma of whether i let him get in the bus or not "just in case" he got a doctors appointment!

It is so annoying. I had a recurring UTD last year and could not get an appointment as we were in temporary accommodation whilst moving house. The local GP wouldn't see me or offer a telephone appointment. Eventually I called our old GP in the area we'd left who was kindness itself, sending a prescription electronically to a local pharmacy. The next time I used 111 and again they were great, sending a prescription to the pharmacy.
I think it's just luck whether you have a good GP but I do appreciate how hard it is to do that job conscientiously.
We have an excellent new GP now we've moved and they are very responsive to email request for help so we don't need to call. Yet the three other practices who share the same health centre are just as user unfriendly as the OP's practice and you have to call at 8 but rarely get through.

I am always shocked when i read stuff like this. My surgery has been using online appointment booking, phone and email consultation, phone triage and online or phone advice for YEARS. The online appointments are now all phonecalls instead fo face to face but their service hasn't missed a beat throughout the pandemic. they are a small surgery and all the staff are both kind and efficient.

I should also add that we managed to register online, get usernames and passwords and get DH's repeat prescription for cardiac meds within three days - all at a time when they're under huge pressure because of Covid. The receptionists are charming and efficient and we had new patient appointments and flu jabs within the week.

Most things that need a GP can wait 2-3 weeks. The odd thing is truly urgent and needs seeing same day

There are loads and loads of things that (a) can be dealt with by pharmacy or nurse or (b) get better on their own given 2 weeks

I used to have a GP like this, I moved GP to one with time to see patients and can get same or next day appointments now. Also book online using Patient Access; you can't always get great slots but you can extend most prescriptions with no faff and when you really need to talk with someone urgently there's usually an appointment there.

@Feetupteashot

Most things that need a GP can wait 2-3 weeks. The odd thing is truly urgent and needs seeing same day

There are loads and loads of things that (a) can be dealt with by pharmacy or nurse or (b) get better on their own given 2 weeks

What things can wait 2/3 weeks? I've only ever phoned for a GP appointment when I've been sick, needed medication/antibiotics, rashes, lumps, temperatures.... that can't wait 2/3 weeks?

Routine check ups 2/3 weeks? I can't think of anything else, that's not most people...plus they're usually prebooked...

And this is why signing up to a local GP was the worst decision I ever made. If your not signed up you can just call around all the GPs until you find a slot and sign in as a visiting patient.

What things can wait 2/3 weeks?
My smear test is booked for 2nd April.
I book my contraceptive injection weeks in advance.
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