‘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?

Waiting two to three weeks is one thing, but it's more than that if you've got an ongoing issue.

I called the GP in Nov after six weeks of diarrhea, they sent me for a blood test in Dec. I spoke to them when the results came, they wanted another blood test in a few weeks so I had that Jan. But they had ordered the wrong tests. So I had to go again in Feb, by then the blood test centre was shut to "routine" appointment due to Covid so I couldn't go until right at the end of Feb.

The results took two weeks as there were ten tests. I called to ask for the results and only the receptionist could speak to me, so a few days later I went to get the print outs.

Then I eventually managed to get through on the phone to book an appointment and the earliest was 12th April.

By the time I next see the GP I'll have had diarrhea for five months. Not 2-3 weeks.

My GP surgery doesn’t even give you appointments days in advance.

It’s ‘call that day at 9am when reception opens for an appointment the same day’ and that’s it. There are no options for future appointments unless it’s to see the nurse for a test etc.

And when you ring dead on 9am the phone line is permanently engaged. I think my record number of redial attempts was 132 before I finally got through.

Or alternatively you can go down to the GP surgery at 8am, take a ticket and sit around and wait on the off chance the Dr can see you.

When they brought in the online booking system, I jumped at that. Because on that you can actually book an appointment in advance and request a repeat prescription/medication. Took away the absolute nightmare ‘redial until your fingers bleed’ situation for me.

I went to see a pharmacist before calling my GP. Unfortunately their knowledge is limited and they can not write out prescriptions. The pharmacist I saw tried to advise and recommended medication. Which I bought. however at the end of our conversation she’s said if it’s no better by the end of the week see your doctor

@notacooldad

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

Exactly, which is why I mentioned prebooked/ routine appointments....you won't be on the phone at 8am will you...

Or seeing a GP....

@browneyes77

My GP surgery doesn’t even give you appointments days in advance.

It’s ‘call that day at 9am when reception opens for an appointment the same day’ and that’s it. There are no options for future appointments unless it’s to see the nurse for a test etc.

And when you ring dead on 9am the phone line is permanently engaged. I think my record number of redial attempts was 132 before I finally got through.

Or alternatively you can go down to the GP surgery at 8am, take a ticket and sit around and wait on the off chance the Dr can see you.

When they brought in the online booking system, I jumped at that. Because on that you can actually book an appointment in advance and request a repeat prescription/medication. Took away the absolute nightmare ‘redial until your fingers bleed’ situation for me.

Oh and they’ve pulled the online booking system now because of Covid, so back to competitive redialling at 9am...🙄

Exactly, which is why I mentioned prebooked/ routine appointments....you won't be on the phone at 8am will you...hmm
Maybe not but thats why I said earlier I have had better success at ringing at 09.p0hrs rather than 08.00hrs. Everyone is ringing then and you can't get through.

People who are cancelling their appointment are also ringing and can't get through.
I have found when it is urgent ring after the initial rush and explain that you are in absolute pain (assuming you are) and they have always found either an emergency appointment or told me to come at the end of morning surgery.
The longest I've had to wait is 9hours.

We had this for a few years. It got to the point where people were queuing up outside the surgery from 7am to book them at the desk before the phone people. When you do get in, you are told that you are only allowed to mention one medical issue. Some of us have multiple ongoing health issues that are quite serious. You need more than one appointment then. When you can barely get one anyway.
It got a bit better when they introduced online booking - if you were prepared to check at regular intervals all day for when they had opened up a few more slots.
Been nearly all phone appointments since covid, but many people are only dealing with the things they absolutely must. I know lots of people, DH and I included, who have referrals on ice - so there must be a huge backlog of catch up stuff in the pipeline.

Ours do this. It means you have to physically travel there by 0725 and queue outside, waiting for surgery to open at 0800. Farce.

I had exactly the same problem last week phoning for my contraceptive implant replacing except that you were phoning at 8am to get on that days call back list. At 8:45 when I was able to call it was full. After 3 attempts I was raging. I wrote a strongly worded email about access to contraception going back to the dark ages.....they then phoned me and booked an appointment

I need to speak to a GP about my 12yo DD's medication. I've been trying for two weeks. Once I managed to get through and got told phone at 8am next day. I did, only to get the message that the mailbox is full. Despite trying every day I can't even get through to them.

Ours is 'call at 8am and beg the receptionist to put you forward for an appointment if you tell them your life story'. I hate it. I rarely call and have recently stopped as EVERY SINGLE TIME they put my infertility to the end of the line: I'm exhausted fighting for the chance to speak to a doctor about results from hospital scans etc.

@Ginandplatonic

Not unreasonable at all - that sounds very frustrating from the perspective of someone outside the UK. I think I’d be blaming someone tbh - that’s a ridiculous, inefficient and potentially dangerous appointment lottery. Surely they can improve on that??

How is it dangerous?

For anything urgent you wouldn't be going to a good.

So what to do when phone constantly engaged. Over 200 calls in one week and not getting through. What now! Will not entertain walk in face to face appointment making. This is totally unacceptable.

*Not unreasonable at all - that sounds very frustrating from the perspective of someone outside the UK. I think I’d be blaming someone tbh - that’s a ridiculous, inefficient and potentially dangerous appointment lottery. Surely they can improve on that??

How is it dangerous?

For anything urgent you wouldn't be going to a good.*

I've gone to an appointment previously with something I thought wasn't 'that serious' and been rushed to surgery the same day.

If I'd have taken the '6 week wait' appointment things might've been very different-

I think the problem is they're all a bit stretched with not enough slots! My gp allows online booking which I'm finding males it a bit easier to get a phone appointment at least during this pandemic

I'm finding it alot easier to at least get a telephone appointment now than before the pandemic- I get that resources are stretched but the figure in non covid related deaths/ delays in diagnosis are through the roof.

A pp mentioned the 'one medical issue per appointment' rule, that's the same for us. Just over a year ago I asked my doctor if she could check a patch of skin on my forehead (dry, itchy, raised) but because that wasn't what I was initially there for she refused and said 'it's probably nothing'- no other advice, she didn't even look.

I have some tests at hospital today after a long wait as I now have two lumps- I hope she was right- I'm really worried - this won't have been the first time somethings been ignored and turned out to be serious-

Who knows how urgent health complaints are, that's what GPs are supposed to be there for.

The days of having a one on one relationship with 'your doctor' are gone, I just think the whole system needs changing- Walk in health centres/telephone consultation seem to be the way forward

It's such an outdated appointment system and about as useful as a chocolate teapot if you have kids and work. 8am is possibly the worst time to find 10 mins!

@Frazzledd

*Not unreasonable at all - that sounds very frustrating from the perspective of someone outside the UK. I think I’d be blaming someone tbh - that’s a ridiculous, inefficient and potentially dangerous appointment lottery. Surely they can improve on that??

How is it dangerous?

For anything urgent you wouldn't be going to a good.*

I've gone to an appointment previously with something I thought wasn't 'that serious' and been rushed to surgery the same day.

If I'd have taken the '6 week wait' appointment things might've been very different-

@Frazzledd agreed. My sister was told by her GP to go straight to A&E as the GP suspected an ectopic pregnancy. The GP was right. DSis didn’t know she was pregnant, she thought she was having an unusually heavy period.

200 fruitless calls are to get a nasty growing mole seen too, I'm so worried for him but I know he will give up soon and as it's on his back forget about it.

We also have this. And the queuing outside as at least you know you will get an appointment that way, rather than 'try again tomorrow'

Our surgery opens at 8.30. In normal times I start work at 8am, 35 minutes away.

So even if I do get through when I phone from work, they'll say 'the only appointment we have left is at 8.45. And seem completely baffled that someone might be at work outside of our very small town and isn't in sprinting distance of the surgery!

Also, the same day appointment situation means I can't give work any notice, I've even booked half day holidays on the hope that I would get an appointment on the morning of the day in question after queuing outside. PPs right, it is a complete farce.

Ddot he needs to tell them it's an emergency. He needs to say the C word. I'm so sorry, that's awful

At the practice where DH is a GP, there are four full time GP’s and c9,000 patients. They have seen patients face to face throughout lockdown where the GP decides it is needed. Other appointments are by phone or online. Appointments are booked online or by phone with a number held for urgent appointments. The practice has a nurse practitioner and normally two receptionists. They have taken on four extra receptionists to handle additional calls about the Covid vaccination and to contact patients about their vaccine appointments.
Surgery appointments are 8am - 12 noon and 4pm - 6pm with two evenings a week and one Saturday morning a month.
The reason you can’t get an appointment when you want or get through on the phone is because too many other people also want appointments. This is not the fault of the GP’s.

WeathwaxLives
Cant get through to even explain.
Maybe I worry too much because I've had a cancer.