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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think phone appointments aren't always convenient?

108 replies

TheGenealogist · 12/08/2021 15:03

I need to speak to the GP, menopause related. They do not run a specific menopause clinic, cannot see the nurse as she is unable to prescribe, should it be decided I try HRT.

Phone surgery, telephone appointments only. They can offer me Wednesday morning, any time between 9 and 1. Have already arranged to see a friend on Wednesday for coffee. They can offer me Thursday morning, when I volunteer in a charity shop.

Now I know I am very much not being U by not wanting to discuss my hot flushes, recurrent UTIs and other symptoms in front of my volunteer colleagues, or all of the customers in the cafe.

If phone appointments are here to stay, why are they not being offered in slots? Even half an hour? Because yes I could do after 11am on Wednesday, but no.

Must be a nightmare for people in open plan offices or other roles where you can't just step away to take a call in private.

OP posts:
yomellamoHelly · 12/08/2021 17:00

I've missed three slots because they didn't stick to them, calling much later or earlier. (Was at work and not in a position to pick up the phone.)
If they'd called when they said they would it would have been fine.) In the end I got a snotty letter about not attending them even though on each occasion I left phone messages on their machines..... Was pretty pissed off about it.

ACloseMatch · 12/08/2021 17:01

I dropped my phone when my GP called - 3 hours after they said they would. I had to wait till the next day for a call back and she was shirty with me for "not being available yesterday ". I was in a lot of pain and cried at that point, for having taken a week of calls just to get that far.

onelittlefrog · 12/08/2021 17:11

We have 10 minute slots for GP phone appointments just as you would for a face to face. They are usually pretty good at sticking to them - sometimes 10-20 minutes early or late.

It's not great if they are saying they will call anytime during day... aside from the obvious privacy issues, it just seems like it's a lose-lose for the patient AND the doctor. The patient is inconvenienced having to wait at home all day for a call, but also the doctor is less likely to get through and will then have to rearrange.

Doesn't make any sense.

Hemingwaycat · 12/08/2021 17:12

They’re more convenient for me personally but then my GP’s is a 30 min walk away and I have two toddlers so find going there a major hassle.

MorriseysGladioli · 12/08/2021 17:14

I like a phone appointment, if only they were in time.

I end up at work, or on the bus, having to take a call that's 3 hours late!

MrsEricBana · 12/08/2021 17:17

I agree with your overall point OP but in your case you just need to cancel the cheque (coffee)

RandomLondoner · 12/08/2021 17:47

Very often the patient then missed the call altogether because they were on the phone to us trying to get through to complain. So it was changed. And in general works better.

Surely giving a 3.5 slot isn't the only alternative to giving a specific time though. How many people would be phoning to
complain if you gave 10:20 to 11:20 instead of just 10:20?

OverByYer · 12/08/2021 17:51

Don’t get me started on GPs I can’t even get a phone appointment Angry

OverByYer · 12/08/2021 17:52

I’m sure GPS think they’re the only professionals that are busy

StrawberrySquash · 12/08/2021 17:57

Agree. I had a phone appointment. Vague time. Missed the call. Surely the obvious thing to do is try again later? Instead I had to call the surgery and explain the situation and then get another call. Which they did, but that is just making work for the receptionist and ne; it's obvious the call still needs to be made. You can't expect people to put their lives on hold.

On the other hand I had another phone appointment with a time specified, so I made sure I put an alarm on my phone and was free. Appointment happened, nurse gets to tick me off list.

HmmmmmmInteresting · 12/08/2021 18:03

@CoffeeRunner

You could potentially be given an appointment time - but it would only be as reliable as when we used to be given a time for a face to face appointment (ie you might still have to wait an hour if unlucky).

I work in a GP surgery & every appointment does have a specific time slot - but the Receptionists aren't allowed to divulge it. They have to say "between 8.30 & 12" or "between 2.30 & 6".

This is because the phone lines are hideously busy as it is. They used to quote appointment times at the start of lockdown but would then receive lots of calls along the lines of "my appointment was 10. It's now quarter past". Very often the patient then missed the call altogether because they were on the phone to us trying to get through to complain. So it was changed. And in general works better.

Yes, this!
mistermagpie · 12/08/2021 18:06

Ours just says 'they ring you back today' and I agree it's really inconvenient. I don't care if it's your vagina or a sprained ankle you are discussing, I think everyone should have the right to be able to be sure their conversation with a GP is private. Nobody can really wait in all day for a call back and if you miss the call in our practice you go back to the start of the process the next day.

I don't mind a telephone consultation but you need to be given a time.

CoffeeRunner · 12/08/2021 18:42

@TheGenealogist

So *@CoffeeRunner* it sounds like it would be worth saying to the reception when I phone back to put me at the start or end of the list?
Yes, absolutely. Tell them you have a meeting at 10 until 11 (for example). They should put a note letting the clinician know that & book you an early or later time. Happens frequently at our practice.
ChloeCrocodile · 12/08/2021 18:54

If you had a F2F appt, presumably you'd have to take the time off work to go, OP, so I don't see any reason why you shouldn't take the time off to have a phone consult.

A F2F appointment has a specific time. My work (a school) would be fine if I had a specific appointment time so knew I’m be missing an hour or two for F2F, though they do expect routine stuff to be done after school or during holidays. Missing a whole day for a routine appointment because it is very private (call can’t be taken in school) and the GP won’t give a specific time is a pisstake imo.

notacooldad · 12/08/2021 19:01

I've had a few doctors appointments recently and they phoned exactly on the minute it was booked. This morning's one was for 8.40 and the phone rang at that time. It was by the advanced nurse . I have had two menopause related calls over the last month. Again those calls were exactly on the minute they were booked for. I wasn't rushed. This mornings appointment resulted in the nurse asking if I could come into the surgery in the next hour which I did. The menopause appointments were very though. I have found them great so far and shocked at such a wide time window some of you have.

MrsToothyBitch · 12/08/2021 19:16

It sounds like lots of surgeries don't quite have established rules or best practice yet.

Mixed bag at mine. They push us to fill in via their website or nhs app and they'll sort it asap. We are given an exact time but I had to ring the surgery last week to check someone had received my online request and booked me in as I'd heard nothing for 4 days. It was to be signed off so I was worried about timing and would've waited longer. The receptionist heard me explain that I was calling to see if they'd booked me in as per my apt request message and I think misheard as she suggested I "try and book an online appointment"! She eventually cottoned on and checked and confirmed I had 9am on Tues.

Received no other notification for this until 8:50am on Tues. Then at 9:15 I received a message on their site confirming I had a note which came by follow up email. I have been signed off with GAD & a panic disorder, initial chat with not one of my practice docs via their membership to an overflow/emergency app where you see a random GP from a huge pool. Great service luckily I hadn't need felt the need to actually talk to a GP or especially my GP when I requested to touch in & arrange sign off!

StartSelect · 12/08/2021 19:22

Don’t even get a rough time at mine, just a ‘the doctor will call’ last time I was in the office and asked the doctor to give me a moment to go outside. Massive sigh and told, quickly please! In a not very nice tone. I ended up trying to discuss my mental health in a busy yard with staff hanging around, ended up no further forward.

countrygirl99 · 12/08/2021 19:38

My horse vet can give me a 90 minute slot and they have to drive to me so I can't see why a GP sitting in an office can't do the same.

TheWayTheLightFalls · 12/08/2021 19:50

In your shoes OP I’d go ahead with the coffee and the phone consultation but just let your friend know that you may need to pop out for 10 minutes (??) if the GP happens to ring at that time. If it was me you were meeting I wouldn’t mind; we all know how it is with GPs at the moment.

What I’d like is an automated text when the GP is, say, 2-3 calls away from me. I think it would increase the chances of calls being answered.

Bagamoyo1 · 12/08/2021 20:03

I’m a GP, and what we do is phone calls for most of the surgery, with slots for face-to-face consultations at the end, depending on whether or the phone call suggests this is needed.

What this means it I will scan down my list, on which the reception staff will have written a few words about the problem, trying to decide who might need to be seen. What I’m trying to avoid is calling someone at 11.45, when the face-to-face slot is 12. There’s no way they can get to the surgery in 5 minutes.
So if I see that someone has abdominal pain, I’ll probably call them sooner than someone who wants to discuss their diabetes blood test result. I’ll need to see the patient with abdominal pain, so I need to ring them in time to assess them and get them up to the surgery.

Hence it can be very difficult to give specific times.

That said, people will sometimes say the call has to be after 4, or before 11, or whatever. And we try to accommodate that.

Bagamoyo1 · 12/08/2021 20:04

@countrygirl99

My horse vet can give me a 90 minute slot and they have to drive to me so I can't see why a GP sitting in an office can't do the same.
I very much doubt your horse vet has anything like the number of consultations in a day that a GP does.
GallowwayGirl88 · 12/08/2021 20:09

Sounds like most GP surgeries are running with the “doctor will phone you between 9-5” rubbish. You’d think after such a long time they’d have a better system in place.

Hyppogriff · 12/08/2021 20:16

Yes agreed the very broad slots are annoying! Our gp just says ‘the morning’ which means you need to wait by the phone all morning and they usually don’t call until lunchtime .

iolaus · 12/08/2021 20:16

I have to say I have a follow up appointment at the end of next month for an gynae op I had 2 weeks ago.

Appointment has come through and it's for a phone consultation (no issue with that) - however it's between 9am and 12.30pm, I can't run a clinic or see patients myself that morning now, whereas if they had a time I could

That said last time they were meant to ring me at 8.30 - she rang at 11 then because I was driving wouldn't talk to me (even though I'd said she was on hands free) and asked if I'd be free an 'about an hour or so if she tried later' - no I won't be because I didn't go to do my calls until 10 because of waiting for her call - my clinic started at 1 and I had 3 patients I needed to do home visits for before it starts - a) don't give a time if you can't do it (roughly) on time - or at least apologise for the fact you are late

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 12/08/2021 20:18

@countrygirl99

My horse vet can give me a 90 minute slot and they have to drive to me so I can't see why a GP sitting in an office can't do the same.
The horse vet probably costs a lot more per horse than the gp gets per patient!