AIBU - I have called the GP over 200 times this morning

[IAmADancer]

Just that. I need to get a blood test referral for menopause symptoms but I can’t get through. I started calling at 8am and have called over 200 times. It’s still engaged.

I know that if I call back at 10am when it’s quieter they will tell me there are no appointments and to call back tomorrow. Then you go through the same routine all over again. I just want to access basic care. Feeling very frustrated

Our surgery drives me round the bend. There is no online contact unless for admin purposes or econsults. I counted 73 questions in my child's econsult last week! If you want an appt they won't pre book so you ring on the day which involves hitting redial 500000 times from 8.30 every morning until you get one, although if you ring now you get told to econsult and appts are booked like two weeks away!

Massive sympathies OP as my practice has the same system. No e-consult, no phone queuing just keep redialling until you get through to the switchboard then you have to hope someone in appointments actually answers the phone.

I paid for some private blood tests as I was concerned about something. They came back as abnormal and recommended a GP appointment. Took me about a week to get that, GP refused to accept the private results and insisted on carrying out their own. That was another two week wait, those took two weeks to process and also came back abnormal and I’ve now been trying to get further GP appointment for the last week! Nearly 6 weeks later and I’m still no further forward. Madness.

Can’t change surgeries as all others are oversubscribed and won’t take patients already registered with a GP.

@XenoBitch

Seems the main point OP is making is that is nigh on impossible to see a GP nowadays. The reason she is trying to get an appointment is irrelevant really.

My surgery has the same system, its always been like that as they only make appointments on the day. You ring constantly from 8.30am until you don't get the engaged signal and it actually rings !

After all appointments are used up, it changes to a queue system.

Once I'd finally got through, the doctors were telling me they couldn't find any record of her etc etc.

I can read perfectly thank you.

And even if it was the receptionist, again you are tying up their time

Gosh this is shocking.

One of my family members has resorted to sending letters by post enclosing photographs where appropriate. It works because it gets him in the system (i.e. there is a piece of paper littering someone's desk). A doctor then calls him back.

Not quite carrier pigeon but close!

@Rosebel

Surely if you call back at 10 they can book you an appointment for a few days time. Is it essential it's done today? Thats if they consider your blood test essential. A lot of blood tests aren't being done at the moment. I know how annoying it is trying to get through in the morning though. Our GP always seems to be engaged too.

To be fair, anyone who wants a non urgent appointment at our GP surgery has to wait a minimum of 5 weeks for a slot. If you need one sooner, you have to call on the day to try to get on for that day.

The system sucks and wastes everyone's time.

@IAmADancer

I find it fascinating to read some of the comments that say as a woman, I should just get on with it because it’s normal. I also find it incredibly sad that women are constantly told this and we accept it.

We have a right to basic healthcare and that covers women’s reproductive health. Menopause impacts everyone differently but regardless of that we should be able to access the support/medication that we need in order for us to continue as healthy functioning adults.

It infuriates me that we dismiss and belittle women into feeling that we are taking advantage of the NHS when it is a valid and necessary medical need that requires medication. We need to stop making women feel bad for wanting help and we need to stop judging people for needing help. How about supporting and encouraging people. It’s not just about the NHS. If you are struggling, be it with menopause symptoms or other issues that only women face, it has a wider impact. The more women not able to work the less money goes back into the economy which in turn means less money going into public services. Whilst one woman won’t have that much impact, hundreds of thousands of women will.

It makes me very angry that women are treated this way and it needs to stop.

Absolutely spot on, OP.

It's infuriating, and women should especially know better.

I hope you're able to get the support you need. I went straight onto HRT this year once the symptoms of menopause kicked in; it has so many benefits, and women shouldn't be made to jump through circus hoops to access them.

@MyMushroomsInATimeSlip

There is a national shortage of blood test containers and only essential or urgent bloods are being done. Does yours fit this criteria do you know? If not you will likely have to wait

This, I sat with my daughter breathing difficulties in A&E for 4 hours with another girl same age, with her Mum. The girl was waiting for a blood test due to excessive bleeding.

@girlmom21 How do you propose op does this, when she can't get through at all, and if she phones after 10am, they tell her to phone back the next day at 8am?
I have read your posts about your numerous excuses. You need to advocate for yourself and insist on a call back.
Don't just take no for an answer...

This thread has been bonkers! Some of the responses, I just don't know what to say. I suspect @IAmADancer if you'd just posted with I can't get through to even speak to a receptionist to see if I can speak to my gp, not saying you wanted a blood test, you may have had different replies. Though, once the nagging for why do you need to see a gp, op? started you'd have been berated for drip feeding.

Anyhoo, hope the semaphore contacting has been going well

@LukeEvansWife

Once I'd finally got through, the doctors were telling me they couldn't find any record of her etc etc.

I can read perfectly thank you.

And even if it was the receptionist, again you are tying up their time

The next bit specifically says it was the receptionist. "Doctors" is referring generically to the surgery which is clear from the content of the post and as we've clarified it was completely unintentional.

@longtompot she hasn't tried calling late afternoon - which was my suggestion. If she does, she's highly likely to get through to someone and can put a bit more pressure on to get a call back.

I've been messaged by my practice that they can only do emergency blood test due to a lack of capsules ( or whatever they're called)

IAmADancer I feel your pain I really do. Sadly even when I was able to speak to a GP I was brushed off and told the NHS doesn't do blood tests for the menopause. I invested in myself and saw a private gynaecologist in the end. Obviously that meant I could bypass the GP and go straight to a specialist but the main thing for me was that I was able to take back control. The British Menopause Society is a good place to start if you decide to go down that route.

[quote girlmom21]@longtompot she hasn't tried calling late afternoon - which was my suggestion. If she does, she's highly likely to get through to someone and can put a bit more pressure on to get a call back. [/quote]
If her surgery is anything like mine was, (thankfully they have changed and it's much easier,) then no she wouldn't be told that. She would have been told to call back the next day at 8am.
My surgery has removed the ability to make online appointments and is unlikely to reinstate them. You can't make an appointment by turning up, or by emailing.

The surgery is a building go to the building explain how much money you have spent on aborted phone calls. My OH did this and got seen

Not sure if it would help, but you could try writing to the practice manager and explaining the difficulties you're having, how many times you've tried to ring, how much time you've spent on it, etc.

Of course you should be able to see/speak to a GP aobut this. It's not trivial, it's a basic thing that the NHS should do. I've had blood tests and two GP phone consultations about menopause during the last year.

You could also write to your MP. It probably won't make a difference in the short term, which is what you need, but MPs do need to be told when publicly-funded services aren't actually serving people.

[quote user1497207191]**@welliesarefuntowear* There are always ways to contact your gp surgery online. It's in the contract.*

How is that enforced? Just checked our surgery website, there is no email address. Just checked their patientaccess app, the only thing you can do online is order a repeat prescription- no facility for online appointments and no "contact us" either.

The only thing on the surgery website is an "contact us" form, which says at the top it's for "suggestions only" and a comment at the bottom that individual "suggestions" won't be responded to.

Do, no, there is no way to contact the surgery online for anything personal, i.e. to request an appointment or a call back etc. Just a list of phone numbers for each branch surgery.[/quote]
Yes, nothing electronic on my GPs website, even the complaint form says ring on the practice phone number.

Can you do an online booking?

I’m on yearly smears due to problems in the past. I got my letter in July inviting me to make an appointment. Called our GP who told me they no longer have a practice nurse so aren’t doing smears. They gave me the phone number for the Sexual health team, I called them and they told me due to a new computer system being put in they weren’t taking appts and to call back in 3 weeks.
I rang them back in August only to be told they were dealing with emergency appts only and to callback in September.

I had to pay nearly £300 to get it done privately.

The whole system needs an overhaul desperately IMO. It’s incredibly frustrating not to be able to get an appt when one is needed. I haven’t seen our GP for about 18 months but could really do with speaking to someone about a few issues - not urgent as such - but can’t get an appointment.

We have patient access but the ability to hook appointments online which was great has been removed since covid. It has to be a telephone appointment and the gp/nurse will decide if you beef to be seen in person. I have been at 3 practices in the past where it was the oh I’ve on the day system. A few years ago DH tried for 4 days, he had a chronic illness and the symptoms meant he needed to be seen abc have his medication adjusted. The receptionist couldn’t have cared less, we waited till after the surgery closed and called 111 which got him an out of hours appointment.

All of you saying the OP should ‘wait in a queue’, my GP line doesn’t place you in a queue, it’s just engaged constantly.

You definately wouldn’t get a blood test now at my surgery....it’s not an essential test and doesn’t fit the criteria regarding the national blood test tube shortage.....it will be another 6 months at least I’ve been told

Doubt you'll get a blood test....all non urgent ones have been cancelled due to lack of test tubes !!!!

[quote IAmADancer]@cuparfull how is trying to get a gp appointment making demands?

I am not asking for a same day blood test. I am asking to speak to my dr, who knows my medical history, discuss the next steps and be referred for a blood test.

That’s not making demands. As I have said over and over, it’s about basic healthcare access, which EVERYONE should be able to access and not be made to feel that they are selfish for doing so.[/quote]
You've waited months already, just make an appointment for 4 weeks time like many have to. Upsetting yourself, when you're unable to do anything about the situation, won't help.
Please DO write to your MP and CCG again and again. Go in and speak to the practice manager, join the GP's patient group.
Until we all complain the Gov won't be spurred into action.
In the meantime to raise your spirits, take positive action, look at alternatives, get advice from a pharmacist, a nutritionist and consider specific foods that might help. As an ex healthcare worker I accept the situation isn't tenable but what can you do? We're in a s...t storm atm. and its going to take years to put right.

OP you're not in Essex are you? Sounds identical to my GP surgery.

@cuparfull I don’t know how many times it needs to be said. OP cannot make an appointment for 4 weeks time as her surgery does not do this. You can only ring up on the day.