Voicemail from GP surgery

[cherrysthename]

Basically my AIBU is AIBU to be scared shitless. I had a missed call at the end of the day and then a voicemail quickly followed. It was the GP receptionist saying 'nothing to be worried about, but can you please make an appointment from 8am when we open in the morning?'
I note that she said nothing to worry about, but she would say that wouldn't she? I've not been to the doctors recently, not had any bloods taken to have results back from...nothing I can think of!

Thanks for update. Good to show how innocent these contacts can be.

Leaving a vague voicemail rather than a phone call, text, letter, or broaching the subject in person at my next appointment, was always going to guarantee I phoned up to see what on earth it was about.

Oh man, I would so not ring back if I got a call like that right now. 100% no way. I'm getting frequent texts about Covid booster jab so I'd assume any further comms is just further nagging. Bin Bin Delete Delete.

There would be any need to be precious and stressy if they would just leave more information in the message. It’s really not that difficult to say “can you call us about booking a routine screening appointment”.

Wouldn’t be.

Your posts are wild, @Bagamoyo1. As if you've made up all the posts you're commenting on in your own head! Not once has anyone demonstrated they are responsible for the NHS being on its knees and not once have I suggested I'm self important enough to believe a GP personally gives a shit whether I have cancer or not. Crack on with your daft smart arse comments if you wish but everyone can see you're clearly on a different thread to this one if you think they're rooted in any truth.

@Bagamoyo1 'We’re ticking boxes so we stay out of court, but we don’t really care.'
Dear God, so you work at a GP practice? I feel very sorry for any patient you interact with.

You can withdraw from the Cervical Screening Programme if you don’t want to be asked again. Google it.

A lot of people don't update surgeries with their new telephone numbers so a brief message not giving out too much information is necessary. My practice can send text messages to prevent continually trying to contact the patient who doesn't answer or doesn't return calls but we need consent before we can do this. The text message is then added to the patient's notes.

@Luminousnose

You can withdraw from the Cervical Screening Programme if you don’t want to be asked again. Google it.

There are two ways to do this - one with your GP and one with the national programme. I had to write the NHS programme a letter and post it to be removed from their records. My GP had already removed me from their list of screenings.

(I have no cervix anymore)

@StrawberryCupcakes98

Honestly if I had a choice between a smear test and a trip to the dentist,I would pick the smear every time.

Obviously for women who have experienced trauma it can be very different. And a minority of women can find the procedure extremely painful. I don’t want to minimise that. But that’s not the majority experience.

I had one a few weeks ago - the nurse was lovely, if I’d been nervous she would have been great at putting me at ease. And the procedure was done in moments, it was literally “is that it?” - no discomfort at all.

Someone said “smear tests save lives” is a very mumsnet mantra - I think if anything the opposite is true. Everyone I know in real life has smear tests when they are due in the same way they have eye tests or dental check ups or getting the car MOTed. It’s only on mumsnet that I have heard people who oppose the whole programme.