GPs!!!! Arrrg

[SoNot]

Up until Covid I have been fairly happy with our GP surgery.
Since covid and ongoing all appointments over the phone.

Only now you can't even book an appointment on the phone anymore.

Ok, I'm not incapable and have registered with patient access.

Only, how on freakin earth do you actually complete a booking? When I select Book appointment, the page just shows me all the services that I CANNOT book such as physio or bloods as well as private appointments for covid travel tests and blood tests.

Where / how do I actually book to get a phone consultation?

AIBU that even if you are relatively determined it seems impossible to get GP care nowadays?

Enabled voting but if anyone could also explain how I book an appointment that would be ace.

My GP requires you to go through specifying what the problem is through multiple choice pages, then upload photos etc then we get a text to say when we will be called. Works brilliantly. I can send the application at 9am, usually get a text by the afternoon and a call the next day.

For our surgery you have to log into patient access at the same time they open the phone lines each morning (ours is 8am) and it shows you that day’s batch. As soon as they’re booked up, whether by phone or online, only the physio and blood test stuff is shown.

Thank you but I am trying to book a non emergency appointment.

Can you only book an appointment if you have received a registration letter? (registration to link your GP surgery to your profile). I find this so confusing.

@actiongirl1978

My GP requires you to go through specifying what the problem is through multiple choice pages, then upload photos etc then we get a text to say when we will be called. Works brilliantly. I can send the application at 9am, usually get a text by the afternoon and a call the next day.

Sounds good once it's all set up - but I don't seem to be able to figure out how to do this. How do I request a registration letter?

Our GP only has normal appts through the patient access/nhs app thing. To arrange a gp appt we fill in a form on their website and get a callback same day/next day depending on time logged. It's very efficient and usually results in a same day/next day phone or face to face GP appt.

I think it would be reasonable to phone the GP surgery and ask for advice?

@SoNot can you go on econsult, you type in your health practice name and if they use it you can fill everything in on there and they get back to you

@RedTangerine

I think it would be reasonable to phone the GP surgery and ask for advice?

I called them 10 times today, there is an automated voice message and after a minutes or so they just disconnect the line referring people to their website. I've been to their website but can't figure out how to book an appointment.

I book through patient access and my gp is currently only booking same day telephone appts but they only show if they are available.

From the home page when you click ‘new appointment’ the top section (in blue) is ‘your GP practice services’ and has a list of things like ‘B12 injection’, ‘Blood test’ etc. If there are phone appointments it will also have ‘Call with Dr AM’ or ‘Call with Dr PM’ and you click through to book.

Below that is a long (slightly pointless) list of ‘Services outside your GP’

If you are seeing nothing showing in the top ‘Your GP practice services’ it is possible your app isn’t set up properly/fully registered. If you are seeing ‘blood test’ ‘contraception check up’ or other bits there it seems likely that there just aren’t any appts at the moment (as per my surgery releases new ones 8am daily)

But either way yes, I would say contact the surgery in person to ask for clarification

The service provided by GP Surgeries has deteriorated massively since COVID. My daughter had found it such a challenge to book a basic appointment for contraception and when she did get an appointment it was over the phone and she was told she could have a contraceptive pill prescription once she had emailed her blood pressure readings. Oh and if she didn’t have a BP monitor the chemist next to the surgery sells them.
The NHS really has gone to shit.

Oh dont you know you cant dare criticise gps on mn op? I have stopped taking my meds(that control my mental health) as I simply cannot face the rigmarole of trying to speak to an actual gp.
Our surgery is still only seeing people face to face if classed as urgent. There is a whole spiel on it when you phone for an appointment. No book online option and when you phone at 8.30 its rings constantly engaged and then cuts you off as no queuing system. I have literally gone two weeks just trying to get someone to answer the phone.
Its beyond a joke.
I have tried to commit suicide twice and have suicidal thoughts every day. I was told I didnt meet the requirements for a cpn and that I was just "stressed" by a truly horrible physchiatrist. Useless lazy twats the lot of them.

Phone them up on Monday and tell them you have no access to the internet / run out of data. They cannot stop you from booking in an appt on the phone.

@mariepopp unfortunately the line cuts of after a pre-recorded message that lasts about a minute. I'll have to drive to the surgery and speak to the receptionist, that is if they let me in?

We have several health issues we need to deal with in the family and the crappy gatekeeping website does not let us book an appointment. I might actually complain to the practice manager.

The firs thing the automate message says is "all our appointments are over the phone, the doctor will decide if you need to be seen in person" this just sounds so rude and doctor knows best, not exactly welcoming. They are creating barriers and I find it really unhelpful. I have private insurance too but to be referred, I need a GP appointment first. Do I need to fork out for a private GP? How do people navigate this unhelpful system who struggle, are very sick and possibly overwhelmed? They don't, it's a disgrace. Yet they continue to receive some payment per patient per year (I appreciate it's not much).

That sounds horrendous @MrsBerthaRochester. I hope you will be able to access the help you deserve and need. Forcing sick and worried patients to master that "spiel' of phoning, listening to a unhelpful message and then being cut off is inhumane.

What the hell has happened to our GPs?

If you go on the surgery website, do they have econsult? If so, you just pick the option that applies to you, such as 'I would like help for myself', pick a category, fill in the form, and you'll get a message from the surgery when they're going to contact you - they'll triage it to a GP, Nurse Practitioner etc depending on what's wrong.

With patient access you have to send I.D with the form I believe and they send you a code to register.

@MrsBerthaRochester

Oh dont you know you cant dare criticise gps on mn op? I have stopped taking my meds(that control my mental health) as I simply cannot face the rigmarole of trying to speak to an actual gp. Our surgery is still only seeing people face to face if classed as urgent. There is a whole spiel on it when you phone for an appointment. No book online option and when you phone at 8.30 its rings constantly engaged and then cuts you off as no queuing system. I have literally gone two weeks just trying to get someone to answer the phone. Its beyond a joke. I have tried to commit suicide twice and have suicidal thoughts every day. I was told I didnt meet the requirements for a cpn and that I was just "stressed" by a truly horrible physchiatrist. Useless lazy twats the lot of them.

you need to call 111 please don't stop your meds.

At ours it has to be an econsult, there's a link on their website. You have to tell them what the problem is, fill in all the information, send photos if you want to, then they decide whether they will phone you, email you or ask to see you.

[quote SoNot]@mariepopp unfortunately the line cuts of after a pre-recorded message that lasts about a minute. I'll have to drive to the surgery and speak to the receptionist, that is if they let me in?

We have several health issues we need to deal with in the family and the crappy gatekeeping website does not let us book an appointment. I might actually complain to the practice manager.

The firs thing the automate message says is "all our appointments are over the phone, the doctor will decide if you need to be seen in person" this just sounds so rude and doctor knows best, not exactly welcoming. They are creating barriers and I find it really unhelpful. I have private insurance too but to be referred, I need a GP appointment first. Do I need to fork out for a private GP? How do people navigate this unhelpful system who struggle, are very sick and possibly overwhelmed? They don't, it's a disgrace. Yet they continue to receive some payment per patient per year (I appreciate it's not much).

That sounds horrendous @MrsBerthaRochester. I hope you will be able to access the help you deserve and need. Forcing sick and worried patients to master that "spiel' of phoning, listening to a unhelpful message and then being cut off is inhumane.

What the hell has happened to our GPs?[/quote]
What is a concern for me is that many members of the public do not have nor want internet access e.g OAPs. It's not applicable for the surgery to force everyone to go online.

A bit of a long shot, but can you switch to another surgery?

My GP surgery switched off the ability to book an appointment via Patient Access when Covid hit, and they STILL have not re-enabled it. So the only option is to start phoning five minutes before they open in the morning and keep hitting re-dial until they answer.

@MrsBerthaRochester

Oh dont you know you cant dare criticise gps on mn op? I have stopped taking my meds(that control my mental health) as I simply cannot face the rigmarole of trying to speak to an actual gp. Our surgery is still only seeing people face to face if classed as urgent. There is a whole spiel on it when you phone for an appointment. No book online option and when you phone at 8.30 its rings constantly engaged and then cuts you off as no queuing system. I have literally gone two weeks just trying to get someone to answer the phone. Its beyond a joke. I have tried to commit suicide twice and have suicidal thoughts every day. I was told I didnt meet the requirements for a cpn and that I was just "stressed" by a truly horrible physchiatrist. Useless lazy twats the lot of them.

I'm so sorry to hear this, and concerned that you have stopped taking meds. Would it be possible to change GP practices, as sounds like yours isn't fit for purpose? Dreadful response from psychiatry too

If anyone has an issue I suggest you write to your MP to address the lack of funding, lack of doctors, fall in GP numbers and rise in patient demand. The system is broken. End of.