GP Telephone Appointments

[Aquarius1234]

To find these awkward as hell at times.
Also they seem to generally last as quickly as possible unless you try and keep prolonging the conversation and asking questions.
4 minutes seems long to them!!
And why do you wait all morning then finally use the bathroom at 2 minutes to 1pm then the phone rings!
I didn't pick up till I had washed my hands!
Am I supposed to say " I'm just unlocking the bathroom door and going into another room before I speak to you" ?

I don’t mind a telephone appointment as there isn’t always a need to go to the surgery. What’s really annoying is the lack of a time slot. I don’t mean precisely but ours give you between 9am and 6pm which is ridiculous. I can’t clear my diary, not walk the dog, use the toilet just in case for an entire day.

I hate them too for all those reasons, and have just ended up avoiding booking at all even though there are some things that I should be seen for soon and will have to have one. I hate that there is no call back time, so can't do anything - and I work from home with meetings online all day so can't take a call from gp without some advance knowledge of the time. Also I find phones really stressful and can't talk well or explain properly, and just minimise everything somehow, and it's even worse when I'm not in control of when it will be - so stress the whole day waiting for it and then don't get much from it. I wish now they would just let you book back in for face to face if you'd prefer. I undrstand some people like phone appointments, but they don't suit everyone, for everything.

Apparently even if you need a face to face, you have to have a pointless telephone call first. That's stupid. Waiting hours just to confirm a time with GP.
Anyone else find the GPs really awkward too?
One said to me they couldn't get their words out?? Erm ok .
You either get one that makes it very difficult eg a prescription or another that is like yes yes I'll send that through. Bye then..

I love them!! Means I'm not dragging myself and the kids out of the house for a 10 minute appointment unless the doctors feel it necessary. It means they can be in touch with far more patients in a day. The lack of time slot is annoying but given that phones are mobile now, hardly the end of the world is it?!

Just had a letter this morning as my dd 11 yrs has to have physio for a newly diagnosed condition. Came from the hospital to say they will do the consultation over zoom at 12 oclock but could be 45 mins either side. Am I supposed to keep her off school for the day? ugh utterly ridiculous. The whole system is barmy sometimes.

Has anyone finally seen their GP this year and been totally thrown at first with how different they are in person?
Whether that's wrongly assuming their age or background via telephone calls or type of persona.
Just shows how different it is seeing someone in person.

Well it is a huge problem not getting a time slot when you’re on teams calls for a large proportion of your working day. And I have no desire to discuss my medical issues whilst out on a walk with the dog. They are probably fine if you don’t work or are retired and can drop everything at a moment’s notice to take a call from your GP.

I also really like them as I have 2 young children. I've always managed to get a same day face to face with my GP after an initial phone conversation. I did miss the most recent call though as I was still on the phone to reception organising said GP call 😂Thankfully they called back quickly afterwards.

Our surgery can also get you to send in photos if appropriate so they can try and diagnose without face to face appointment.

I can't have my mobile on while I'm working. I'm client facing dealing with customers all day, and I can't tell a customer to wait while I talk about my medical issues in front of them.

Our GP just gives a morning or afternoon slot, so I have to take a half day holiday for the appointment. If they could give a time window, work would be happy for me to take my break then and I could sit and wait in the staff room for the call, but they won't let me sit there for half a day.

I've got something that needs to be seen but I'm not allowed a face to face appointment without speaking to the GP by phone first. I've got a pointless morning off next week sitting waiting for the GP to ring me just to say yes I need you to come in so I can look at that.

It doesn't really work for people who have jobs. I did complain but the practice manager told me GP's are busy people so we all have to adapt to their new way of working.

I have got a phone appointment at the cardiac clinic in the new year, I am expecting to put my phone close to my chest so they can hear my irregular heart beat!

There are limited situations in which phonecalls make total sense - following up on something, monitoring an ongoing, stable condition - but for the most part calls are pointless and don't save any time. There is also emerging evidence that defaulting to phone is dangerous: www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-63057872

One thing is for certain - phone appointments have led to a huge increase in antibiotic prescribing as GPs can't determine over the phone whether your sore throat is an infection or inflammation, so the prescribe to be 'safe.' Having had so much success on curbing the overuse of antibiotics there will now have to be another huge push to get usage back down to avoid resistance.

Mine have terrible signal, so it’s always a challenge to actually have the conversation. Or maybe it’s my phone but I never seem to have problems speaking with anyone else on the phone.
Plus they always seem to ring when I’ve gone out (school run etc - can hardly just not bother!) or put my hands in a bowl of washing up.
Last time I got told off for ringing to request a blood test, and told I should have emailed, even though I asked the receptionist to just pass a message to the GP and the receptionist insisted I have a phone appointment.

Yes! I find them so awkward, it makes my anxiety go through the roof whilst I’m waiting. And yes, I’ve also found they just want to get you off the line as quickly as they can. Luckily I’ve been seeing my GP face to face recently, which has been so much better. I don’t feel I can explain myself properly over the phone and feel much more at ease face to face.

There are 2 things wrong with them Imho.

"Appointment" suggests you have been booked in for a specific timeslot but that doesn't seem to be the case in many places.

Secondly, as is seen on this thread, they are very short and Drs are getting through more patients. That shouldn't be the case if the doctor asks the same questions and gives same explanations and advice as in person then it shouldn't take less time. Yes the Dr isn't spending time examining the patient but presumably appointments by phone are only for cases where an examination isn't required anyway 🤷🏼‍♀️

If they're done properly I don't think they should take less time.

Ah I quite like them, but I work from home and can take calls easily so it works for me. I've had phone consults where appropriate and been seen face to face when needed.

Our current GP surgery ( and the previous one) both offer a telephone consult appointment at a specified time. We've been using these for at least five years
and in our experience, the call is sometimes a few minutes early or late but usually within 15 . Some are very quick calls and others last 10 minutes.

We much prefer them for straightforward issues ; saves a lot of time.

Our GP works with econsults as their preferred method (appointments by telephone still possible). Then we get a callback or text from the surgery requesting we call to make and appointment where we are given the option for telephone or face-to-face. Unless GP states it must be face-to-face.

If the GP is able to diagnose or help via the econsult they just email you back. As was the case when my daughter had conjunctivitis and I had attached photos. Or when I had a flare up of a known condition and knew what I needed.

We give an hour timeslot and try to stick to it. If I can see its clearly needing a f2f from the information given I change it straight into one rather than dicking about with 2 appt

I absolutely hate them. Our GP's have a triage service going since Covid hit, you can't just make a same day app anymore. There's been a few times I've needed an app but been unable to stay available for a call back so didn't bother, and I can't imagine I'm the only one in that position (work situation means no phones allowed)

An hour timeslot is great. We are lucky our GP gives a half hour window and has offered this for years now.
But I hear of so many others, my DD's included, who can phone anytime that day and it really discriminates against people who cannot excess their phone easily at work or have a private space.

access their phone

No need to go thru the phone appt first with my practice.
I've had a couple of face-to-face same day appointments in the last month.
I suppose it depends what's wrong with you/how ill you are.
DH also had his regular blood test/BP/meds review.
No different than Pre-Covid, except the perspex screens and having to bend or talk louder to be heard. The receptionists are still lovely (especially Anita - and I hope she reads this!)

Also, my GP rang me last week - unprompted/without an appt - to give me blood test results and some reassurance about an issue I've developed. He didn't rush, gave me some numbers for the test results and said he'll speak to me again soon unless I'd prefer F2F. He's been very supportive.

Its obv an anxiety thing, but I can't sleep very well before a telephone app, crazy I know.
I reckon its only due to not knowing what time they will call!

I have to laugh. I had an umbilical hernia diagnosed in 2019. The GP told me to come up for an examination if it seemed to increase in size.

It has, so I did an e-consult form. My GP reception phoned to make an appointment with a GP - but only a phone appt could be offered.

I asked what the point was, as I presumably needed a f2f as the doctor would need to see it. Apparently not - they could "examine me" over the phone lol

Jeez, I told them not to bother, and am just going private.🙄