Refused doctors appointment - so annoyed

[hopelessmeringue]

bit of a rant here but I could bloody scream.

The doctors surgery was closed most of last week and the previous week and were only seeing emergency appointments due to sickness. I phoned on Wednesday and Thursday at 8.30 and all the appointments were gone. Asked if I could book in advance but no that’s not possible, it’s only on the day and there’s no advance booking. Phoned on friday and there were appointments but the receptionist said she will pass along my information to the doctor and they will just send a prescription to the chemist. I said I really would prefer to have an appointment instead, and that I don’t mind if it’s with the paramedic, nurse, doctor etc but they said no that’s not possible because it’s a problem I’ve had for years so they can treat me without seeing or speaking to me. It’s a pre existing condition that has been at bay for the last few years and now is starting again, so I would like an appointment rather than just a prescription of something I had 3 years ago. She completely refused to make me an appointment and said the doctor will send a prescription straight to the pharmacy. Unfortunately with Christmas etc, I won’t actually get the prescription now until it reopens after Christmas as the pharmacy don’t even have it yet and it usually takes 2-3 days for them to receive it from the doctor, then 3-4 days for them to make and check it. I asked if I could collect a paper copy for the chemist myself but that’s not possible either. Eventually she just hung up and I tried to phone back to speak to someone else and couldn’t get through. I tried to phone again today to check it’s gone to the chemist and also to ask again to see someone but still haven’t got through.

AIBU to be frustrated by this? I’ve taken the last week off work to try and get an appointment and I don’t have any more leave now until April. I genuinely have no idea what to do! I know I’ll get the prescription at the chemist after Christmas but it’s a condition that hasn’t always been easy to control and I wanted to actually speak to someone about it as it’s been at bay for a few years and now it’s starting again. And if it doesn’t work and i do end up needing an appointment it’s going to be a nightmare getting it off work- I’ll have to start the calling on the day thing all over again and it could take days to actually get through and get one.

I could bloody scream

Yes, mine is the same @Oblomov22 , I'm hugely grateful that my surgery uses email! This is one of the problems with the GP surgeries, that they're all essentially private practices contracted to the NHS, so can run things how they like. Imo it should be a condition of their contact that they use e-consult, and use it properly, so patients can contact a clinician via email, and get non-urgent appointments when necessary. All this spending hours on the phone trying to get through mallarky is so archaic. I can understand that their phone lines get extremely busy, they have too many calls to manage.
But when technology exists that makes phoning unnecessary, I don't understand why they aren't all obliged to use it.

I had a kidney infection once and spent the night curled up in a ball with backache, passing blood and shivering with a very high fever. I phoned in the morning to speak to a doctor and the receptionist said coldly ‘what’s wrong, is it your toe or something’. I am not someone who rings the surgery all the time for trivial matters. And this was before the pandemic! The indifference is something I will never forget.

I’ve taken the last week off work to try and get an appointment and I don’t have any more leave now until April

You have heard of sick leave? You don't have to take annual leave for a medical issue.

They have offered you lots of alternatives, but you would 'prefer' to see someone in person, to tell you what you (and they) already know?

YABVU.

You have not been 'refused' an appointment. They don't have any appointments! Yes, it's crap but work around it. They are trying to help you.

A nation’s economy is as healthy and prosperous as the health of its citizens.
If the citizens aren’t healthy enough to go to work, less tax will be generated and therefore weaker and economy and worse of health services.
We are a poorly nation at the moment; compounded by winter illnesses, covid, and people not be treated during covid. You can’t get even treatment for love nor money especially in emergency situations either no matter how much money you’ve got when it gets to A&E situation. This is a true crisis.

It absolutely can take longer. I received my methotrexate nearly 3 weeks after ordering - through a 'mix up' at the doctors - and have had a 3 month flare of RA since... have needed a course of steroids, and will most likely have to increase dose

OP it is frustrating. Just keep phoning/trying and you will get through eventually. Any chance of changing surgeries ?

I think you should write a letter to the practice manager 'Private and Confidential' and ask them to call you directly.

GP services were never an “emergency service” they just aren’t! You are confusing them with A&E. my GPs answerphone actually says if your condition is an emergency please go to A&E.

Sounds rubbish but more on the part of the pharmacy - if you know it takes a week to get a prescription then really you need to change to a more reliable one. Surely it would take just as long to get the medication if you had spoken with a doctor?
Regarding not getting an appointment - I’m a GP and we have been told in no uncertain terms to stop offering (and cancel pre-existing) routine appointments due to the pressures on primary care and the hospitals, paramedics. We are just firefighting, trying not to miss anything life or limb threatening or cancers. Juggling people who really should be in hospital but there’s no beds / the hospitals are so overstretched they are probably safer (or will have a better death if it comes to that) at home despite community services also being completely overstretched. There’s absolutely no way we could see or even call everyone asking for an on the day appointment, I’m triaging with a view to avoiding immediate serious harm. It’s crap for everyone and I’ve no idea what is going to happen in the new year. The combination of bank holidays and staff sickness has hit our surgery and others locally really hard the last week.
Without knowing the condition, medication, how bad things are it may not be ideal but may be a safe option for a week or so until we’re past the bank holidays.
At least the GP was happy to prescribe you more of the medication - I’ve been stuck trying to get a second month of a medication that’s really helping DD from our own GP, I did a detailed econsult 2 weeks before we ran out but they won’t issue without an appointment, 6 week wait for routine so I’m going to waste an on the day appointment which feels ridiculous.
I really hope you get seen next week!

Our surgery won't even let you ring for an appointment. You have to fill out an on-line form detailing your problem and they will either text an appointment for a telephone consultation (where they will decide if you need a f2f appointment) or just send a text telling you to pick up a prescription. We also have the added delight that because there is a pharmacy in the village those of us living there cannot access the dispensary at the GPs, so if the pharmacy doesn't have the medication we need (as in DP's case last week), then we have to go back to the GP to get a paper copy of the prescription to take to the nearest town to get it filled...meantime the medication that is needed is available at the GP's dispensary but only available to those living outside of the "1 mile exclusion zone". The whole thing is farcical.

Oh just do it! I've asked for the manager countless times and always got my problems solved. These receptionists make shit up as they go along just to be difficult. You have every right to access to see a speak to a physician and not be fobbed off by some jobsworth

Like I said in my OP, if you had actually bothered to read it, it was previously very difficult to control, and they DID have appointments, they told me that without me asking! It was just I didn’t need one. Maybe read my OP properly and try again.

and that’s great you work in a place that would allow sick leave for calling the GP for over a week. Unfortunately I don’t and my sick leave is for when I’m, you know, too sick to work?

That sounds awful, I honestly feel so sorry for GPs because their job sounds brutal at the moment. I know it sounds like I was blaming individual GPs but please don’t think I was, that’s not how I meant it come across. Every doctor I’ve had help from had been fantastic despite struggling under the pressure and I honestly don’t know how you do it! Unfortunately it’s something that’s put me in hospital before so I really wanted it nipped in the bud this time but it’s NOT the fault of the GPs and staff, it’s such an impossible situation all round x

This is the sort of thing that should be front page news. I don’t understand why the complete collapse of our health service isn’t dominating all news cycles. It has a much bigger impact on everyone in the UK than most of the stuff that’s reported as headline news.

Another one who hasn't read OP's posts.

You can't take sick leave if you're well enough to work but your only problem is your doctor's surgery's crap appointments system.

The surgery hasn't offered OP lots of alternatives. They've only offered the prescription,, and they couldn't even deal with that efficiently. And they did have appointments available on one day when OP got through but they refused to make one for her.

How can you possibly claim someone is very unreasonable without bothering to read what they have actually said?

Has anyone ever tried to get NHS dentist treatment either?
I've had low-level infection and abscesses for years. It affects my health and will no doubt shorten my life.
Have tried getting a dentist for YEARS. Every now and then, I sit down with the NHS list and phone one at a time. Not one is taking on patients.

For context on Thursday I admitted to hospital or referred urgently (cancer pathway or more urgent, not ‘just’ urgent’) about half the patients I saw face to face last Thursday.
A few I would have admitted any other time, but given the state of the hospital trust after (time consuming) discussion with the hospital we decided to manage at home as the hospital isn’t managing and thought they would be safer at home. That took a lot more time than just sending them in.
Most of the others - parents had lied about the severity of symptoms presumably to get their kid with a cold seen on the day. God knows what I missed out of nearly 100 requests for on the day appointments. Did 2 visits on my way home, one needing admission. At least I was able to stay late as not rushing to nursery for once as DH off with DD.
GPs shouldn’t be an emergency service, but this week we are it seems.

Wow, how does that work for people who aren't online? My mother, for example, doesn't understand the internet and won't have it in the house.

I have read the original post.

Funnily enough, if you are rude and obnoxious to people who are trying to help you, they become less willing to help you.

Do you expect them to create a magic carpet to whip you into the surgery for a repeat prescription? For a previously diagnosed condition, because you would 'prefer' to see someone face to face?

If it's not serious enough for you to take sick leave is for when I’m, you know, too sick to work? then you're not really very sick, are you?

Stop wasting their time.

They can't create staff they don't have and they can't create appointments they don't have. It took me three weeks to get a GP appointment last time I needed one. It is just the state of the NHS at the moment. NO, it's not good, but it's not my fault either.

Maybe have a look at your manners.

@GreenFingersWouldBeHandy go back and read the OP's posts as you have completely misunderstood them.

Sick leave is for when you are too sick to work, not for when you are waiting for an appointment for a chronic condition.

There was an appointment but the receptionist wouldn't give one to the Op!

GPs are on course to become the new dentists. It’s all part of the Tory plan to dissolve the NHS. Underfunding of primary care services /burnt out GPs retiring/leaving, /ridiculous time limitations on appointments/ too many patients on lists/ pay less than you can get doing private /locum work/lack of nurses to do the non-doctor work etc etc. mean primary care services being run into the ground.

Private GPs (online and on site) are springing up everywhere and very soon, people with financial resources will just pay to go private to get a quick appointment/seen at a time that suits etc. “The poor” will of course suffer but the Torys hate them anyway so job done.

@GreenFingersWouldBeHandy maybe read all the OP's posts. There were appointments available and the surgery refused to give the OP one. It's completely possible to be unwell enough to need a GP appointment but well enough to go to work.

@GreenFingersWouldBeHandy sometimes you have to accept you've misunderstood, apologise and duck out of the conversation gracefully.

Lots of people can't afford to take a day's unpaid sick leave. Their jobs only do sick pay from day 3

At my GP, you phone, get put in a queue, then eventually get answered. So only make 1 phone call but might be waiting 30 mins to speak to someone. Mine isn’t a huge surgery, I can imagine if you’ve only got a small surgery with a couple of GPs you might be on hold longer. But no way does someone phone 200+ times.