GP appointments and receptionists

[Awmannnn]

Just want to say this is NOT a GP receptionist bashing thread, I completely understand why they have to ask so many questions and try to turn people away and I appreciate it’s not their fault in the slightest, they’re just doing their job and services are swamped

but…

I have to book an appointment tomorrow and I’m so nervous and dreading about doing it.

its so stressful- its the 8.30am rush, constantly re ringing, waiting on the phone for an hour to try and get through, then having to literally beg for an appointment. I hate it so much. I know that it’s not the receptionists fault at all, and 9/10 they’re lovely and as helpful as can be, but there’s been a few times I’ve had to be firm and politely insist on an appointment and not be fobbed off and unfortunately a few times I’ve come across some unhelpful people and it’s left me nervous (Once was when I was fobbed off told to go to the chemist for an otc prescription for a problem that left me in hospital than night for almost 2 weeks) and other times I’ve had a problem that I know needs to be seen/heard/spoken to by the doctor, but it’s like the receptionist is trying so hard to persuade me not to book an appointment or find a reason to do a phone call or ask the doctor to prescribe something without seeing me. If it’s a problem that can be done over the phone then that’s easier all round and I prefer that; but some things need face to face appointments and can’t be done virtually

but then other times, I’ve had fantastic experiences with receptionists who could not be more helpful if they tried, seriously brilliant.

i don’t know why I’m so nervous, I know the problem I’m having is something I definitely need an appointment about, but the whole experience just makes me so anxious and I’m absolutely dreading it- explaining in detail why I need it and justifying why I need an appointment. I hate being spoken to sharply or cut across or spoken to like an idiot and I’m a naturally shy person and I suppose I take it too personally

There’s no online appointments, no e consult, no ask my gp and no advanced bookings unless for medication reviews or smears etc. But for problems or appointments it’s only on the day and no future appointments

I don’t know what I’m looking for by posting this, I’m not looking to bash GPs or receptionists at all, but the whole experience is so stressful and I’m absolutely dreading it and I’ve been putting it off for all last week because I hate it so much

Does anyone have any advice or feel similar? Not looking for a handhold, just feeling a bit miserable and anxious about it all

I'd move practices to one with online appointment requesting like Klinik.

Half the time the duty GP texts back within a couple of hours with my prescription or referral.

That sounds so much easier, I hope they bring in an online service like that in the future!

Unfortunately it’s a rural area with only the practice to cover the area (and all the new developments and its struggling to cope, they really need to open a new GP in the area to cope with demand but obviously that’s very difficult too) and we’re not allowed to move practice outside our area so we have to stay here, it’s very frustrating.

Just be straight to the point when you ring, tell them the reason why you need an appointment and it’s needs to be today. If they question anymore just be polite and say “I don’t want to go into any further details about it I just need an appointment today”
I get nervous too ringing but my doctors are really good, don’t get questioned too much and always get an appointment.

I second moving to a e-system booking surgery. Whatever time I fill out the booking form on the surgery I always get a text reply within an hour with an offer of an appointment in the next couple of days. Don't have to talk to anyone or wait in a queue. It's a game changer,

Thank you very much for the advice, it’s actually a relief to hear others get nervous about ringing too, I was starting to think I was being completely ridiculous!

Hate to say it, but don't put it off until Monday in future. It's always busiest on Mondays as all the urgent weekend cases have cropped up, so getting through is more of a nightmare and there's only the same number of urgent appointments as on other days.
I find the telephone appointments, including ones with specialists over the last couple of years, quite useful on the whole, but you're right there are times that a phone call isn't the right thing.
You will get through and if you voice your complaint appropriately you'll get what you need, it'll be ok in the end and the horror of explaining your symptoms bit will be over before you know it. I had terrible inflamed eczema recently, including in intimate areas (accidentally bought scented sanpro, I'm looking at you), and once I'd explained that no, I wouldn't be sending photos of the affected area in for obvious reasons, I had an appointment that morning.

I really wish we could, that sounds so much easier 😞 glad you have a good service that’s working for you! I’ll keep my fingers crossed we end up with an online service at some point in the future!

I'm sorry you can't change your survey easily. That's very frustrating for you.

What is this post about specifically? I’m so lost

I said at the bottom of my OP ‘Does anyone have any advice or feel similar? Not looking for a handhold, just feeling a bit miserable and anxious about it all’, others have managed to see what I mean thankfully

Unfortunately it’s a rural area with only the practice to cover the area

That's annoying. Mine's rural too but other practices are within 5 or 6 miles. I enquired about joining another practice at one point, it would have been fine except they said they wouldn't do home visits. I'd double check with your other nearest practices, just in case.

Thank you so much. You’re right, I should have done it last week. I wish I had done it and got over with now. I was so nervous and kept putting it off, it’s completely my own fault though so if I can’t get an appointment for tomorrow because there’s more urgent things then that’s my own fault

if I can’t get an appointment at all then that’s not what I’m nervous about because if there’s none left then that’s just life, it’s the whole palava getting through and explaining it and trying to justify the appointment and that side of it, and the receptionist being annoyed and making you feel silly lol.

thank you very much for the advice- that sounds very painful!
(I don’t have the same problem as you did but I’ll learn from your experience and avoid scented san pro too!)

I’ll definitely check again in case they’ve relaxed it at all. Unfortunately I had tried with the nearest practices and they said it’s only if you have to leave for exceptional circumstances (maybe if you get thrown out? Lol) but apart from that you have to stay in the area that corresponds with your home post code and board, but I’ll contact again this week and see if it’s changed at all or relaxed recently. Perks of rural living I suppose! Thank you again.

Sounds like my rural surgery, the 8.30 phone lottery followed by battle with the gate keepers. I get nervous as well op. There's one really horrible receptionist at mine the rest are usually lovely but you can't get an appointment for weeks and then it's a phone one, like yours mine doesn't have any online options either.
Write down what you want to say and have backup replies/insistence written down if they refuse and as I'm sure you know you don't have to tell the receptionist anything you don't want to although I get it helps with their triage.

I'm working in a surgery at the moment, no one likes the mass call at 08-0830 system we have now! It's awful and stressful but it's what we've got annoyingly.

I had a lot of hope for the ebooking but my surgery has gone back to calls after the trial - it would fill up with so many requests that it just wasn't possible to go through them all and respond to them all, let alone offer consultations to all of them call or f2f. We were closing and going home with requests that still hadn't been gone through at times. Tried fine tuning it and limiting the number of requests it would allow but it just filled up with things that really didn't need any input and we had loads of appointment slots that weren't being used.

There's a lot of thought that goes into how far forwards to allow people to book appointments and it'll be specific to the demographic of the area served. In our area anything more than 2 weeks and the DNA rate is off the charts people just forget to attend. Then for urgent/same day emergencies if when the day was full you could book the following day this would just fill up as well - the appointments would all be gone for days with people either getting better before their appointment arrived, or ending up in A&E really unwell.

I get really nervous ringing as well. I often make notes of exactly what I want / need to get across to the receptionist so that I have the best chance of getting the appointment I need. Are you near enough to visit the surgery as soon as it opens so that you don't have the horrible multi-dialling experience?

Again, not their fault personally as decisions have been made above to them instruct them to ask the questions etc but I think it must majorly put people off from going to see the doctor about any embarrassing symptoms that could potentially be life threatening. The fact you’d have to phone up, tell a receptionist (who at my doctor’s is a girl I went to school with’s mum so really don’t want to tell her things), then a doctor would phone and ask about your embarrassing symptoms then only after all that would you actually get to go and be seen, if you hadn’t already been turned away. Pre-covid you could make an appointment and go in with anything, without having to say it multiple times. I just think for an anxious, easily embarrassed person like me and probably many others, it’s easier just to hope something is fine and leave it than put yourself through all of that 🤦🏼‍♀️

In the simplest of terms, I'm not coping at all at the moment. I'm doing everything that's recommended but still being overwhelmed by anything/everything. I know I need to speak to a GP for more support but I can't face the gatekeepers that receptionists now are.

I tried once and ended up in breathless anxiety. Haven't been brave enough to try again. Online is an option they've chosen to stop so until I can face up to the receptionists I'll keep struggling until I fail completely.

NHS app allows the booking of appointment. Life changing as I hate the stress of ringing up and being turned away and rinse and repeat.

This may not be the case for all doctors. However you have to show them.id and raise eyebrows at their data management process.

The system is a disgrace and it cannot be said often enough. Receptionists do an important job, but they are not medically trained. They should not be gate keepers or triaging anyone. They are not qualified to do it.

I need to as well op. I am worrying about it already tbh it's so stressful getting appointments x

I'll also be joining the 8.30 madness in the morning, for the 5th time in 3 weeks. My record is 38 phone calls to get through. On one occasion I got through first time, I was so shocked I nearly dropped the phone.

I feel huge guilt in ringing for appointments but in the last 3 weeks my problem has gone from bad to worse.

On another occasion I was refused an appointment as they were full. I put up an argument and so was permitted to see a doctor who sent me straight to A&E and I spent a week in hospital and had surgery!

It's a very difficult system. Good luck for the morning.

I was thinking that as well, there must be so many people who ignore problems because they feel too scared or nervous to go through the hassle. It’s absolutely not the doctors/receptionists fault, but just a sad situation all round isn’t it.

good luck to other people who commented and are in a similar position, I hope you manage to get through and get the help/ advice/appointments that you need!

Good luck to you too, I hope you’re able to get an appointment! You summed up exactly how I feel too- you feel guilty so put off making the appointment, but then it ends up getting worse doesn’t it!

I’m really sorry you’re in this position too 😞 I hope you’re able to get an appointment x