Page 6 | To think it’s disgusting you just can’t get a gps appointment these days

Perimeopausepip · 2023-01-30T09:44:26+00:00

Been in the phone since 8 am trying to get an appointment first 10/15 mins I couldn’t even get in the queue the phone would just say unable to connect you please try later …. Wtf then 15 mins later was able to get in the queue 15 person in the queue so 30 mins wait then to be told no there no appointments at all all I can get is a phone call from there partnership in the evening when I said I really want a face to face with any dr as my face is swollen just got told sorry no we don’t have any … and that if I get a phone call this evening and then they want to see me they will book it then …. its just so fuckign shit

soboredtonight · 30/01/2023 20:32

Everything seems shit at the minute. I think it's generally as the uk. We are all fucked off. Fed up. On our last nerve with everything. Maybe that's just me but everything I have needed someone to help me with, a currys return, my own work place just seems to be saying fuck it I am done

willithappen · 30/01/2023 20:37

Sooo many people missing the point here. You shouldn't need to spend all that time in the morning attempting to even get on the phone to them in the first place trying to get an appointment, let alone have to explain as best you can over the phone when they then decide if you need one or not.

It's all playing into Tory hands though. They want us to find fault with the system so we start looking for a private healthcare system to come in place. I'm genuinely terrified of needing the nhs in an emergency anytime soon and have been looking into private healthcare for my family

Titsywoo · 30/01/2023 20:37

I'm quite lucky that seeing a gp hasn't been an issue. Seeing consultants at the hospital however... I'm on a 60 week wait to see a gastroenterologist about my gallstones, at least a year wait for my endometriosis surgery and who knows for the endoscopy I'm also waiting on (yes I know I'm falling apart!).

XenoBitch · 30/01/2023 20:38

I’ve lost so much sympathy though because you’re saying you have other issues to discuss which isn’t the point of the Gp you’re not supposed to go and unload several things at once

I watched the 'GP Behind Closed Doors' series. A lot of the doctors said people would come in with obvious physical issues, then when they were in the doorway to leave, would mention their mental health issues. Both are important to talk about.
In an age when we struggle to get an appointment, it is normal to bring along several issues to talk about. If I do finally manage to get an appointment, I will have six things I am wanting to get looked at.

Cherrysoup · 30/01/2023 20:40

I think it’s area dependent. I phoned and did the obligatory wait for an hour, meanwhile my class came in, I had to leave them while I spoke to the GP who organised for me to see a nurse later that day. She called the GP in who was very worried and sent me to Ambulatory Care who organised a scan. I have a dvt 😢 Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the country, my mum couldn’t get off the floor, the ambulance was there within half an hour and off she went to A&E where she was admitted. Did take a whole day to shift her onto a ward, but she was being monitored/cared for.

I am worried, there are lots of huge tower blocks going up in my area, but no plans for more doctors/schools/another hospital. I go to A&E once every couple of years with emergencies, guess I’m unlucky, but the system is creaking along ok here. Saying that that, I walked to A&E from AC the other morning and it was heaving at 11am, which really surprised me.

WarriorN · 30/01/2023 20:47

If your area uses econsults you can fill in a Gp appt request and they get back to you with availability. Easier than waiting on the phone

econsult.net/nhs-patients/

SlinkySienna · 30/01/2023 20:52

willithappen · 30/01/2023 20:37

Sooo many people missing the point here. You shouldn't need to spend all that time in the morning attempting to even get on the phone to them in the first place trying to get an appointment, let alone have to explain as best you can over the phone when they then decide if you need one or not.

It's all playing into Tory hands though. They want us to find fault with the system so we start looking for a private healthcare system to come in place. I'm genuinely terrified of needing the nhs in an emergency anytime soon and have been looking into private healthcare for my family

So what are GPs meant to do? They can't help that there are often 20+ people trying to get through at the same time. I'm more sympathetic as I love a GP dearly and he gets to work at 7 on the morning and leaves at 9 at night. They can't hire people. There aren't enough GPs. They also have dozens and dozens of people trying to get appointments who don't need them (I think this is a huge part of the problem). It's a completely broken system and GPs know this, but they haven't just suddenly got lazy. They tend to die earlier than average and suicide rates are high. I honestly don't know what the answer is.

Nsky62 · 30/01/2023 20:55

I phoned at 8am today, system wouldn’t take my call, had to phone 10 mins late, it get in que.
Asked for phone appointment, was told afternoon ( I had vets this morning) no time, phoned at 5, to be told I had been marked down as no show 😡,wtf!
She apologised receptionist, and got duty doc to call, I need to insure it doesn’t happen again.
A friend think it’s to ease workload, that error ( if it was , ) was wrong, I don’t do that

GrohlOnAPole · 30/01/2023 20:58

Things at my local surgery have improved so much the past couple of years.

yes we go on hold when ringing at 8am but do eventually get through.

I’m a big fan of econsult and phone apts as there have been loads of occasions that this is all I’ve needed.

I’ve always, including throughout covid, managed to get face to face apt for me or other family members when we’ve needed to.

it’s terrible that there’s so much disparity across the country.

Swiftswatch · 30/01/2023 21:00

and that if I get a phone call this evening and then they want to see me they will book it then ….

I think in your case this is fine. I really don’t see the issue, a doctor was going to call you back in the evening to triage you and book an appointment for the next day if they felt you needed it.
Not everything needs to be seen the same day and it sounds like your case could wait a day or two. Not seeing the problem here.

Preparedforjobnottolast · 30/01/2023 21:13

The sage advice for our GP is to drive or call on at surgery face to face - better success rate weirdly. Seen with own eyes.

Appointment 5th Jan, I was triaged by doctor at 5pm 4th Jan saying pick any time for the next day…

2 weeks ago today after lunchtime I arrived at my closest surgery to pick up access to online record letter and guess what it was empty 🤬 not a sole sitting in the waiting room.

It does make you wonder what goes on.

Legrandetraitor · 30/01/2023 21:16

WolfFoxHare · 30/01/2023 20:32

I’ve lost so much sympathy though because you’re saying you have other issues to discuss which isn’t the point of the Gp you’re not supposed to go and unload several things at once.

@Legrandetraitor
This is such a short-sighted and ignorant attitude. If GPs actually saw people and were happy to discuss several issues, a patient get an appointment because say they’d been feeling really tired lately. Non-urgent and really hard to see someone about at a lot of practices now. But then they might mention in passing ‘I’ve been needing the toilet a lot more recently, I keep feeling bloated….’ Neither of which are major issues in themselves which you might go to the doctor for, but all together this would spell out possible ovarian cancer.

My father repeatedly had telephone consultations with different GPs because he was feeling a bit dizzy, had some breathlessness, and was feeling easily tired - it wasn’t until one of them SAW him in person that they noticed he had clubbing of the fingertips, put together his various complaints by taking the time to take a full patient history and realised he had congestive heart failure. But it was too late because he subsequently died from a heart attack while waiting for a bypass operation. If he’d been seen in person six months earlier for his dizzy spells and had chance to mention the other things, he might still be with us.

So fuck right off with your lack of sympathy and your ‘that’s not what GPs are for’. That’s exactly what GPs are for, because they should have time to treat patients holistically, not as separate unrelated symptoms. It’s not the patients who are to blame.

That’s right - swearing means you automatically win the point! Well done you

Legrandetraitor · 30/01/2023 21:17

FYI @WolfFoxHare what you’re talking/swearing aggressively about isn’t my point. What you’re talking about is relevant other symptoms.

what I’m talking about is something making a gp appt that morning for a chest infection and then getting there and once that’s dealt with saying
“Whilst im
here, I have a fungal infection in my toe”.

Applesandcarrots · 30/01/2023 21:28

you’re saying you have other issues to discuss which isn’t the point of the Gp you’re not supposed to go and unload several things at once.

World class healtcare, ladies and gents. Don't you dare to have more than one issue at the same time. 5*, everyone in the world is envious!
Ffs people think. Look around. What will it take for people to realise that it's not even 3rd world country system, it's creating 4th.

My family on continet could access gps as soon as lockdowns ended. Also all the other docs (where you don't have to beg gp to send you to) AND dentists (who are part of basoc healtcare no bankruptcy machines). And that is NOT rich country...

verdantverdure · 30/01/2023 21:38

Lovely little video here of how fantastic the NHS would be if only we'd had the good sense to vote for Brexit.

Brexit was going to fix it all.

twitter.com/centralbylines/status/1610271509523603457?s=46&t=LZ33KBg0lKCzb3Gpqu34gg

WolfFoxHare · 30/01/2023 21:40

Legrandetraitor · 30/01/2023 21:17

FYI @WolfFoxHare what you’re talking/swearing aggressively about isn’t my point. What you’re talking about is relevant other symptoms.

what I’m talking about is something making a gp appt that morning for a chest infection and then getting there and once that’s dealt with saying
“Whilst im
here, I have a fungal infection in my toe”.

People don’t necessarily know whether their symptoms are linked. Even in your example - what a patient thinks is a fungal infection could actually be the poor healing of a cut on a toe, which could be a sign of diabetes. A chest infection with diabetes is more likely to lead to pneumonia and hospitalisation. See? It’s not as simple as you’re suggesting. Like I say - ignorant and short-sighted.

WolfFoxHare · 30/01/2023 21:42

Legrandetraitor · 30/01/2023 21:16

That’s right - swearing means you automatically win the point! Well done you

Show quote history

In case you missed it, the majority of my post was an explanation of how you were wrong. But sure, concentrate on my swearing since you can’t refute the point.

Babyroobs · 30/01/2023 21:44

Yes same at our surgery. On hold for 30 mins for something that was just a query, not even an appointment needed, but for some reason was told to use appointments option.

WolfFoxHare · 30/01/2023 21:46

WolfFoxHare · 30/01/2023 21:42

In case you missed it, the majority of my post was an explanation of how you were wrong. But sure, concentrate on my swearing since you can’t refute the point.

Show quote history

And I’m swearing because I’m angry at the state of the NHS and I’m angry at ignorant people who excuse it, while clearly having no idea about how dangerous this situation is for patients.

Dontchawishyourgf · 30/01/2023 21:47

i called to ask for an appointment as I was unwell. I was asked by the receptionist what was wrong and I told them I had been having black tar-like diarrhoea (5 times over the course of 24 hours) as well as stomach cramps and general unwell-ness. I knew it was something I needed to speak to a doctor about but wasn’t sure if it warranted A&E etc as it was during covid when A&E was discouraged as much as possible.

I was told by a receptionist all the appointments were gone and it didn’t need an emergency appointment anyway and that I should go to the pharmacy and ask for Imodium to control my symptoms.

I went to the pharmacy who were horrified, refused to sell my Imodium and sent me straight to the hospital where I stayed for almost 2 weeks.

SchoolTripDrama · 31/01/2023 01:49

No problems whatsoever with my GP. Appointments are readily available so it's def not every surgery in the country

GooseberryCinnamonYogurt · 31/01/2023 06:58

Dontchawishyourgf · 30/01/2023 21:47

i called to ask for an appointment as I was unwell. I was asked by the receptionist what was wrong and I told them I had been having black tar-like diarrhoea (5 times over the course of 24 hours) as well as stomach cramps and general unwell-ness. I knew it was something I needed to speak to a doctor about but wasn’t sure if it warranted A&E etc as it was during covid when A&E was discouraged as much as possible.

I was told by a receptionist all the appointments were gone and it didn’t need an emergency appointment anyway and that I should go to the pharmacy and ask for Imodium to control my symptoms.

I went to the pharmacy who were horrified, refused to sell my Imodium and sent me straight to the hospital where I stayed for almost 2 weeks.

And here is clearly the reason qualified receptionists should not be deciding who can see a dr and certainly not giving advice!

GooseberryCinnamonYogurt · 31/01/2023 06:58

Dontchawishyourgf · 30/01/2023 21:47

i called to ask for an appointment as I was unwell. I was asked by the receptionist what was wrong and I told them I had been having black tar-like diarrhoea (5 times over the course of 24 hours) as well as stomach cramps and general unwell-ness. I knew it was something I needed to speak to a doctor about but wasn’t sure if it warranted A&E etc as it was during covid when A&E was discouraged as much as possible.

I was told by a receptionist all the appointments were gone and it didn’t need an emergency appointment anyway and that I should go to the pharmacy and ask for Imodium to control my symptoms.

I went to the pharmacy who were horrified, refused to sell my Imodium and sent me straight to the hospital where I stayed for almost 2 weeks.

I hope you're well now.

Breadcrumbsforall · 31/01/2023 07:09

Maybe I'm a lonely voice here but in the last fortnight I've twice phoned for an appointment with my teenager and both times have had face to face meetings with a GP on the same day. We've now been referred to a specialist with an appointment in 2 weeks time. I'm hugely grateful, if slightly surprised. They've been wonderful.

Icequeen01 · 31/01/2023 07:36

Jijithecat · 30/01/2023 11:17

YANBU. Prior to covid, at our surgery appointment bookings opened at 8am: online, in person and on the telephone. I've needed one appointment for my family since lockdown. They've now taken the online booking away meaning I had to join the phone queue. I was waiting for 30 minutes for someone to answer meaning my DH had to take the other children to school and so he was late for work. By the time I could speak to someone all of the face to face appointments had gone. The reason I needed a face to face appointment was because my DC had a urine infection. A telephone appointment for a urine infection is just a waste of everyone's time.

Since Xmas both DH and I have had urine infections and both of us had a telephone appointment. We both had to drop a sample in to the surgery the following day and were prescribed antibiotics. Job done. Didn't really feel the need to see a GP.

However, having recently had my elderly mother in hospital with a broken hip, I would worry if my family had anything serious enough as to have to go to hospital. The state of our hospitals is truly awful.