Waiting from 8 - 6 for a GP to ring

[Coughmedicinedoesntwork]

Had to book a day off to have my phone with me 24/7 for a GP call. I filled out an econsult 2 weeks ago, no chance of a face to face appointment. No chance of booking a routine appointment in advance.

Rang GP surgery to see if they could give me any idea whether the GP would ring in the morning or afternoon. They said no idea when GP would call. How is this even possible? Surely there is a list of patients to be called so if I’m at the end of the list for eg they know it will be an afternoon call.

I think it’s shocking how we are now all supposed to accept this as normal and acceptable. Access to basic healthcare shouldn’t be this hard.

I wonder how any GP would feel about their child’s class teacher taking a day off from teaching their child in order to be available for a telephone consultation. Additionally, such an absence from school (work) is costing the tax payer a day of a substitute teacher’s salary. The system is crazy.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Obviously different area have different challenges but my surgery is absolutely excellent and I can be seen the same day if necessary or a call at the very least. Calls also run to time by which I mean a named slot, say, 11.15 am.

Another practice less than 3 miles away, very similar demographic is renowned for being impossible to deal with or get an appointment.

Its scandalous and needs people to complain to the people who can effect change, not just on here though I get the reason people need to rant.

Econsult is brilliant if used properly. My GP use it, and I got an email back within 2 hours saying I'd have a call between 6pm and 7pm to discuss. There's no reason why any GP couldn't do the same service.

That does sound frustrating. Here they give you an appointment time even if it's via telephone, and then if you are waiting for a call back the same day they'll say whether its morning or afternoon and try to give a 2 hour window.

The scary thing is GP land is going to get even worse with the changes to the contract, even labour's plans will make the shortages even worse.

Ours is exactly the same, econsult then text telling you a GP will call you in a fortnight and you have to wait all day as they can't specify am or pm. It means you can't nip to the shop or walk the dog unless you want to risk discussing your medical needs in public because it's made clear that GP will call only once and if call is missed you need to do a new econsult and start the process again.

Mine is also like this. Its the worst of all worlds IMO! I'd be pleased if they introduced econsult as it might give me a fighting chance!

Phone lines open at 8am, and are engaged the entire day. No automated phone queuing system in place - just engaged tone which hangs up, so you have to physically dial continuously. 8am is also just the worst time for working people - usually on the commute or already at work and in a public area where I don't fancy explaining my 'womens issues'... or when not working, it falls at the same time as cattle hurding two small children to brush teeth, get dressed/get toddler dressed and begin the walk to school. It doesn't really lend itself to having an hour spare to continuously dial the doctors surgery every 10 seconds.

No ability to get appointments for non-urgent matters at a future date either which I find particularly baffling. ALL appointments are via the 'phone at 8am and hope for the fucking best' method.

It's truly dire.
We tend to rely on PushDoctor app/Babylon for telephone GP appointments privately now. A lot won't allow appointments for kids on those platforms though which means I'm still a slave to the 8am phone call for the kids though.

Surely there is a list of patients to be called so if I’m at the end of the list for eg they know it will be an afternoon call

Well quite.

It's a case of won't help, rather than can't.

My GPs use econsult, I do not know why they bother, I just get ignored. Since Covid I have had to use it 3 times saying that I would like an appointment (phone only, no f2f are given) I get a text asking if I would like them to make me an appointment, I always rely yes please but then nothing, no appointment is ever made

I have an ongoing problem that i think is serious (abdo pain, weight loss, constant diarrhoea, blood loss) but i cannot get anywhere

last time I needed to contact it took me ringing constantly and it was 12 WEEKs before I was even spoken to by a doctor

Another one with a shocking GP.
I waited 2 weeks for a phone appointment for anti sickness medication in pregnancy, couldn't eat or drink during that time and collapsed twice sp I had to go to hospital.
The GP had only given me a 10 day dose, but it didn't say that on the box so by the time I had taken it for a few days and counted I had a handful of days left!
Chased the GP every day for 3 days, was told I could only have an appointment in 2.5 weeks or call the next morning for an emergency appointment. On the friday before a bank holiday again no appointments apparently, I was so pissed off at this point. I just started ranting about their duty of care, they were making it so the only way I could receive any care was to end up in hospital again and magically he was able to see if a GP would reissue the prescription.

@catsandkid I agree, it is utterly shit. Basically the surgery have made health care impossible to access for anyone who can’t sit on the phone at 8am. Fortunately I have the option of PushDoctor through work if I’m ever actually ill, and I’ve built up a stash of various medications from work trips abroad to see me through most eventualities. Shouldn’t have to though.

I’ve asked them, they won’t. They just keep saying their system is what it is, i.e. all initial consultations are by phone, and the gp will then decide if they need to see the patient in person.
It’s like talking to a recorded message.

Previous surgery did give a time when they'd call. But if you gave times you weren't available, they'd make an appointment at that time. I had to constantly point out I couldn't take a call at that time. (I've checked and it does say on econsult "please give times when you're not available (optional)"

I don’t mind econsult in principle but when I tried to use it it was full of tick boxes which weren’t applicable and I couldn’t proceed. The receptionist refused to speak to me on the phone and just said everything was now via econsult. It’s just frustrating and has really deteriorated since the pandemic. I’m thinking of moving to another surgery where you can still make appointments by phone. I don’t know how very elderly patients cope. I also wouldn’t like to be the parent of a young child needing an urgent appointment. Why one surgery is like this and not another I don’t understand.

But it does not have to be like this; and indeed not so long ago was not like this. What has suddenly changed that makes it impossible to provide a proper service?

If it is about money, research has shown that people are willing to pay more tax in order to restore the NHS. The crux of the matter is political dogma, by which we have all been held to ransom for too many years now.

Please don't forget to vote when we finally get the chance.

My late OH was a GP and would have been ashamed to be providing such a poor service.

It doesn't have to be this way

At our GP surgery, we can get appointments within 48 hours no problem

Last time I asked for a phone consultation, I was told Dr would call soon and I must ensure I was available as they would only call once. Dr phoned within 10 mins, and the prescription was at reception for collection within 10 mins after that. Couldn't have asked for better service

We're in Scotland. I don't know if that makes a difference

The situation is so dire my employer has essentially setup a private GP service for us for when we cannot get an appointment with our own GP (so glad we have this). I have essentially given up on my local GP although the local pharmacy is quite good.

Ridiculous. What about I and the many other people who are not able or allowed to have phones out at work.

@SleepyRich

I'm never sure why people report they're only offered calls and refused f2f, at the clinic I work at

Because we don't all use the clinic you work at?

I have tried to have a f2f as a reasonable adjustment and been told no, I have to call reception and get a call back from the GP who will then decide whether I am able to have the f2f; but of course that involves a telephone discussion that I am trying to avoid, so I just don't call.

We don't have online booking or E consult

Our GP practice is the same. And when they do call, the phone call usually opens up with "Hi veryleafytrees, it is Dr xx. What is it you want to talk about?"

....why did I have to discuss my health with the receptionist if none of it was going to be passed on to a doctor?

This is exactly it. At our surgery you can only have a f2f after a phone consultation if the GP decides they need to see you. That applies to everyone. They simply don’t do “reasonable adjustments”.

It sounds like you need an urgent appt, I would keep ringing them.

Also in Scotland, and your experience is not at all usual ime.

Our GP changed the time to call for pre-booking appointments from 8am to 11 am. I needed to call yesterday. I called at 11 to be told to call back next day. My DH, coincidentally, also called them, at 9am , totally ignoring any ‘rules’ and got an appointment same day. Can’t say it was urgent. But of course the fact that he’s a man clearly means he’s too important to wait.

Follow up appointments must be made by telephone , even if you are standing outside the surgery door and the receptionist can see you calling, they will not do it without the call.

The whole system is a mess. I had to wait all day for a telephone appointment 8.30am to 6pm with a doctor just to repeat what I told the receptionist so they could fill in a form just so I could the telephone appointment in the first place apparently the form us given to dr to see if you need an appointment. After repeating info again told yes you need a face to face appointment also bloods done which I got a week later to be told needed a blood test 2.5wks later to see nurse. A lot of wasted time.

@MatildaTheCat - Exact same scenario here with regard to 2 practices with less than 3 miles between them. I moved from the 'impossible' one to the other excellent one a couple of years ago. The difference is like Night and Day. I'm in Scotland, but you could be talking about the same practices.

People do need to complain to the people who can effect change, but with a shortage of GP's too nationally, it's very difficult. I too can't blame people for ranting on here. The situation for many is shocking

I rang NHS111 a couple of months ago at 2.30 in the afternoon for my little girl..they rang us back at 03.47 am. Laughable truly laughable.