Apparently you can no longer call the GP to book a GP appointment.

[AngeloMysterioso]

You now HAVE to book online, and it HAS to be through the website and NOT the app.

I found that out the hard way today when I tried to book an appointment for my son, the app said none available so I rang up and waited half an hour on the phone to get through to reception, who told me I had to book it online.

You make a request and they’ll get back you within 48 hours.

AIBU to think that’s bloody ridiculous?!

It's scandalous. How many elderly people must just not bother anymore because they're not computer literate? My grandparent would have no clue. My mother would struggle. It's totally irresponsible and unfair. Offer an online option by all means but consider those who can't or choose not to use a smart phone or the internet ffs.

And others have gone more or less deaf and blind during that time. Not sure how an 86 year old with WMD and bilateral hearing loss is supposed to manage to book her own appointments when she can't even see or hear a phone.

Yes I agree - I wonder how either GPs or councils meet their obligations under the Equality Act or the public sector equality duty.

And by definition, GPs will be dealing with a lot of disabled people, as well as elderly.

I quite like the basic premise, my 83 yr old neighbour not so keen.
However I've tried to put times when I cant answer the phone and been quite harshly told, the dr will call whenever and if you miss that call, you then have to rebook online again.

Plus the triage bit isnt working. I had an injury a while ago, no sign of it healing at all, so I filled out the econsult for some help with which aid I would be better off with, the practice manager text with go here or here to buy what you need.
Fantastic, but I did not know what I needed. Because I'm not a bloody dr or nurse.
Anyway my new Google medical degree suggested an item. I bought item, still not better, in more pain than ever, have to see dr for decent painkillers. He tells me in that consult that I actually needed x aid not y aid.

Well I fucking asked for help. You chose to fob me off.

Both myself and my partner needed to complete a registration with the GP before we could use the online service. We then had to wait for a letter from the surgery which confirmed completion of registration and gave instructions for registering online along with a personal access code.

I filled in the online form trying to return a call that i had from the GP saying she wanted to speak to me ASAP....
Four days later she rang me back asking what I had called for!

This is fine if you have a computer and can afford to have wifi, so ok for people like me but I like to also think how this impacts people who either can't afford it or do not have the skills to use it. I live in a poor inner city area and I think if the Health Centres here bring this in it will exclude a lot of people.

I remember how many children from less well-off families struggled to access online teaching during lockdown, There were stories of kids taking it in turn to do their work on a parent's phone as that was the only way they could get online. If phone app can no longer be used there are a lot of people who will not be able to access the system. It has not yet been brought in where I live and I hope that there is some thought and consideration given to those who will not have the skills and/or the equipment to do this

Otoh I've just walked into our surgery with a non-urgent request for dd. They're phoning me in the next half an hour, and it will be sorted out over the phone, and I can collect the made up prescription in 48 hours from our local surgery.

In the old system I'd be given an appointment (same day normally) and arrive on time, probably have a 20-60 minute wait, then have to take the prescription to the pharmacy and wait while it is made up.

Sometimes the system works better the new way.

As stated in her post she says the digitally impaired can call the surgery and get through easier because the lines aren't jammed and they will fill the form in for them. Or did you choose to ignore that?

This thought struck me when I was reading through the thread. The Equality Act 2010 mandates reasonable adjustment for those who need it and by not providing an alternative method of booking GPs could well find themselves in breach of it.

MANY people who are 75+ now would have been in their late 50s/early 60s (or older) when computers first started being used more, and would have been already retired, or in a job where they never used computers.

This is my mum. She was a primary teacher, took early retirement aged about 50 around 1995 when computers in primary schools were on a trolley and wheeled from class to class. After retiring from full time teaching she did supply as a teacher in school nurseries or with the very youngest classes and never ever had to use the computer in her work. Dad was more interested in computing and the internet, had an email address, used Facebook, online banking, booked holidays online. But he now has dementia, is in a home, and would not manage even to switch the laptop on.

Oh my goodness the world has gone mad. I'm dreading this happening to our surgery x

I liked e- consult which my surgery used to use but now you have to phone up and they put you on a waiting list for a phone call from the GP. From what I have heard, this can take 2-4 weeks and you have no control of timings.
Our surgery sends say they no longer can treat emergencies on the day appointments and so people are sent to urgent care centres miles away for things like bad ear infections. I have been advised to go to A&E on a number of occasions when it simply isn't suitable. I worry about my family needing quick, simple medical care.

Can you imagine sending a message for the over 200 patients who ring everyday. "Doctor KP needs an appt" x 200. It wouldn't work. It needs to go into a slot and then the doctor can triage and put in the appropriate a lot. A lot of people think the doctors are just there for themselves. Not the 4000+ patients.

My mum is 84 and does use the NHS app but finds the e-consult awkward to use and prefers the phone. There will be lots of 84 year olds who can't cope with technology, not because they don't know how to use it but because they don't have the manual dexterity anymore, can't see well enough, or don't have the cognitive ability anymore.

And not everyone has friends or family nearby to help.

If we paid for GP appointments all this might be better, although given levels of customer service in other areas maybe not.

On the phone message when you ring up you are told to book an appointment on the NHS App. But on the app it says, "Not appointments can be booked at this time". I have tried waiting in the queue to talk to The Gatekeeper (Receptionist) and she'll answer the phone then cut you off. So I walk down there from my flat (10 minutes) and they refuse to make an appointment because they don't want to see patients in the surgery unless a GP says it's ok. (A hangover from the pandemic)

I'm looking for a new GP.

And the expense, my Wifi is realtively cheap as £22 a month, but for some people that will be a big expense and then if the practice is not using the phone app any more you will need to have a lap top so that is more expense. There is a bit of me that is now totally sick of everysingle bloody thing being either on an app or online only and I say that as someone who is very computer literate. I was almost reduced to tears by the Uber app recently when changing my debit card details as it is set up for US zip codes and of course when I entered my post code I kept putting a space between the two sets of characters. So of course I had to Google a video of how to do it and problem solved. However many people do not have the equipment or the skills to negotiate the idiosyncracies of certain systems and I think many will just give up as a consequence. It is going to similar to shutting ticket offices at stations in a sense, we have to consider the needs of vulnerable and excluded groups.

This works well for me. I email, with photos and normally get booked in pretty quickly.

We have the e-consult system. They ask loads of infuriating questions just to cover themselves but the most irritating thing for me is that unless you can fill the form in between 8am and about 9am it closes saying:

'eConsult online consultations are only accepted Monday to Friday, 8am-6pm but may close earlier if the practice reaches capacity for the day.
You can submit a request again from 8am tomorrow.'

So annoying when you're doing the school run or commuting to work.

I really miss the old days where you could just speak to people rather than filling in countless forms and needing to remember a million passwords to achieve anything 😭

Not ridiculous at all. All queries are looked at, urgent ones are dealt with that day and non urgent ones you get a contact back within 48 hours. What’s ridiculous about that? It’s a good way to triage and more efficient

Even if I request a face to face appointment I will be given a phone appointment. I’ve twice been misdiagnosed over the phone.

This is some abelist bs right here. My father has a brain injury , using a computer or smart phone is simply beyond him and others with disabilities. How can you not understand that some people just don't have the capability to learn to use technology? Or even the means to afford it?

This is some abelist bs right here. My father has a brain injury , using a computer or smart phone is simply beyond him and others with disabilities.

well just contact the surgery and tell them and they will provide a number. It’s not hard!

The thing that really bugs me is that they won’t give a time for a phone call so you have to abandon everything to be ready for the call. When they give face to face appointments they wouldn’t expect you to sit in the waiting room all day. It reminds me of earlier days of the NHS when you were expected to be grateful for the service.

However I've tried to put times when I cant answer the phone and been quite harshly told, the dr will call whenever and if you miss that call, you then have to rebook online again

Have the NHS forgotten where their tax take you know money actually comes from It comes from people working. Yet they want people to risk their jobs waiting for them to get their act together.

Would this doctor like it if his receptionist downed tools to answer a call from HER GP. I bet he would be a fucking hypocrite about it