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?!

I think moving to systems like this is bang out of order, by all means have an online system as an option for those who are able to use it, but the elderly and vulnerable people should be able to pick the phone up and get an appointment direct. There's no consideration for elderly patients who have to ask friends and family to help book appointments for matters they may not wish to disclose to them, I imagine elderly gentlemen would not be wanting to ask their neighbour/relative to book an appointment if they are having bowel or waterwork issues. It creates an extra barrier to them seeking help. My gps still have the 8am scrum for an appointment, unless you can dial fast and get in there 8am on the dot, by 8.03 everything is gone, they say ring back tomorrow or book an appointment for 8 weeks time. Absolutely shocking.

I'm a very healthy person thankfully (I've only made appointments for my children in recent years, which were difficult to get to say the least!) I haven't been to the doctors since 2015 for myself, but I dread if I ever have anything concerning I need looking at, I'm left relying on the receptionist who has a level 2 in touch typing to decide if I can wait 8 weeks to be seen. Shocking. The whole system is broken.

I took my little boy to the doctors with an ongoing issue (he has asthma but is still too young to be diagnosed apparently). The gp gave us a peak flow meter and a diary to complete for 2 weeks, he said just book an appointment for in 2 weeks time to review the results, I laughed and said your next appointment is 8 weeks time. So as by magic he said OK I'll book you in in 2 weeks, there are appointments there, and just like that he tapped on his keyboard and we were booked in. Receptionists literally have the power to decide who gets an appointment, madness.

After doing the e consult ours ask if you want contacting by phone call or text so it doesn’t matter if you can answer the phone .

My GP surgery tells me all the time I can book an appt through the app and yet when you use the app the booking appts part is not available so I have to wait in the telephone queue.

So my 83 yr old neighbour who's been showing signs of dementia for a good 20 years now, she just what?

You know one day you too will be old, maybe infirm, maybe you too wont be able to use whatever system is in place then. Shall, we just tell you, well its been around decades now, you had your chance.

The requirements of today have not been around decades. And for the largest user of the nhs they’re completely inaccessible. It’s not a choice people are making.

The sooner those of us who cannot get through to the NHS or don't get sick can have a legal right to opt out of it and have our annual income tax bills reduced by 20% (the amount of your tax that goes on the NHS) the better.

Our surgery has this, except they only open the online requests between 8am and 9am, meaning that those of us on the school run, then the journey to work can never book an appointment without either being late to work, or the kids late to school. I've been trying to book an asthma review for weeks with no joy because everyone accessing the website at the same time crashes it.

The only way to see a GP where I live is to use a private clinic, otherwise, you just get told there are no more appointments, day after day. That's why waiting times at A&E are so long.

My GP surgery is fantastic but this is one thing which I wish we had, online appointment booking. It would free up a lot of time for the staff to deal with other tasks and I wouldn't need to sit on hold for ages at 8am.. My mums surgery does have the online booking facility but you can have a note on your file if there's a reason why you can't do this.

But we aren't all experiencing the same problems. I do not have any problems with my GP's surgery at all.

We can’t make appointments at all. We have to do an e-consult, and then we get either a text, email or phonecall by 6.30pm the next day, which isn’t ideal if you’re working, or if you’re very very lucky you’ll get a text with an appointment time for sometime that afternoon. DH is having horrific pain from his knee. It’s swollen to about twice the size of the other one. First he had a text saying the GP had prescribed painkillers. They helped a bit so when he ran out he did another one to ask for more but had a text from a different GP saying she wasn’t prescribing them because he’d have developed a tolerance to them. The pain got worse and worse and he had to start using a stick so did another econsult and finally someone saw him last week and he’s to get an X-ray and a scan. It’s all been very frustrating.

I prefer booking online, saves ringing and hearing the engaged tone dozens of times, and having to justify your need to receptionists. It doesnt suit everyone though, so the option of making an appointment by telephone should always be available.

I'm feeling very lucky, the last two times I've phoned for an appointment, the receptionists (who apparently are trained to triage), get me an appointment with a doctor, face to face, within 2 hours.

No one is ever going to be happy. People want things their way and their way only and if it doesn't work for them individually well there's an absolute uproar!

in the year 2000 the population of the UK was about 58 million.
In 2023 the population of the UK is about 68 million.

Is it any wonder at all that the NHS is as it is and the at GP surgeries have introduced this method of operating. What is more surprising is that they do not ask for your NHS number when you try to book at appointment online at a GP surgery.

I'm sorry your employer is so unpleasant. I'd be looking for another job with your skills

Ahh yer gatekeeper! Because we really do love those precious appointments and it makes our life so much easier to just not give out appointments. You do realise you won't be their only patient and there's not just appointments for you personally reserved and the other 300+ patients ringing at the time.

Our GP has encouraged everyone to book and enquire online, specifically to free up the phone lines for those who cannot use online (we have a large elderly population, and also quite a lot of rural households with no internet access at all due to lack of coverage).

We can only request a GP appointment on-line. Nice idea but you have be on line at 7am because by 7.20 the system is overwhelmed and closed. If you manage to submit a request they get back to you within 3 working days. The appointment may be up to 4 weeks later.
If youre online later than 7.20, you can't submit a request. At least once a week the system is so busy, they close it for 24-48hrs to catch up. Its frightening how crap it is.

I feel lucky with our Drs. You can phone for an appt but have to spend a while in the queue so I always use the eConsult. They respond very quickly (same day) either offering you an appt that day if they think it sounds urgent, or booking you in for a few weeks’ time if not urgent. If they can see straight away what the issue is, they’ll just send a prescription straight to the chemists. Whenever I’ve contacted them with issues with the kids, they’ve usually seen them the same day. I find it works well.

@justasking111 I actually really love my job and love the patients. Never once have I had a complaint. Do I take notice of the manager or doctors? Not always and Will argue my case. Once a patient is booked and I've told them when they will get a call their not going force me to call and move the appointment. I'm very lucky I work in a relaxed surgery and most times there aren't problems.

We used to have a brilliant drop in system. If you didn't mind waiting an hour and could be there at half past eight you would always see a doctor. Since Covid it's phone call only between 8:30 and 9:30. Telephone call with the recepionist who then arranges doctor to phone you sometime that day. Sometimes you can see someone face to face, sometimes not. It's really hard trying to discuss something sensitive over the phone in an open plan office at work!

I have nothing additional to add. Except it’s all quite shit.

But one day, I rang our doctors at 8am, and I was FIRST IN THE QUEUE!

Never happened again, but it was one hell of a day.

But back to the topic….

Ours switched to e consult between 8am and 6pm. Contact within 2 weeks.

Then from 8am until 12noon. Same - will be contacted within 2 weeks.

I was contacted with 3.5 weeks!

Now has gone back to no e consults and call on the day only.

So we are back to either be too many in queue and cut off or getting through at 8.10am to be told to call at 8am when they open.

I don't think they've yet found anything that actually works!