Caller number 31 in the queue?!

[tiredmama23]

On hold to my GP surgery currently. The automated voice just told me I'm caller number 31 in the queue 😲 Is it just me or is this a bit mental? I know phone lines are busy in the morning and I'm used to being number 10-15 ish in the queue at busy times. But 31?! I don't even live in a busy city either, we live quite rurally. Is this length of queue normal in other areas?!

Yeah we don't get a queue at our GP. Apparently there is going to be a universal system that all GPS use soon and ours didn't want to start something new if they were going to have to change it.

Having said that, I called non stop from 8:30 a few weeks ago. After 60 attempts and 15 mins, got through and offered an appointment for 10:30! It's a pain to get through but usually an get a same day appt.

As others have said- Monday mornings are always busy with people who needed help over the weekend.

It's usually in the 80s here at both doctors. They have introduced a second phone for appointment window so there is 8.00- 10.00 and then if you don't get through you can phone 2.00 - 3.30. Both slots the queue is over 80. They have started offering a reserve appointment list, they see people back to back, if you are late to your appointment you are not seen, you are called once and if you miss it then you are considered a no show and the next person called. If everything flows smoothly then if you are on the reserve list you are phoned up about 12 and asked to come in.

Up and coming commuter town in the Midlands that is rapidly expanding and currently has 4 lots of large new build developments happening. No new drs or dentists so when the 4000 houses are completed they will have to join the existing services. It's a 7 year wait for a NHS dentist and 4 years for a private dentist. Nearest NHS dentist seeing anyone who doesn't have a dentist is a 50 minute drive away in nearest city and only seeing emergencies.

Trouble is this is becoming the new normal. we will feel happy if we are only 15th in the queue and we can get an appointment in x weeks time. Its a disgrace and the NHS should hang its head in shame.

Just tried mine out of interest and I was caller number 40.

I just phone mine and get answered straight away.

I thought these systems of phoning in queues were being outlawed.

facceine - nhs dentist situation is dire in the south where we live too. If you are over 18 you just cant get one, not even on a waiting list. The only way is private.....so why did i pay national insurance all my working life?

Yes dentist situation is also dire where I am. I had no choice but to go privately to get an appointment for me and my toddler - was told by NHS dentist that my toddler couldn't have a check up as they weren't accepting new children on their books and they told me all others would tell me the same! So essentially if I wanted my toddler to have dental care (her first check up etc), I was forced to go private.

I’ve been caller 70-something on occasion, I’m in a large town and the surgery has 3 practices covering most of the town. There’s lots of coughs, colds and lurgies going around so that’ll increase GP demand.

Our surgery has an e-consult online and I’ve always had a response within 48 hours which I use for the routine stuff.

All the appointments are gone by 8:15 and you can't book in advance. You just have to so the same thing tomorrow at 8.

Welcome to the shit show that is health care in the UK. Said as an nurse 😭

This is normal where I live
I was number 44 once, eventually got to number one, got through to be promptly hung up on! 😠

Because people wait outside for it to open and bypass the phone queues

Pretty standard here. If at all possible I go to the surgery at 7.45 and wait till they open at 8, there’s a queue but not as long as on the phone, you are more likely to get an appointment but obviously that prioritises people who are not so ill as they can actually get there and stand in a line, which is ridiculous .

@PrincessHoneysuckle can't do that at my surgery. Since covid you have to phone and wait. Anyone asking for appointment at reception is told to ring.

Yep. I'm a nurse in a GP surgery. All our appointments were gone by the time I got here at 8:30. I've just looked at the GP list and we had maybe 40 appointments available across 2 sites for a practice of 7000 patients. The ridiculous system of only booking on the day with no triage means it's first come first served, which isn't the best use of resources. We have an econsult system but that switches off when it's full as well.

Ragzrebooted - so why doesnt someone sort this out? You have come up with what sounds like a viable solution? Clearly the NHS isnt working at the moment, but there doesnt seem much focus on sorting it out? Or am I wrong.....please tell me I'm wrong.

Our surgery has introduced a call back service recently, which is really good. They keep your place in the queue and call you back when it's your turn.

Just checked my call log - 388 calls it took to get through!

tell me that’s a typo for 38?

Ours is often at capacity so can't even get in the queue

I was number 1 in the queue for 45 minutes. I had to give up in the end.

DH and I are at different surgeries so have different systems. I've had to call a couple of times recently, the first being one afternoon when I wanted to find out what the booking system was so I could call the next day. She offered me an appointment that afternoon if I wanted it! I couldn't make it unfortunately.

The next day I called up and was number 4 in the queue. The following week I called up again and was number 8 in the queue, though it still took a good half hour to get through from there (they have a funny two queue system where you have to queue to then be able to select the option you want, then queue again to get through to reception).

DH's surgery seems much, much busier, but they do a ring back service, so your number gets logged and they call you back, which is much more convenient.

Overall we've been quite pleased with both our surgeries lately. I was even in and out of the car park within the free 30 minute window last time I went!

GP practices are private businesses, so "the NHS" has limited powers to sort out what each practice does.

Labour have said they want to bring GP practices into NHS control so they're no longer private businesses, but it is very unpopular with GPs, also complicated due to historical reasons.

I contacted Nectar via their chat option the other day, and I was seven hundred and something in the queue. So I wimped out, and gave up.

Ours did have the call back system but if they were full you just had to try again the next day. They've just introduced an on line system so we'll see how that works. They say you can still call but I do wonder how it will work for the elderly without phones or computers.

Monday morning is always extremely busy. A lot of people are ringing with coughs and colds and even diarrhoea that started 5 hours prior to ringing the GP. Some people have been ill with urine infections all weekend but hang on until the surgery phone lines open at 8am instead of seeing if it can be treated beforehand. You also get the patients that always get through on a regular basis.