Has anyone ever just turned up to a GP’s office because they can’t get them on the phone for an aopointment

[Plinkety]

Posting here for traffic. Sorry.

Just that really.

DS needs an appointment quite badly. Certainly can’t send him back to nursery until we know what’s going on. He’s 3. Can never get through on the phone in time for an appointment. They always say phone 111 if we get through later as they are ‘full’.

Don’t want to be an arsehole so wondered if turning up as they open was a reasonable thing to do.

Blimey, not being able to get one as a walk in is rubbish. Ours will make an on the day appointment, but only by phone between 08:30 and 09:00 and if they answer at 09:01, they won't entertain it.

I walk round for 08:30 and they've always given an appointment (for our daughter) on the day. She had to go in December and they sent us to an out of hours surgery, not too far away, as they had none before closing time.

I'd advise you to go to the local minor clinic, if you can't see a doctor at the surgery.

As PP have said - a temp of 40 and listless- why didn't you go to A&E.

Perhaps this is what people need to start doing instead of letting, what is in effect private GP practices, getting away with this service.

Yes, I agree.

I have but only because it's local to me and I went at 8.45 am to make an appointment, got appointment the same day

I should clarify he was listless for him. He perked up almost as soon as the antibiotics were in him. And he’s ok in himself now he just looks like a disaster area. We have an appointment for this afternoon now, Thank God.

And I am not letting private GPs away with anything. They provided a service I was totally unable to get on the NHS. The call handler could have signposted me to a walk in centre. She chose to not actually get him an appointment saving everyone time. Instead she left it in my hands with no experience medically (and whilst she may not be trained, her experience gives her more guidance than I have), whilst saying it didn’t matter if I had seen a ‘private GP’ as she had to do her checks (whilst unqualified clearly to actually pass an opinion - see the conflict?!), whilst finding it serious enough to tell me to check on him every two hours, ‘and yes through the night as well’.

Hence I wasn’t over the moon at the service provision.

My GP only books appointments for on the day and getting through to reception via phone is a nightmare. So if I need an appointment I wait outside the surgery for doors to open at 8:30 to book an appointment, which is what I've done this morning. The surgery does have emergency appointments available so if I contact them after all "routine" appointments have been taken up there is still the chance to see a GP.

Of course it's easy for me to say queue up and wait for them to open up, my GP surgery is a very, very short walk away. I also don't have to worry about getting kids to school or heading off to work.

Yes I have done this, but not recently.
The receptionists at the GPs practice will always put people on the phone on hold to deal with people waiting at the surgery.
On the phone they will say ‘just a minute’. That is when it is pointless saying that you have already been waiting 20.
So if you want an appointment go in person when the practice opens.

It’s not how we get appointments usually but DH needed antibiotics and the econsult system didn’t like his answers and locked him out and he couldn’t get through on the phone so I marched up to the surgery and nicely (I hope) explained the situation. He had a phone appointment and a prescription within the hour.

It's been about 2 decades since the desk receptionist in our practice answered the phones.

Not sure how it works in different areas but I always ring the health visitor who gets me an appointment with the paeds nurse that day

You can’t turn up for an appointment in my surgery. You can only phone.

One thing I have noticed is that when I have been to the surgery a few times in the afternoon eg flu jab, blood test, it has been absolutely deserted. I’m sure the doctors are busy but they seem to be in and out of the office area and they are definitely not seeing patients. It’s as if the morning scramble is chaos and then by 11.30 that’s it for direct contact with patients for the day!

At our GP you can book appointments for around 2 weeks time, on the website or by phone. Only any good for on-going condition or very minor concerns.

For on the day or 'emergency' appointments, you phone at 8.30am or 2 pm. They go so lightning fast that the only way to get through is to use a free auto dialler app set to retry every 5 seconds. I use one from Google Play called Auto Redial. Sometimes I've had instant success, other times tried for for 2/3 days until I can hit that elusive gap between other calls and get through.

Otherwise it's the Walk-In Centre or 111/Out of Hours service. A&E if genuine medical emergency.

I would say YABU to just turn up. Imagine the chaos if everyone who couldn't get an appointment did that?

At ours you have to phone - they won't make appointments at the surgery 🙄

I've done this twice. Walked in because couldn't get an appointment on the phone or website.

I have! They made me an appointment for that day as they could see how desperate I was

My dad was passing his surgery recently and had to make a non urgent appt so he thought I may as well pop in and do it while I’m passing. They told him they can only do it over the phone 🤯

our GP practice is round the corner - always quicker to go in for an appointment - we then go back home to wait for the appointment call…

I did this recently. I was on hold for twenty minutes and when I finally got through the phone cut out....my dd really needed an appointment so i just turned up at the surgery and explained. The receptionists are actually lovely and helpful and got her seen.

Ours still answer the phones but you have to wait for ages and by the time you get through all the appointments will be gone.

I always go to the walk-in centre if I need to see a GP urgently.

My GP will just send you away to call at 8am the next morning. Do you have a walk in nearby?

Yep my mum has, turned up as soon as they opened and got a same day face to face appointment!

Don’t you have a local walk in centre? I’ve rang 111 before when my daughter had tonsillitis and she had a temp of 40 and listless. They were equally as useless and told me they would call me back which I accepted and took her to the walk in centre anyway. We were rushed through despite being told long wait time and they were very good.

My brother is currently in intensive care having had to have an emergency tracheostomy due to our GP's negligent service. I've lost count of how many times he phoned the gp to not be able to get an appointment. He called 111 who said the gp would phone him with an appointment. He waited and waited - eventually called them himself to be told they'd forgotten and now had no appointments left - call again at 8 the next day. He went to drop ins to be told he couldn't be referred except by his own doctor. He queued outside at least 3 times despite being increasingly ill and frail - he lost 3 stone in 6 weeks and he was underweight to start with! He did get an appointment each time with a nurse who just gave him more antibiotics! He asked about nutritional support and was told he could only get that if he was referred to a nutritionist- she did not refer him. I'm so upset about his 'treatment'. We were told he would have been dead by now if he hadn't have come in that day. He only came in that day as the normal practice nurse was off so he saw another one who said he'd speak to the gp who (still without seeing my brother) referred him urgently to the hospital. My brother's eyes look so sad - he can't speak atm - he was trying for over 2 months! He is a vulnerable adult (nd) and I am disgusted.

All the time. It takes 2 mins to drive, or 20 mins to walk - both of which are quicker than ringing.