Can't even phone to book an doctor's appointment anymore, what is happening?

[GPbloodyWha]

Recieved this text from GP.

Can no longer phone them to book an appointment.

So what happens? You send them a message and have to wait and hours and hours for them to decide if you're allowed to see them or not?

Is a GP sitting there reading hundreds of messages to see if they should allow a patient an appointment an improvement on their use of time??

This is awful ! What if they miss your message?! Who has time for this who works???

More people are going to end up at a&e

What about people who can't use online methods? My grandad can use a phone to ring but can't do anything online.

I gave up on the NHS yesterday when I needed a mh nurse appointment for my dd. She had to ring at 8am today for a possible appointment 2 weeks today... Anyone tried getting a depressed teenager up for 8 am?. If I take her to the surgery she can sign a form allowing me to make appointments on her behalf...

That's what I'm thinking.

And with school kids too, how can it possibly work?

I guess it’s designed to avoid what happens at some surgeries - where you just have to call and call from 8am, only to get through at 9am and be told all appointments are gone and to try the next day. And the next. And the next…

Our surgery has been like this for over a year now. The system closes once they have reached capacity, typically 45 .ins after it opens. Useless if you do the school run, or work.

I think this is better than being triaged by receptionists.

My very elderly mother and father-in-law both wouldn’t have a clue!

This is awful. There is a huge amount of people who cannot use online services or have the means to access them.

Our GP has implemented this although has kept the phone for those that want to queue and are happy to call first thing. The online system is nothing short of game changing. 2 mins to fill out a chat form, always been called back same day (usually within the hour) and had a face to face appointment same day with GP or nurse practitioner. Massively easier if you can't just gamble on phoning at 8am, waiting in a queue for up to an hour and then maybe not getting through. Much, much better if you work and/or have the school run to do.

This seems a genius idea.
We currently can't book in advance but I can't call on the day at 8:30 for a non emergency as I am teaching from 8:40.
I would have time to send a message at 8:30.
And to only get an appointment if the doc thinks you need one is much better. Half the time you go in say I've got x y z symptoms and they prescribe and you're out in 5 minutes. They could do those from the message and prescription straight to chemist leaving actual appointments for more complex things that need a physical examination.
I hope my surgery start this.
Edit for spelling/autocorrect mistakes

We have this system. It works very well. Enquiries are often triaged within an hour. If it's a routine thing, it's dealt with via text message (eg antibiotics for a UTI, repeat prescription). If not, they phone and sometimes get you down to the practice.

Ours you have to fill a full-on questionnaire with body maps, tick lists and goodness knows what else. The doctor then looks at them all and decides who can have a phone call, a f2f, an appointment in 4 weeks, appointment with nurse etc. you have to wait for a text to tell you and then wait for a phone call if you're lucky.
You can still ring in but the receptionist basically fills the online questionnaire for you.

My GP operates this system and it's brilliant. They still have a phone line but it's for people with complex queries or who can't use the online system. The system is open during opening hours and you get streamed into an appropriate care pathway by whoever is on duty, there's also an option to choose if your query is admin or medical related. I don't want to go back to the days without it.

You can always call 111 I understand surgeries have to release some appointment slots to them

The scramble on the phones at 8am is a nightmare and people rightly complain. Patients are rude to the receptionists, who bear the brunt of their ire when the appointments have all gone. It’s good that your surgery is trying something new, I suppose. Who knows whether it will improve things, though. I doubt it. Seems like tinkering round the edges to me.

They are trying to make best use of their resources and a GPs time is the most valuable resource they have. It won't be a GP sifting through the messages, that would not be efficient.

We simply don't have enough doctors to met the ever increasing demand for healthcare and no amount of money will solve the problem. It takes years to train a doctor and we should have started the process 10 years ago but didn't as nobody likes paying tax and it costs money.

They can more easily outsource the triaging using this method.

I think this seems very efficient. A good idea. There will be accessible differences for those who can’t use the service in that way.

Our drs has been like this a while, it's ridiculous.

Our gp brought this system in a couple of years ago. To be honest it’s a better system than ringing. You have more chance of either being seen or getting a prescription. They get back to you quite quickly. It’s definitely a more efficient system in my experience of using it.

Our drs have this and it's great! Before, if you called up at 8:05am you'd be in a massive queue and any later you'd have no chance for a same-day appointment. Now as long as you submit the form before 12:30pm it's guaranteed to be looked at, so they can triage the more important appointments for that afternoon/next morning, rather than just giving them to the first people that get through.

Our surgery does this and I have to say it works very well. Way more efficient. Often you get a text within the hour saying I've prescribed you X and you can collect today from y.

I think we are at same surgery as I got an identical message .. I would say as someone who has tried ringing 150+ times at 8,30 to get an appointment, this makes it easier for us to register our need for an appointment.. does not create any more capacity for seeing a doctor but saves a lot of wasted time trying to get through .. the request system is not the problem .. it’s the capacity of doctors’ time that is

it works well for people who work - we don’t have time to make the calls and i would rather my request for one of the few appointments determined by a doctor on need rather than who wins the telephone lottery