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??

It excludes the vulnerable - I’ve seen this first hand. I was at the GPs recently and two separate elderly people came in. One, whose husband has cancer and needed a blood test, had been sent a link to arrange this. She didn’t have a mobile phone so it had been sent to her landline so was useless.
The second said he was trying to make an appointment but didn’t have access to the internet. The receptionist, having told him he needed to make it online, eventually helped him but not with much grace.

Honestly the surgery where I work does this and patients have really given nothing but positive feedback! Requests are seen by a clinician on the same day and you don't have to wait on the phone for hours.

Mine do this already and it’s absolute bollocks.

you have to submit the online form then they have 3 WORKING days just to call you to tell you when your appointment will be. I don’t even bother with them anymore I just go straight to 111

We have this. It's shit. It's provided by a firm called Klinik Healthcare Solutions, none of whom are doctors. The "queries" are "triaged" by an algorithm, supposedly "overseen" by someone who is "medically qualified". If you don't include key words in your form, or if you say that it's an existing condition, you'll be categorised as routine. At our surgery that used to mean a six week wait for a doctor to even read your form; now you wait six weeks and then get a text asking if you still want a doctor to read your form in a further six weeks time. If you do include key words you have to be careful it doesn't sound too serious otherwise the form closes and tells you to go to A&E.

Dealing with this system is like dealing with the most incompetent gnarly piece of shit computer ever fucking invented. Like a 1970s fisher price doctor kit combined with 2001-level murderous intransigent intent. To add insult to injury, three pages in to the form you have to select your problematic body part from a fucking diagram. A diagram that goes straight from stomach to genitals. Yes, that's right. This healthcare model does not recognise female body parts.

Find another surgery if you can op.

Our Gp has moved to this system and it’s way better than sitting on the phone for hours . Invariably ours get back to you within a few hours with either an appt date ( call or F2F) , or a prescription . If you aren’t satisfied you just fill out another form saying so - it’s brilliant . For people who can’t fill out the form you can still ring the receptionist and they go through it over the phone and fill it in for you . Don’t knock it until youve given it a go . It’s much better for people who can’t answer the phone at work as you can put set times on for contacting you etc .

Ours has this and its brilliant. For those who can't do online you can ring the surgery and the receptionists will fill out the form for you, but everyone gets exactly the same method, and allows them to decide best what to do

This is a brilliant idea. Within a few minutes you can submit your concern rather than trying to call at 8.30 and not getting through.

We also have this system alongside phoning and it's great. Unfortunately I've had to make quite a few contacts with our GP surgery recently for unrelated issues. I've used the online form each time and have had an appropriate contact each time. Either they've called me back within an hour or so to offer an apt, or I've had a telephone consultation.

I agree there needs to be a phone / face to face option for those who don't have the internet. My mum is not online in any capacity so this would be no good for her. But the surgery will have to demonstrate that they have something set up for those in that situation.

Honestly, don't knock it till you've tried it.

It’s working quite well for me. I left a message online and a GP rang me back same day. I was told a window when they’d call. That is easier than before and quicker. I worry though that they don’t look at patients now - don’t they need to see what you look like? Pale/thin/stresses/obese?

We have an e-consult system at ours and I can’t fault it. Whenever I’ve had to do one for the kids I’ve heard back within 3 hours. But we also have the option to call up if needed.

Ours has this and it works well. Filled a form in Friday morning, got a text to say they wanted to see me in person (which I hadn't actually expected- was just adking for advice,) with a link to make an appointment, saw GP Monday (the next working day,) but had quite a range of possible appointments.

You can still call them if you don't have a smart phone/Internet access.

Are you sure it's all done by algorithm? I ask because my surgery also uses Klinic and the info written in the form is definitely read by a clinician at the surgery. It does send you off if what you've written are red flags, just as the receptionist would if you explained that on a telephone triage. But if you don't agree you can start again and use a different description.

Our doctors moved to this it’s amazing!!! I was sceptical but it’s been great so far.

8am pop your request, it texts to say it’s received so no panic it’s been missed.

The team can quickly assess more patients this way. Anything urgent I have had a phone call to book a doctors app within 30mins of putting the request in for the same day.

We have this at our surgery. It works really well. They won’t miss your message - they triage and if urgent (or to do with children) they always come back within an hour. Normally they come back within the hour even if not that urgent.

But our surgery is really well run - they make lots of use of nurse practitioners to deal with more routine stuff which I think helps the GPs deal with more complex stuff

The initial stage is done by algorithm yes. Sometimes the algorithm sends the info to a gp, sometimes it doesn't.

https://klinikhealthcaresolutions.com/

We haven’t been able to call for a long time now. You fill in a form online and get called back. It’s easier to deal with than the mad 8.30 rush.

I’m going to go against the grain. So we have this at our surgery, I rang up at 11am ish yesterday with a rash annd was told to fill in the online request. I was text an hour or so later saying a nurse would ring me at 2:30pm. I had to upload a photo of the rash.

The nurse diagnosed it as drug allergy (I am on pain meds atm following c section) - she then rang me back a further two times after discussion with the doctor about what medication could’ve caused it.

It was surprisingly efficient but I had the same reaction as you when I first realised
I couldn’t get an appointment over the phone. The receptionist when I rang said there’s a triage team of three at the surgery a doctor, a nurse and receptionist who decide and communicate the outcome of the triage.

It's horrendous. Our surgery have done this by stealth - technically we can still call at 8am to book an 'on the day' appointment but there are less than a handful available so you are then told to put an e-consult through which can take them 48hrs to review.

I just want to see my GP!

We have this and it’s amazing. Phone is an option for those who can’t use tech. Usually can be sorted by text / email system or over the phone (including prescriptions) and if not I usually get a same or next day appointment.

Ours is done by Klinik too, and it seems quite efficient to me. Of course, different surgeries may use it differently, I don't know. Pretty sure ours are read by people rather than an algorithm. I was seen in person on Monday, having filled in a form Friday morning and got a text back in a couple of hours or so. No 6 week wait here, AFAICT.

Our surgery has an online form and I love it. You can still ring so nobody is excluded (and the wording in yours suggests it may be same 'no longer required' isn't the same as no longer allowed).

You send off your query without having to sit on the phone for hours. They ring you to make an appointment either in person or on the phone. You can add photos too.

Presumably it's now easier to get through on the phone as less people are ringing.

Mine is the same. We have to fill in a form and they'll decide. I tried to do it this afternoon and was told I can't now. Have to wait until 7.30am tomorrow.

That doesn’t say you cannot. It says you aren’t required to.

Our doctor does this and it’s been fantastic.

I suppose it's a slightly less troublesome way to waste your time before you end up in A&E.

They must (surely?) have things in place for people w/o online access (for whatever reason).
Many patients won't even have received that text message.
Someone must be manning the phones.
Will they write to patients w/o mobile numbers?