To complain to GP practice?

[Cluedokeys]

Or am I being a drama queen?

Long story short, I’m worried I might have skin cancer. New and changing moles which look hideously similar to the examples of melanoma on the NHS website, I’m exhausted, and covered in a new, odd, blood fleck rash. I’m 31.
Prior to this I’ve not needed to see a GP for years.

I cannot get an appointment. I’ve called everyday for two weeks at the exact phone opening time in the morning, waited on hold for 40-55 minutes each day, to be told no appointments available and to call back tomorrow. You cannot make an appointment for a future date, you cannot make an appointment in person. Apparently, you can make an appointment online, but my partner and I have checked continuously for the last 2 weeks including at night and there are never any available. I’ve filled in an online consultation form which the auto response tells me will be reviewed by staff at the end of April, which is something I suppose, but I’m absolutely panicking that if it is something sinister, I need to be referred quite quickly for the best outcome.

I’m not sure whether the worry is clouding my judgement and I need to just calm down and keep trying, no big deal, or whether actually this is a pretty dismal set up which is worthy of a complaint?

Book with a private gp or change surgeries

Can you go in person?

If you have no other option I would consider going private

Yes!

There are so many options, try a different GP, go privately or go to A&E (only acceptable if you can’t afford private and no one else will see you).

Don’t depend on one useless sounding surgery.

I’ve filled in an online consultation form which the auto response tells me will be reviewed by staff at the end of April

were you updated of this via text / email?

I’m not sure what complaining will achieve - if the appointments are all full, they are full.
Staff don’t keep empty appts for the sake of it.

Current demand is outstripping supply considerably but unfortunately underfunded gp can’t keep absorbing or creating extra capacity.

Keep ringing on the dot every morning, changing practice may be an option but I can’t imagine it will be different elsewhere

I have much the same problem, but I have now figured out that the thing to do (with my surgery anyway) is to go down there at 8.30 and then I can usually arrange an appointment. If it's urgent it would be triaged and I might get a same-day telephone appointment. If it's not urgent then I might get a face to face appointment (if necessary) in 2-3 weeks. Longer if I want to see my own GP, shorter if I am prepared to see anyone.

Have you told them why you want the appointment, ie to exclude cancer? DD had a problem getting an appointment and I told her she needed to be firm and tell them why she wanted it. She was still told no appointment, no triage but receptionist had obviously thought about it and a doctor phoned in the afternoon. She's now on the 28 day NHS gateway.

At the time a friend told us he couldn't get an appointment, he was actually passing that day, walked in and got one, so do try that.

You need to tell the receptionist you think you may have cancer and you need an urgent appointment. There will be a way to get you in.

When they tell you there are no appointments are you clear in the reason you need one? Are you stating you are worried about a changing mole and the need to rule out cancer.

Thanks all. I won’t complain and I’ll just keep trying.
There are no other surgeries in the area (which is clearly part of the problem), the practice is the only one in the town as all surgeries merged into 1 a few years ago and circa 40,000 people rely on it. It does have quite a few GPs, although quite how you get an appointment to see one I’m not sure.

You cannot make an appointment in person.

I have explained the reason for the appointment every time.

@Answersunknown I understand this, and I appreciate that this isn’t the staff’s fault but I would expect a tier/triage/waiting list system for appointments, which there isn’t.

Maybe the OP can't afford private. It's not that easy to change surgeries always.

If only it was as simple as that. 🙄
Most people can’t afford private and it’s not easy to change surgeries.

This may help…when I worked as a receptionist and a patient wrote to a doctor (pen and paper), the letter was scanned into their permanent notes and reviewed / dealt with by a doctor to close out the enquiry as it were. Maybe include a photo.

My surgery is the same and the only way to get an appointment is showing up in person and waiting until there's something later that day. They usually keep some free emergency appointments later in the afternoon.

Failing that book a private appointment

In that case, I'd do what Tinybigtanya suggested, keep it brief and explain you've tried on numerous occasions to get an appointment for x amount of time, enclose a photo and tell them you're anxious to exclude cancer.

Where I live the pretty much only way to get an appointment is to call 111, explain your symptoms and be clear that you can't get an appointment. Almost certainly the call handler will be familiar with your surgery. Somehow they manage to force the surgery to give appointments if there's a clear need.

We are not in the catchment area of any other GP surgery unfortunately.

If you’ve told them why you need an appointment and still can’t get one then yes I would most definitely complain. It’s just not acceptable.
I’d also visit the surgery in person to speak to the receptionist and failing that,
I’d also phone 111 and say you think a mole may be cancerous and you can not get an appointment.

You should make a complaint.. as of last year GPs are contractually obligated to respond to requests. They don't necessarily have to offer you and appointment, but they can't ask you to call back tomorrow. This article explains it:

https://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/news/contract/new-contract-does-not-mean-gps-have-to-offer-appointment-on-first-contact/

Do any nearby pharmacies offer a mole scanning service? Some of my local ones (not UK) do, and images are sent to a dermatologist.

You're going to need to go the route of complaints, but in any event the only thing you can do (if you can't go private) is to keep calling on the dot every single morning.

All that said - it's not the GP's cum receptionists' fault - this is the system working to its ultimate goal. For what little it's worth I went through a similar thing with my GP and would turn up in person even if it was 'against the rules'. I'd say you could do your bit with your vote but I'm not sure that counts for much, if anything, anymore.

Does your area have an urgent care walk in centre? Usually based in a hospital they have GPS/nurse practitioners. You could also call 111. They might be able to book you in with your doctor or an urgent care centre.

I used to go to a practice who did same day appointments only. I would call repeatedly two minutes before phone line opened so that I was one of the first through soon as it open.

So say it opened at 8am, I would press redial from 7.58am which always meant I was able to be one of the very first through once phone lines opened.

Maybe give that a go?

My friend had a mole that was concerning her and was also unable to get a doctors appointment. She called 111 who advised her to go to the urgent treatment centre at our local hospital.

She was told she did the right thing at the hospital as it’s important not to leave these things and cancer needs to be ruled out.

If it’s affecting you by making you worry as well I’d ring 111 and ask them advice.

Not RTFT but, rather than complain, write a letter to the practice manager saying that you've had a change in moles which could be skin cancer, detail the contacts you've made so far and can they now explain how you are supposed to access help for suspected cancer. They will find you an appointment, it should not be this hard to access urgent care.

See my post recently too...... I got a GP call back after calling 111. Ending up getting his call at 7.20pm.

Called 111 thr next day to book for an appointment at the local urgent treatment centre. Got an out of hours GP appointment for the saturday. Surgery on konday (gall bladder.....I was a funky yellow colour!!)

They also suggested the Push Doctor part of their service.