How do you get a doctors appointment if you are not available between 8.30 and 8.35am

[shaniahoo]

I had to slightly change my work hours today and work from home just so that I could fill out an e-consult form to get a doctor's appointment because in my experience the form closes by 8.35. I was refreshing the page every 5 seconds from 8.29 onwards and on one refresh it changed from "you can submit a new request from 8.30 today" to "you can submit a new request from 8.30 on Monday". I don't know whether it filled up in 5 seconds or whether they just didn't open it today for some reason. I rang instead and am number 23 in the queue. Isn't this ridiculous?? I know from previous times that they WILL NOT give you a routine appointment for in a few days time, say. They will give you an appointment today if you ask at 8.30 exactly otherwise you have to call tomorrow. But I thought that was the point in the e-consult form, so you can submit a request whenever and they can work through them? What the hell is the point in it if the online form also has a strict 8.30-8.35(or earlier) time window? And what do people do to get doctors appointments if they are working at 8.30am in the kind of job where you can't fanny about with your phone, or on the school run or something routinely at that time?

I see go to my surgery 2-3x a month, but then I am not well and usually one is a blood test or ECG etc, and the others are GP face to face to manage the different referrals and consultants. I usually see 2 consultants per month, so there is always a follow up with GP to discuss what the consultant wants. I currently see three consultants all in different specialties.

I rarely initiate the appointments. Last time I did was April 24 when I had a nasty eye infection and even though you can get antibiotic eye drops from the pharmacist, I am allergic to them and to get the preservative free ones I have to see a GP and get a prescription. It is because they are more expensive eye drops.

Most appointments I get sent a text from the surgery telling me to book an appointment. I have bloods, ECG and what not a minimum of every 3 months,

The frustrating thing is I can’t book the appointments online or via the NHS app. I am like everyone else dialling frantically at 8:30 and hoping to get through. It is exhausting. I wonder why they can’t just book me an appointment and text that to me with a note to call if I need it moved to another day/time instead of sending a text to me that says “please book an appointment with GP or for a blood test etc”

Yes, this. The suggested co pay of £20 a visit would break me. That would be up to £720 per year? I can’t afford that and it would feel like I’m being punished for being unwell. It’s not my fault I am unwell. The health conditions I have already cost me extra and have severely reduced my earning capability.

Any payment system would certainly need to be carefully through through. Certainly it would have to be means tested, and maybe a prepayment certificate should be available for those with conditions needing frequent appointments - a bit like prescription charges in England.

I don’t claim any means tested benefits. I earn enough not to, but even if I had tons of money, why should I essentially pay an extra tax for the bad luck of being unwell? Especially since I’m not asking for appointments I am being requested by my doctors to come in for an appointment, who is to say doctors won’t abuse this system and call people in extra times to make more copays?

I do have a PPC for my medications, but then England is the only part of the U.K. that pays for prescriptions. The political will is moving towards aligning England with RUK and making prescriptions free.

I don’t think a PPC would be a good idea for GP appointments. They are less predictable for most people than repeat medications.

I don’t think there is any evidence that the NHS is being abused by time wasters clogging up GP appointments. The evidence all points to too much demand and too little supply and that many who need a GP are going without and ending up causing A&E overloads and high wait times.

This makes me so sad. I’m from the U.K. originally, but I’ve lived in Denmark for years now.

I remember in the U.K. never being able to get an appointment even back in 2018. I’d have to call up, and they were all gone by 8.30. I once had a lung/breathing issue and all they could offer me was a student to check me out in 3 months’ time. No online booking. Crappy old converted bungalow as a a doctor’s surgery. Never saw the same GP twice.

Here, I go on a National app, book a time for my preferred doctor / midwife / nurse, under whichever category I need, and show up. I’ve never not been able to see someone within 48 hours. I can also email a question and get a reply within 12 hours.

The surgery is brand new and has designer Scandinavian furniture. I see whichever doctor I want to. We have a national health card where all prescriptions are electronically stored, and which work at any pharmacy in the country. My medical history is stored on there too. I’ve never once felt rushed or like I’m using up their time stupidly.

It really shocks me that people here think the system is bad! And saddens me that I thought the U.K. system was ‘normal’ before. It is completely unnecessarily screwed up and old school. I really hope things will improve one day, because I can see how hard it is to get a basic GP appointment for my parents and friends, or any kind of consistent care. It really doesn’t need to be this way!

There’s also an option to get a type of health insurance (for around £150/year which pays back 30% of each prescription / dentist / optician / physio appointment you have.), and otherwise, you get a good rebate once you hit a certain limit.

Our GP surgery (actually its a group of 3 surgeries and you can be allocated any one of about 20 medical practitioners - GP/Nurse/Paramedic doing a spare shift) asks you NOT to call at 8am but to fill in an econsult form as soon as the surgery opens.
Did this x2 this morning.

Once for myself, stating a reoccurrence of a particular type of pain related to my Fibro, no need for f2f but that an urgent on the day apt was required as pain is intense and increasing. Really only need the GP to issue a prescription for pain medication that has been given before but wasn't put on repeat ( Locum GP error after last flare).

Secondly for my son (adult but has ASD), non urgent apt but needs to be f2f due to his communication issues.

Got a txt back at 8.12am with a link to book an apt for my son, offering a choice of times, choice of GP, same day f2f. Great. Not that he needs an on the day apt but I won't turn it down!

Second txt comes in at 8.14am, again with a link for me to book an appointment for myself - offering a choice of times for a f2f (not needed).

By the time I'd entered my choice of GP (I clicked "ANY") the system showed a message saying "no apts available".

Hang on, you just sent me a link to book an appointment!

So I ring the surgery.

First call the receptionist doesn't listen when I tell her I'd got the txt asking me to book, tells me they don't make appointments over the phone and hangs up.

Second call cuts out after 25 minutes on hold (and as I was no 1 in the queue).

Third call the receptionist tells me it's my fault, I was "too slow in accepting the appointment" - I swear it was less than 30 seconds to open the txt, click the link and enter my DOB. By this point I'm absolutely fuming (but smiling on the outside) and ask for the first available appointment. Receptionist tells me they don't book non urgent appointments over the phone, you can't book them on the app or via econsult either. Despite the fact that this had started out as a request for an urgent on the day appointment!

Receptionist tells me to fill out another form at 8am on Monday and "manage as best as I can" over the weekend. Thanks "dearie", I'll just scream silently into my pillow until then.

Ask if I can swap my son's apt over to me (as his issue is not urgent and mine is) and was told they "can't" do that.

Urgent care won't see me as the pain is related to an ongoing condition so I'm stuck in agony for the weekend. I can't even bear the touch of my t-shirt on my back but hey, I've got till Monday to practice writing my DOB in number format as quick as I can!

For the GP, I just ring up while they are open and they give me an appointment. Usually the next day. They'll see me the same day, if it's urgent.
For the pediatrician, it's the same.
For my gynaecologist, I can just call or send an email. They either call me back to discuss any issues or give me an appointment. Non-urgent ones can take a few weeks. Urgent ones can be during private patient hours or they just slot me in somewhere.
If A&E is really necessary, we just go there. Last time, I waited for about 2 hours but that's because we arrived early in the morning and the specialist I needed to see wasn't on duty, yet. Our A&E doesn't tend to be busy and we were the only ones there.
I'm not in the UK, though, so no NHS. Public medical insurance, though. We don't have private medical cover.

The NHS- especially GP’s- are utter garbage at the moment. My mum has a life limiting lung condition and needs antibiotics as soon as there is the slightest whiff of chest infection yet last week she was in no less than four queues to speak to someone, only to be cut off when she got to number 1 in the queue. I have no idea who is getting appointments. Not people who work or have any kind of commitments at 8:30 in the morning that’s for sure. At our surgery you’re lucky even to get a phone consultation.
In the future there will be people dying of undiagnosed serious conditions because of this in the future if it’s not happening already.
Would your boss allow you to start a bit later?

I haven't seen a gp since before covid - now the whole system is a nightmare. I work from 0600 in a factory, we aren't allowed phones on the shop floor. A couple of weeks ago I had a day off as I was worrying about some symptoms and my younger brother has very recently died from cancer. I phoned about 5 times at 0800 to finally get in the queue to immediately get a message that there were no appointments left for that day! I then waited over an hour in a queue and the receptionist, after having to give her a list of my symptoms ( ?) told me a gp would phone in the afternoon. I asked her for a smaller window and she said between 1200 and 1800. The gp phoned about 1500, kept going on about evening primrose oil ( I went through menopause about 5 years ago with no issues) and after I told her I hadn't had a mammogram for a few years - and my nana and a couple of my first cousins have died of breast cancer - suggested I phone someone to arrange a mammogram (didn't give me a number).
Anyway I went today and the nurse asked if I'd seen a doctor when she asked about my symptoms. I said no I'd spoken to one ! She put down I'd seen one as apparently a phone call is the same!

I did that today. Got an appointment for 31/5. And F2F, as well, which I normally have to be firm about, but it was a new receptionist, who was very amenable.

It's v common for number of eConsults to be limited..At my last GP it was closed after 30 per session. So effectively open for 15 mins twice a day.

Our mp is visiting my parents this week as they have made a complaint about the (non) treatment of my brother by our gp surgery. He died 8 weeks ago because he was unable to see a gp for months and the nurse practitioner kept prescribing antibiotics for a sore throat and despite him visibly losing a few stones (and he was skinny to begin with) did nothing! He had cancer of the oesophagus.

I didn't need to do any of that to sign up for the NHS app.
I had to take my passport and a bank statement to the surgery to get the patient access.
I wonder if it is just your practice that has invented all these extra checks, or if it is a national thing that has happened more recently?

I tried signing up for the NHS app. As well as all my personal details - which the NHS has used to treat me all my life - it wanted a scan of my passport and a video of my face. WTF for?

I have experienced long waits on the phone for an appointment with my local doctors. They at least tell you where you are in the queue. I have now started using their website, I found out that they are only 6 weeks ahead. So regular appointments are easy.
No idea about emergency appointments because my leg hasn't come off yet.

Ours have stopped the econsults for the time being as there were too many issues with it. My mother was in extreme pain with her arm and did an econsult which she found difficult anyway as she is in her 80s. Got sent an appointment with a nurse, 2 towns away (and impossible to get to on public transport ) and for 8 days afterwards! She sent a text back saying she needed to be seen ASAP in our town and she got the response that the case was closed.

My surgery uses patchs, an online service which opens at 8am on weekdays, and closes when there are no more slots left. Sometimes this is within half an hour, other times its still open for requests close to practice closing time, but the forms close at the same time as the surgery even if all slots weren't used.
Once you start the request, you have 30 minutes to fill out the form before it times you out and the slot goes back into the pool. It doesn't advertise how many slots are released, and i think it varies by day of how many they've got available, and when they're gone, you have to try again tomorrow. In the past, they used to only be open monday, friday, and sometimes wednesdays, but they've definitely expanded now, thankfully, as due to my socail anxiety, i can't handle the phone up and wait in a queue way of doing things.

I can fill out e-consult anytime during the day and get a triage appointment.

I’ve never not been seen same day if required.

I have tried for a year to get hrt, just keep getting put off with blood test forms and then I can’t get through to the blood test team. It’s ridiculous.

I popped in at 10am last week to pick up my prescription but the surgery didn’t have a single person in the waiting area! It looked like the Marie Celeste!

These phone appointments are literally killing people as they must be missing so much!

Yanbu it's crap! If I can't get a Gp appt for my young kids I just turn up at my local hospital as they have an urgent care centre. Not the way it should be but there you have it.

Im currently changing GP surgery. I dont have a passport or a drivers licence so they asked me to bring my birth certificate and also my marriage certificate cos of name change. I also have
DWP letter

council tax letter.
NHS Covid vaccine reminder letter which has my NHS no.

Hopefully that should be enough,

@Unicornleapfrog Yep Been trying for a year to get an appointment in my surgery due to change in bowel habits. Hence the switch.

@Manthide Deeply sorry for the loss of your brother

Our surgery isn’t too bad compared to some of the posts on here. If you can get through at 8.30, you’ll be triaged for a same day phone call or in person appointment (and if after the phone call the GP decides they need to see you, you’ll get an appointment same day or next).
They don’t mind if you turn up at reception at 8.30 to try and get a same day appointment- I have heard some surgeries will turn people away!
If it’s not urgent though then it’s a 3 week wait just for a phone call.

If you can get on to the NHS App (and I realise it is not possible for everyone) then go on to services. Instead of clicking on book an appointment click on contact your GP about a health problem. It will ask a load of questions and puts the onus on the surgery to come back to you and book an appointment. It doesn't work perfectly but it's better than trying to book an appointment through them - plus you're not stuck on hold! If you then can't book an appointment you can ask them to ring you to book it.

The reason it asks for photo ID is to reduce identity fraud. Not perfect but it helps. And you can link someone else's account if they go the same surgery, although you will need their permission if over 18 and to go into the surgery to set that up.

That must be surgery specific. I have access to the full app, can view my records, and can book appointments (well the option is there but I have literally never seen one available), and can request repeat prescriptions but don't have the other two options you have visible on your screenshot.

My GP surgery has no online/e consult system, so maybe that's why there's no option to contact them through the app either.

My gp surgery very rudely today said to me ‘erm the e consult is closed because it’s full today’ like I was an idiot
I had called for something fairly urgent. I was 19 in the q, was told that, and was told to ring 111

tbh I think 111 can refer (they have done for me before) an urgent same day doctors appointment at your gp.

seems silly to have to ring 111 but that is the only way round it if it’s urgent.

non urgent and there is no hope