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?

He had just turned 57

At my mum's surgery (Surrey) you can request an appointment on line and they'll get back to you and tell you when it is. For my mum it's normally very quick but she has complex health problems.

At my own surgery (South London) they have the same system but it takes longer to get the call back, 2-3 days and you're more likely to get a phone appointment

Too young Should have still had a lot of life ahead of him

It's great that you're able to make that system work for you. But... and please don't take this as a criticism of you because that's not my intent...it means that the pointy elbowed amongst us are able to get appointments and those less capable/resourceful miss out.

I count myself amongst the pointy elbowed by the way but I often think that these systems act as unreasonable barriers to accessing a vital service.

They have accepted my paperwork and therefore me at the new surgery, Will take two weeks to process 😀

I rang my daughter's GP for her because she was at work. You have to ring at 8am and the phone line closes at 8.30 am.. If you ring earlier the phone isn't manned. Dead on 8am I ring, recorded message said I was 23 in the queue, my number ticked down until I was number 12, then phone just goes dead. I rang back, appointment closed for today please ring back tomorrow. It's absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to get an actual appointment. Who goes to the GP? I mean who are the actual people doctor's see? From what I can work out it's nobody.

It really winds me up. I am rarely in need of the GP and when I do its exactly the same scramble. Submit a form in a 5 min slot otherwise no appt. Why cant they book non urgent appt for next week thwn that would oprn up emergency slots