To ask what using your GP is like (trying to work out if mine is typical)

[HealthRobinsonCrusoe]

I can only make an appointment by phoning at 2pm. There's no online booking system. All the appointments are gone by 210pm. When they run out you just have to try again tomorrow.

This includes when they have texted you to tell you to make an appointment (otherwise they might stop repeat prescriptions).

There are no in person appointments except to see a nurse for samples. They call you over the course of a morning or afternoon. So you can't just take a short break from work.

They don't do shared care agreements. They don't recognise private diagnosis for prescribing so you have to go in the nhs waiting list before you can get treatment.

When they register new patients it's Tuesday mornings only. First 25 people only. You have to queue outside to physically collect a form. People go away disappointed.

The prescriptions are quite often wrong. When you try to phone to get them fixed you're cast into the chaos of the appointments system.

So aibu to think they're spectacularly awful jokers getting rich on suffering? Or is this pretty typical? It feels humiliating and scary dealing with them.

I'm in Edinburgh so I'd love to know if England/elsewhere in Scotland is better. Seriously thinking about moving because I feel like I've essentially no one to go to if I get seriously ill.

My GP is fantastic. Online system open from 8am. Ends up closing about 10- 11am. However if you have an issue after that you can call them and they will sort. If they consider it urgent they'll manually open the online system for you.

They triage all online requests to most appropriate member of staff. Suspected UTI/ear infection/chest infection etc goes to a paramedic or nurse practitioner. They're paired with a GP to work with that day if they need a second opinion. More complex things that may need further investigation or referrals go straight to a GP. They call you back pretty quickly triage over the phone and decide if you need seeing face to face. For day to day infection type things they mostly bring you in and offer you an appointment within an hour or two. Some things they can deal with on the phone and will.

Amazing GP practice. Cover a huge area and huge number of patients. Large elderly and young population so big usage needs. But shows with good management you can be efficient. I honestly don't think the issue woth GP practices is all lack of funding. Its a mix of mis management of resources and peoples unreasonable expectations of always havi g to see a doctor.

My GP seems to be pretty good. They use an online triage form and then text you a link to book an appointment based on how urgent the issue is. This works very well for people like me who work full time as I dont need to sit on the phone for ages. They use a mix of phone and face to face appointments but they do this appropriately. They have given us brilliant service when my family really needed it. I would be concerned we would have experienced a very different outcome with a different GP.

Mine are a mixed bag. Getting an appointment is a nightmare as they do the 8am phone line scrum only, no e-consult and no other way of communicating. A couple of the doctors are very good but the one who allegedly has a special interest in the menopause gave me completely incorrect information about HRT. As that’s the only thing I go to them for, I generally buy what I need online or stock up when I’m in Spain for work.

I’m in England. Appointment booking process is similar to yours but lines open at 8am. Sometimes you can book appointments on the app though, it’s a bit hit and miss whether they have availability there. I have never had issues in choosing how I want the appointment (phone/in person). I have skin issues so often they insist I come in, but equally they’re fine if I would rather send photos. Phone appointments have similarly large call time slots, like your GP.

No idea what my GP does with new patients or with shared care agreements. Generally they listen to me so I wouldn’t mind bringing a private medical issue to them, with the caveat that the NHS is limited.

So generally my experience isn’t too different aside from the wrong prescriptions being issued at yours - that is horrific, a serious problem

Phone at 8am if you need a same day appointment. If you phone at 8, you get sent a link to a triage questionnaire, then you get told whether you'll be granted an appointment based on how you've filled it in.

Only phone after 2pm if it's routine. Routine appointments are booked 2 weeks ahead, so you're a bit stuck if you have something that needs to be 'soon' but not 'now'. I guess you wait until soon becomes bad enough to be 'now' and phone at 8am.

Medical Secretaries go home at 3pm, but you can't phone before 2pm.

To be honest though, I've always managed to get an appointment if I really need one - I just say 'it's more urgent than that...' and they seem to fit it in.

In Wales, it’s the 8am scramble but for urgent stuff you’ll always get seen or a call back. Non urgent stuff it’s an appointment in 6 weeks time or you have to be first on the calls at the 8am scramble.

To add to this, DH can make appointments and repeat requests through the NHS app. I can’t, and when I ask the surgery if I can they say the app is nothing to do with them and they can’t fix it. The app tells me the surgery has to give me access.