GP

[Feelingleftoutagain]

Today I discovered a lump in my breast, my mum had breast cancer, I do have regular scans because of this. I called the Dr's to get an appointment, it took 15 minutes to get an answer.The receptionist said I had to call tomorrow at 8am to get an appointment, I asked if she could book me now and explained why, was told no phone at 8am. Just amazed that it wasn't given a bit more seriousness, when I told her my family history. Oh well 8am call tomorrow

Just call tomorrow.

I'm so sorry you're worried OP.

But it's completely normal to phone at 8am.

Hope you get your appointment tomorrow and everything works out ok for you.

Can’t you ring the hospital direct where you have your scans?

The people who do the scans won’t be able to help unless OP is under a clinic, in which case that is what I would do.

OP, I didn’t mean to be so abrupt with my first response but they won’t have any appointments today as they will release them daily at 8am. I hope you manage to get an appointment tomorrow if you don’t have a consultant/clinic to contact.

That’s what I meant, ‘regular scans’ suggested to me that OP was under a clinic and could get in touch between scans if anything was concerning her.

Receptionists can only offer what they have available in front of them. They’re not gate keepers and they get so much slack for it. Call tomorrow at 8 and hopefully you’ll get an appointment. Sadly the NHS is on its knees and there is not enough staff or appointments to go around.

I think I just needed to say something if that makes sense, am not under a clinic as it's just monitoring, but I will phone at 8am

@ahhwotsits so who are the gate keepers??

It blows my mind that there’s still surgeries who work this way. I work in a surgery and we can book appointments whenever same day/4 week in advance. Breast lumps is always same day F2f or at least the following day depending on when you ring. I always say I would never work in another surgery. The doctors trust us to make appropriate appointments. This then leads to happier patients and most the time minimal abuse.

I agree @notanormalday

I’m pretty sure that in these circumstances you should be given one of the sacred advance appointments. They do have them they are just notoriously difficult to obtain.

i do the 8 am call regularly, and no matter how quick I am I’m always somewhere like 30 in the queue or can’t even get a place in the queue.

what happens if you call on the dot tomorrow morning and all the appointments are gone?

@littlemissprossecoo the GPs. The receptionists have strict rules and regulations that they have to adhere to for appointments. If the surgery has reached capacity there is nothing they can do.

Good luck getting an appointment tomorrow.

They are monitoring scans, I get appointment every 2 years, so not somewhere I can call

@Feelingleftoutagaindo they do online consultations? Our surgery also offer this for people who can’t ring.

@Feelingleftoutagain honestly this call at 8am thing is a nationwide farce. They ask everyone to do the same and have one or two lines. Crazy. Anyway, if you have no success you can try calling 111 and they will often triage you and make you an appointment. Perhaps not at your usual Gp but somewhere.

Thank you, if I can't get through I will try that

Just call tomorrow or failing that, turn up and make one. I have cancer and I was seen within about 5 days from when I first rang the GP (seen by hospital 5 days after that). I had another lump appear in a lymph node and couldn’t get through to the hospital, so put it through to the GP. They saw me literally 3 hours later. They would have seen me within the hour, but I couldn’t physically get there any faster.