How do you book appointments at your GP surgery?

[doreeen]

Just moved, previous surgery had started doing a bit of online booking for certain things and had an app.

New surgery is just ‘phone up the surgery at 8am’ 😭 then wait in a massive queue and hope you get an appointment. All are done by 8.30. If you don’t then try again at 8am the next day. Too bad if that’s the time you’re driving to work or doing a school run.

Surely in modern times there must be a better way? :/

You email them anytime from 6am, if it’s urgent they ring you with an appointment, if it can be dealt with over the phone the gp rings you and does a phone consultation, if it’s routine they book you an appointment in 2-3 weeks. Seems to work well as I email when I wake up and I have always been seen the same day if I need antibiotics etc

The same as you op. Last time I called, I was 34th in the call queue.

Online form that you can complete between 8am and 9.30am daily. You then get a message or telephone call directing you to a gp/nurse/phone appointment, etc

Fill in a form anytime between 8-4:30 and someone gets back to you . It says they get back within 48 hours but every time I’ve used it you get a response on the day . If I want an actual appointment I just put that on the online form and they send you a link for an emergency appt or a routine one . I always request face to face appointments as I don’t like phone ones . It’s a brilliant system . You can also request what GP you want but may have to wait longer for an appointment .

This was my experience on Thursday last week at my busy G.P.practice. I filled in an online form, attaching a photo of a wound that I was concerned wasn't healing well. I was called back within 25 mins and offered a nurse appt in 20 mins. The nurse gave me advice, dressed my wound and said she would call me next week to arrange a follow-up in-person appt. I have found that the online system works well for me, but appreciate that it doesn't suit everyone.

I call the surgery as close to 8.30 if important and need one that day...appointments for morning could already all be gone...try again at 2.
You take your luck.

If not important a phone consultation is booked for 2 weeks away, if Dr deems it important when phoning back at 2 weeks they'll see you....could be another 2 week wait could be sooner.
You take your chances.

A few appointments online for future weeks (up to 4 weeks) and an app which gets addressed on the same day with an appropriate action. You can phone or go in at 8am but it's the same as the app - they fill in a form, it is triaged and an appropriate action is scheduled. It may be an appointment that day, the next day, in the future for non-urgent things, a phone call or referred to inhouse specialists - nurses / physio etc.

To be fair, GP's get maoned about a lot. They have a finite number of appointments, many (like mine) find ways of managing to see or deal with more people than they are contracted to do, and they have thousands of people on their lists - way more than it is possible to cater for. There is a national shortage of GP's. If you would like to see more GP or locally based medical services, if you would like to see more people training as GP's, and if you would like to see more GP allocations in local areas, the correct address to complain to is here:
https://members.parliament.uk/member/4504/contact
not MumsNet.

I phone up first thing or even later and usually get an appointment the same day. If often use the online triage system though and my prescription is sent to the pharmacy in an hour or two along with a text to me to explain what and why etc. Our surgery is excellent. I really don’t understand why other surgeries can’t operate in the same way. We can also book appointments online.