Accessing Healthcare on a Zero Hours Contract

[JockTamsonsBairns]

I'm a full-time care worker, doing domiciliary care on a Zero hours contract.

For what it's worth, I've been doing this for nearly 30 years, and I adore my job.

However, I need to try and get a GP appointment for myself - and I don't know how I can do it?

My surgery asks that we ring up at 8am for an appointment. I can't do that? I'm with my elderly client at that time.

I've tried popping in at around 2pm on my break, but I'm not allowed to make an appointment at that time.
I'm told I need to phone at 8am.

The only way I can phone at 8am, is to make myself unavailable for work?
So, I would lose my entire day from 7am until 10pm.
Even then, I couldn't guarantee an appointment.

Is there a solution to this that I'm not seeing?
I can't risk losing an entire 15hr shift, on the off chance that I might get a 10 minute appointment (or not).

Am I being unreasonable to think this doesn't work for ordinary folk?

I understand your frustration as I have the same problem-I’m a teacher. I can call at 8, but can’t accept a call back from the doctor as it’s a phone free school and the doctor won’t call before 8.30. I work 18 miles from where I live and can’t leave school in the middle of the day. I need to be able to make an appointment after 3.30 but it seems this is too much to ask. At least I can go in the holidays. It’s not set up for working people, and it’s not right.

If you have one day of in the week can you not do it then. That's when I always do mine

Yes really.

If you work 5 days a week including weekends then you have 2 days a week you could call? Not ideal but I’d be trying that.

Ok, I've been around here for 17 years.

It's been less than half an hour since I posted.
I was just trying to garner some support, that's all.
Ignore me.

I've tried to reply to people as quickly as I can.

I'm not sure why you think I'm avoiding all sensible suggestions.
I'm old, so I'm slow to type.

I'll leave my own thread now.

This isn't what Mumsnet used to be.

The short answer OP is you either ring on your day off that week, or you take a day off to call/have your appointment.

I moved doctor's surgeries. It's ridiculous that some of them make this so hard. There are so many jobs in which this is difficult.

I'm not saying you haven't been back to the thread and aren't replying. I'm just saying there's been a few very workable options suggested but you're only responding to the ones you can't do.

People are actually trying to help.

Tell your employer you need 10 minutes off between 7.55 and 8.05 and make the call.

I really feel your pain, my old GP surgery was exactly like this . I couldn’t phone at 8am either and had to rely on my DH to phone for me. The receptionist always seemed to be more accommodating with men than women.

I've not had a chance to respond.

I'm not being selective.

You need to call on your weekday off. Ours is the same- call at 8.30 for a same day appt. There are none to be booked in advance, none released at lunch, no e consult and you can't get one by turning up in person.

You also can't request a nurse appt- the receptionist decides who you see (if there's any left by the time you get through).

If you need bloods they're currently working 5 weeks away...

Unfortunately that's not possible in domiciliary care.

Bluetooth enabled headset paired with your phone.

Cheaper than a day’s lost pay, you can call whilst attending to your client - not ideal but also not intrusive and will be over very quickly. You can do what you need to do with your client whilst you are on hold.

All surgeries have some pre bookable appointments surely?

If I were you I would ring up at 8am as requested and explain to your client what you are doing and why. Most reasonable people would understand. Then when you have an appointment booked you can let your agency know when it is so they can arrange cover for you.

Relevant government policy: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-deal-for-gps-will-fix-the-front-door-of-the-nhs

There’s a thing, eh!

I book my appointments online. At midnight some appointments are released for various dates. I like you can’t call them at 8am due to health and mobility issues, I simply don’t function until a few hours after taking my medication. I also request repeat prescriptions like this, it’s great.

It’s also fortuitous that I can see my records as I found out I have Chronic Kidney Disease and no one thought to inform me. Firstly I was shocked, tearful, then downright bloody angry. I arranged to see one of the G.Ps who apologised profusely and agreed I should have been informed and apologised. If I didn’t have access to my records I may never have known. I was a little puzzled as to why they kept asking me to attend for blood and urine tests, now I know,

I agree, and thank you.

If I take a day off to make an appointment, I will forfeit £130.
And, I can't even guarantee that I'll get an appointment?

I can try to phone at 8am on my day off, but I still won't be guaranteed an appointment.

Ring on your day off, I don’t understand why your making this a massive problem when there is a simple solution.

Does your surgery do econsult?

Surely you call on your day off?

Of course it is!

My elderly dad has 4 care visits per day.

During that time, the carers often have to phone their manager or the district nurse or even the pharmacist.

If they had to excuse themselves to make a phone call to their own surgery, no-one would even know, let alone care.

I get the problem as I work with the public and always have to step out/get cover to phone my GP.

But you don't even need that. Surely you've had to ring other people like your manager or someone else during your visit?

So what's the difference if it's your own GP?

Thank you.

My 8am client is PEG fed, and I need to administer his medication at this time.

I don't have the luxury of being on the phone to the surgery unfortunately.

So does your surgery have e consult?

Have you actually tried phoning at 8 on the days you’re not at work?? You might not get an appointment but you might.