To think the government needs to stop selling online GP booking systems as an improvement as they’re not particularly when they’re switched off for most of the day

[Gr3yStar5]

Like many GP surgeries ours switched to an online system and no longer takes booking calls. This was some time ago so it has had time to bed in. You fill in a form which gets triaged and it’s decided if you need urgent or a 2 week wait. It was sold as improving patient care and a better booking system except it isn’t. The system is supposed to be open from 8.30-3.30.In reality the system mostly actually seems to close by lunch time until the next day due to being “overwhelmed”. So basically if you don’t get on first thing you’ve had it, you can’t even ring and you have to keep checking to see when it reopens. It’s worse not better and most of the time you can’t see a doctor for 2 weeks if you do get to fill out a form. There is now no in between. You are supposed to say when you can’t do appointments but it just ignores that. It’s nigh on impossible to get a doctor of your choice. If they don’t get you in for a 2 week appointment or you can’t do the time they’ve allocated you have to resubmit your form for the next batch of 2 week appointments( if it’s open). The setting up was dire with condescending staff on the phone just basically shooing the bemused elderly off. My mum has told me of several of her elderly friends who have been reduced to tears by the whole process. I thought this was maybe just our surgery but it isn’t. Lots online with similar tales particularly re the “overwhelm” switching off of the booking system. Oh and now apparantly our GPs can't do gynaecology appointments, that has to be in gynecology clinic and booked separately which is actually currently closed and not taking appointments. Back in the day you could request a female GP and have female issues treated by your GP, not now, being female is an extra loop to jump through.

So AIBU to think that the government needs to be honest and concede that the new online system is actually shite for patients and getting a GP appointment has never been so hard and stressful particularly when they’re apparently going to be investing in extra spaces at GP surgeries. Thanks but no thanks I’d rather have more GPs and a better booking system that actually benefits patients and gets you an appointment in a timely fashion.

Mine is only open 8-10 am. Is this the Ask My GP app?

Nope it’s Systemconnect.

Clearly many people making a lot of money out of the NHS whilst making things even more shite.

Oh OK. Yes, I agree with you. We really are being screwed over.

I’m amazed this isn’t in the media more. I’d love to know how much these IT systems cost. It’s like emperors new clothes- woo hoo nice new shiny IT system, we’ve modernised. Err no you haven’t it’s 10 times harder to see a GP. I really question the triage system too, it’s a tragedy waiting to happen.

We can't book any appointments on line any more since Covid. We have an on line form to fill in detailing symptoms etc. Then they decide if you will be granted an audience with the Dr, or just get a phone call. BUT you can only fill the form in whilst the surgery is actually open. So we you've actually got some free time, for instance in the evening when you can sit down for 2 minutes you're not allowed to fill the bloody thing in. Ridiculous.

Ours (was Dr IQ and now Evergreen) is the same. Doesn’t open until 8, by which time I’m already at work, and is supposed to be open until early evening but in reality is closed and full by lunchtime. If you can get your econsult in in time they’re quite good at seeing you same day if they feel you need it (but it very much depends on the Dr doing the triage - I had a receptionist tell me to resubmit mine the following day when it would be a different doctor triaging if I wanted a quicker appointment).

If you just have a query or want to book a routine appointment, locally we’ve found it far more effective to go into the (usually empty) surgery to book the appointment that way.

We can phone at 8am for appointments that day and they also release them online.
Non emergency appointments are released online for a couple of weeks away.
I find it works really well, it’s a shame other surgeries dont follow mine!

Ours opens at 7.30am and is usually full for the day by 7.45.

You can select and book your own appointments? That’s the dream!

Ours is mostly empty now too so why on earth do practices need millions to extend premises???? Clearly there are no GPs and precious few patients who actually manage to get their way through the doors. It’s madness and 10 times harder for working people to see aGP.

You can phone at 8 and you may or may not get an appointment at our surgery. The vast majority of Online appointments are with a nurse. The NHS is not run for the convenience of patients.

Not all systems are like that - the one my GP uses is brilliant. It’s open between 8 and 6 and I’ve never had to wait more than 30 mins for a response - which could be an appointment, a phone call or just a message to say they have sent a prescription to the local pharmacy to collect. It works so well. What I don’t understand is why, if my GP practice can do it, others can’t.

Just looked up system connect. You can wait up to two days to hear back!

Practices should be held to account to run like yours.

What system is yours?

Same here! What is the bloody point of a non-urgent e-consult system if it’s tied into the phone-based urgent appointment system?! Utter madness. My DH wants to book bowel screening and can’t do it online, he’s tried 3 days in a row but can’t log in until 8/8.30 and it’s already shut down so he’ll have to ring instead and no doubt be told to ring back when he actually has symptoms of bowel cancer 😬

It’s definitely an improvement at my surgery. Before, you had to phone at around 8.00am which is when I would be travelling to work, so I would have to stay home late to make the phone call.

If you were unlucky, you wouldn’t get through for half an hour or so by which time all the appointments were gone. So then I’d have to be late for work the next day too while I tried again.

It’s so much better that I can do it online with a much wider time frame.

I tried to book an appointment face to face and was told I must do it online. I said but I’m standing here, can’t I do it now? No. You can’t. So had to do it online, filling in forms trying to find the right option, right part of body, and then wait for a response. It’s awful. How do old people manage? My colleague got a message to book a GP appointment and her app told her she’s used up all her appointments and to call the Practice, which is on answer phone…

Oh yes and they just give you random appointments that are the opposite of times you say you can do and if you say you can’t you have to submit another form for the following two week batch. It’s complete shite. It’s also not specific re conditions. I had to make an appointment for my mum as she didn’t understand the system and her condition didn’t fit the different criteria’s which is concerning when whoever does triage will go down the list and prioritise according to criteria.

Anybody use NHS app for repeat prescriptions? I get a response the same day and can normally pick up meds from GP day after. Luck of the draw, I guess.

Yes, it's the elderly I feel for x

How many of your GPs are part time I live in a town.with 2 big practices, our practice doesn't have one full time gp!

Literally bonkers, how are they getting away with telling us this is better?

Ours opens at 8 am. I start phoning at 7.57 and then as soon as it turns 8.00, I find it's either engaged or I'm 6th in the queue.

People who phone get a triage form sent out, then we get a text message to offer an appointment or inform us that the GP will call later, etc.

Routine appointments are only available for 2 weeks time and are released daily at 2pm.

If you have an issue that needs 'soon' but not 'emergency', you have to wait and phone at 8 am on the day you think it's important enough.

The system doesn't really matter if there aren't enough appointments to go around.

Ours is like that, except it’s a 6-12 week wait for a regular appointment 🤷‍♀️