To think that (GP related)

[AmIHumanOrAmIAYeti]

if there are 5 surgeries in the area (fairly remote with patchy phone signal) and my appointment can be at any of them (closest 5 mins drive, furthest 30) and all appointments are during working hours, the least they can do is have WiFi so that I can work during the inevitable delay in being seen?

I pay a fortune for private healthcare in order to protect myself from being unable to work. Occasionally I have to use an NHS GP appt to get the appropriate referral. If I needed a hip replacement, my private insurer would cover that saving the NHS enough money to pay for the GP surgery to provide WiFi for patients for the best part of a decade, I’d expect.

From your update I'm guessing you're in NI. Can you self-fund a face-to-face private GP appointment? I'm a private GP (elsewhere) and in my clinic you'd have been seen within a day or two of making your initial contact with us, and you'd have had free WiFi and coffee while you waited in our waiting room. Our appointments do still occasionally run late though.

Or Scotland. It does make me laugh when people in other parts of the UK say things like "just get an appointment outside working hours" or "use the NHS wi-fi" or "use the NHS app" or "get a video call with your GP" when my surgery offers none of that.

And I'm in suburban Glasgow, not a secluded Highland glen.

I used to use a private GP at times, delays were common, the GP isn’t going to cut the consultation short or leave the patient alone while waiting for an ambulance!

I use a mix of public and private. I have had plenty of late private appointments. If the doctor needs more time with a patient they are still going to take it!

I agree, but ime it happens less often, and you are kept informed of the delays and there is an apology.

Also, and relevant to the thread, our local private hospital has good wifi!

My favourite post was the one that quoted you saying you were self employed, telling you to book holiday.

I think you are unlucky with your GP (and presumably there is no other option given the rural-ness and chain of 5 surgeries). And as such you're obviously not going to get wifi because that really isn't consistent with the rest of their approach.

I think your only option is to move house and find a new surgery tbh 😅

You are being ridiculous expecting magazines and to be entertained in an NHS doctors surgery - they are on their knees - they won’t be installing WiFi for your convenience.

we have 1 go surgery, you have a choice of 5 - you’re already winning the gp lottery

In my part of Surrey, some of the NHS GP services are so woeful that there can be a 10 day wait for an appointment with a private GP. At least, however, the appointments are 20 minutes but the times/clinics are very limited and not necessarily convenient. The private GPs, however, do look up from the computer when you enter the room!

Fortunately I can get an on-line digital consultation through AXA and if further treatment is needed they can get you into a specialist swiftly. Not much good for a chest infection that needs ABs though.

It’s 5 buildings. Not 5 fully staffed surgeries. Each one is open for 2 days a week.

And when you have symptoms which could indicate something very serious, an 11 week wait to see a GP doesn’t feel much like a lottery win.

I’m in rural-mid Wales. Nearest private GP is at least 90 minutes drive away.

I always take my laptop and work while waiting for appointments, it makes them overrunning a lot less stressful.

But mumsnet is a race to the bottom when it comes to flexible work or wfh, despite it being proven as a great thing for women in general.

Surely if the surgery have e consult and computerised records they must have WiFi. Can you buy a data bundle and just use your phone.

For the millionth time, THERE IS NO MOBILE SIGNAL AT ALL IN THAT SURGERY.

I suspect there's no money to provide public WiFi and they're worried about letting people tap into their private ones as GPs are personally liable for data breaches so could lose every penny if things go wrong due to a choice they've made to let people use it.