Online GP systems do not stop the 8 am scramble, do not facilitate a GP call back or enable more serious patients to speak to a doctor

[H8484peful]

So we have had the new online system for some time and I’m amazed at what the government are promising with its rollout everywhere.

At our GP it opens when many are commuting and closes during the afternoon and also at any given time for the rest of the day when it’s “ overwhelmed”. It’s hugely difficult to get in the queue if you don’t have constant access to your phone during the day and hugely difficult to get appointments if you’re not in the queue early.

The receptionist now refuses to do anything as regards appointments other than talk you through the form( obviously only when it’s open which it often isn’t).

The triage system sends everybody with med queries to the pharmacy regardless of what the query is. They then decide if you can access a doctor for your query. I recently had to argue for a doctor to look at a medication suggested by the hospital for me to get from my GP that came with no details as to dosage or time frame. I was already on another medication. Said GP said I’d done the right thing to push for a GP to look at it. It took some time and a lot of calls discussing my personal details to get this with staff consistently saying computer says no, it’s not how the new system works.

Appointments are often weeks in advance for a GP and you’re triaged off to less qualified staff for most things.

You have zero say re appointments even if you put times on the form. They ignore it and you then get something unworkable and you have to submit another form if you want an alternative time.

Paperwork and referrals are often lost in the system.

You absolutely can’t ring and request a GP call back.

It’s a GP rated as Good.

The elderly, busy and vulnerable are going to put at huge risk and patients absolutely aren’t going to be getting what the government is promising. How on earth is the government not aware of this?

This is exactly my experience.
Like everyone, my employer does not list answering personal phone calls during working hours as part of my job description.

We need more GPs, it's that simple. No amount of different appointment booking systems will make a difference if there are no appointments to be booked.

I'd rate my GP service as middling. It can be hard to see an actual GP rather than an 'Advanced Practitioner' but the advanced practitioners seem to be able to do quite a lot.

If they don't have any appointments at all, they tell you to call 111, and nine times out of ten 111 sends you to A&E which is a waste of A&E resources in my opinion - I feel embarrassed sitting there (for four hours) when my ailment is neither an accident nor an emergency.

we have had the online booking system for a while. But there are hardly ever any GP appointments available. The only way is to ring at 8 am. I just checked. Over the next 16 weeks, there are 2 bookable GP appointments available (and it a big surgery with 6 GPs serving a large area). 🤷

We used to have this - the form only opened at certain times and closed as soon as they had enough enquiries. Then you had to wait a few hours before the form opened again. Then you would get a phone call triage at any random point and if you missed the call you were no longer in the system and had to go through the whole process the next day. Luckily they have now changed the system no doubt through getting hundreds of complaints. I would make a complaint ideally with evidence of some adverse consequence on your health.

My old practice was run like @H8484peful 's. The online booking was as inefficient as the old ways. Because the practice is badly run operationally and has eaten up every little practice and now has 34,000 patients without the expertise or infrastructure to deal with it.

My new practice with 8000 patients and actually Dr's with a better ethos whom one can see treat their staff better, is brilliant. Their on-line works superbly.

I don’t think the issue is the tech so much as GP resource. If there are only a few GPs, then new appts can’t be created or booked. No booking method can compensate for that.

My surgery is ok. But it would be a struggle for those who are not tech savvy.

It seems to work ok at our surgery. The only time I had an issue was just before Christmas but I called 111 and they got me a telephone appointment the same day.

The only complaint I have is that you have to be careful with what you select if you want to see or speak to an actual GP rather than the physicians associate.

the online system works for me - but then I hardly ever go the GP and when I do I'm happy to see an ACP.

however I suspect that if I had a chronic condition like diabetes, small children or was elderly I'd feel differently even if in reality an experienced diabetes nurse of 20 years for example will be of more use than a newly qualified GP

I dont think the online system is the issue for our surgery, its the number of patients for the available slots. It would be the same if it was on the phone, or if we all just turned up like you do at A&E.

It is annoying it opens at 8am and you have about 20 mins to get an appointment.

I am yet to see how emailing a photo of a rash, or mole or lump, getting a phonecall and then seeing me is more efficient, than just being seen. I feel it adds two extra stages. Ive basically never had an interaction where they didnt decide to see me.

All these people that say they dont have a problem are either very lucky and/or they're around during the morning rush hour times. Many of us work full time so we are commuting, I also dont have access to my phone for lots of the day at work.

Accessing primary care services in this country now is a joke.

I'm sorry that this has been your experience, however it works really well at my surgery.

I had to fill in the form for my daughter, I received a phone call within an hour to book an appointment and be seen.

A few months ago I needed to fill the form for me, I again had a phone call within an hour and made an appointment for that day.

On Monday, I filled in the form at 7:30 am, and requested a call after 10 due to work meetings. I had a call at 11, and a prescription was sent then and there to my chemist.

It can and does work extremely well for some.

I think it varies widely by practise. Mine is fine. My DS's is awful.

Yesterday I used the online system to book a blood test, missed the call from the GP an hour later but they rang again later and I made an appointment. Very easy.

Our online system is open from 8am until 10.30am. Perscriptions anytime.

I have to say I've used it alot recently due to current medical conditions and it has worked brilliantly for me. I don't have be trying to get through on the phone from 8.30 hoping I am less than 38th in the queue..

I send a form. The reception team phone me up and give me an estimated time for the GP to phone. Or they say the "Dr wants to see you, can come into the surgery today at...."

It really has been unstressful. And I've felt heard and supported by the GP team (jinxed it now!)

How do you think it works when someone calls instead? Receptionists aren't multi lingual either.

It's actually far easier to fill in an online form for poor English speakers assuming they are literate in a language- Google translate is excellent. They can translate the form and write their answers for Google translate to turn into English.

The online system works well at my surgery for ongoing routine care (which is a what a lot of GP time is spent on) I have rosacea which responds only to a prescription drug and that can be renewed by just sending in a photo with the form and the prescription is sent direct to my local pharmacy. Far better than when I used to have to call for a in person appointment.

The problem remains that it is very hard for people who work in certain jobs (like teachers or ironically, other doctors) to be able to talk to a GP during their working hours. My surgery does two evenings a week now which they call commuter clinics. More is needed - probably helps this is an area where the population is going to skew younger and more working age than elderly patients so there is a clear demand and need for it.

If your surgery has a much higher share of elderly patients they aren't much bothered by the needs of working age patients.

I agree with you that it's still an 8am scramble - the online triage opens at 8am and is usually shut again by 9.30am as they have had all they can cope with. Twice I have SPECIFICALLY put when I can do face-to-face and been ignored entirely and given another time. Last time I rang and explained to the receptionist and she agreed to change the time as it was contrary to what I'd said on the form. It's still a mess, I agree.

I was pleased when my GP surgery introduced e-consult. I thought it would end the 8am scramble. In reality it is not helpful. It’s a tick box exercise and if what you want to ask doesn’t fit the box you can’t move on with the form. If you phone the receptionist just barks “ e-consult “. My legs and ankles were swelling and I suspected it was a side effect from a medication. There was no appropriate box. I ticked the nearest fit. It took me to a further set of questions which were now irrelevant. I just gave up. I now would prefer to go back to the old system. In theory it should be better but in my experience it isn’t.

Our surgery has just done a trial accepting e-consults all day. They didn’t keep it - the say clinical safety suffered.
So we still have a mixed system, online form if you get in before capacity is reached (opens at 7am, usually full 10 minutes later and you get kicked out when you try and submit, if you still made it in) and a triage line, where you can call all day and the receptionist plays Chinese whispers with the GP. At least that way you still get seen (or more likely called…) if it’s something really urgent, or they can arrange prescriptions / blood tests etc.
No way at my surgery to decide you need to book an appointment without triage. Which in theory makes sense, in practice they probably have too much guess-work going on (oh, I don’t know, just take some antibiotics and see if they help…).

I filled in an online form for my surgery on Monday morning, as I didn't think my particular issue was urgent and didn't want to hang on the phone on what must be the busiest time of the week. I was phoned back an hour later by a care navigator, who found me an appointment with a real-life GP the same day. So, I'm impressed!

My GP surgery replaced the 8am phone call with the forms a year or two ago. I've found the forms better. Much less stressful than the phone queue and they have been really good (so far) at coming back.

It does seems weird to me that the form is only open for a certain part of the day (I don't think it's even visible on the website except for the set hours) - I guess this is their attempt to manage the workload.
For old people who don't do online (such as my dad) - he still does the admin for all his appointments on the phone as previously.

Blimey @H8484peful you had me really worried for a minute, reading all that in your opening post, because our GP Practice is implementing this triage system on 1st November. I've been worried that I won't get a face to face GP appointment again, and won't be able to see one of my 2 favourite GPs. Maybe I won't get through, and maybe my DH will struggle to get the appointment time he wants, because of his varying shift work.

We both think it's sooooo much better to be able to book a routine appointment online, and I have been quite annoyed that things are changing. Then I come on here and read your post! 😱 And it's confirming my worries.

But many responses on here shows a different experience to yours. So it can't be like this at all surgeries, and I am praying that it will be OK at mine. A pp was right when they said too many people book face to face appointments (and phone calls) with a GP, when they don't need one. Like, it could be dealt with by the pharmacy, or a quick 2 minute conversation with a receptionist - eg, if you need a med you had 6 months ago that isn't on repeat, she can just ask the GP for you. Saves time for you and them...

No-one likes change, but it has to happen, because the country's population is growing and growing, and budgets are shrinking, and there's a cost of living crisis that affects everyone, even GP surgeries, so something has to change. And let's face it, there are many timewasters - and people who don't show up for their appointment!

Some posters say they have changed GP surgeries, but I don't have the luxury of doing that. The next closest one to me is 12 miles away, and what's more, they won't let anyone register who doesn't live within a 5 mile distance of the surgery!

What, 7 hours isn't enough?

God I love the form

baby had hand foot and mouth and I could attach photos and they phoned me back within 15 mins to confirm it was that

i always get a call back that day or an appointment if it’s something they think needs to be seen that day.

I imagine it depends on the amount of GPs in that surgery. A 2 GP surgery won't have the luxury of a GP being able to triage the requests like a surgery with 8 GPs on duty each day.