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?

Our form is fine. I make a note the night before , then just cut and paste it in to the form at 8am. Get a phone call from a GP the same day.

I think the OP is on about the new system being rolled out over the country called rapid response but I could be wrong x

No I’m not.

Our GP introduced this around 6 weeks ago, and it has made a HUGE difference. It is so much more efficient than being in a phone queue. Those who can’t do it can phone, and the receptionist will do it for them. It has had really positive feedback. I have used it once for me, and once for DD (unfortunately timed issues so close together!) and it worked really well.

It works exceptionally well at my GP practice. Everything is triaged by a clinician and the most appropriate appointment is given. I find it a lot easier than ringing and playing 8am lottery.

I was really impressed by our doctors when they implemented it. One time I had a cut that had got infected and quite clearly needed antibiotics, I filled the form in (with a photo) at 8am, by 8:20 I had a message to say yes and a prescription was sent to the pharmacy. Picked antibiotics up at 9am after the school run! FAR more efficient.

Having had a job where I could never call at 8am, I love the online system. I went for years struggling to sort medical issues due to not being able to call at 8am.
Now I can actually get medical advice and have appointments. I always get a same day response and have always been offered an appropriate solution eg prescription sent to pharmacy, phone appointment or face to face.

Same experience as you Op.

E-consult usually opens from 8:30am until early afternoon.

I’ve never had a same day appt.

I get a text message to say a doctor will call you at some point on x date. Trouble is they never specify a time and I’m usually at work where I can’t answer the phone…

I’ve been pointed to online booking for loads of things apart from GP bookings for ages, absolutely useless

for B12 I have to fill in form for an appointment. I clearly state Sat if possible (norm at my practice) any time any day after 1pm I absolutely can’t do mornings

4 hours later at 5pm I get ‘We’ve got you an appointment at 10.30 tomorrow morning. If you have to cancel this requested appointment please call us to cancel your booked appointment

I’d love to know what the difference is between surgeries where this seems to work well and where it doesn’t. Our surgery has now posted a message to say when they removed the restrictions there were safety concerns due to the demand placed on the GPs and to have full availability f2f appointments will need to be reduced. So they will proceed slowly and have spoken to the local MP as the government wants to go down that route.

I guess it’s impossible to compare with different demographics / not being able to compare the amount of appointments offered etc.

I haven't learnt how to use the online system to me it's a barrier I think if you are really unwell
It makes things difficult I look back at the time when you could phone the doctors and get an appointment and if you didn't need the
appointment the same day get an appointment for in a weeks time There used to be people in the waiting room Now the waiting room is empty When I've had a phone appointment it's always you will have to come in phone appointments are a waste of time just a barrier and more delays I wish I could use the online system to get an appointment but I've tried and not been able to Wish things. Would go back to how they were when you could be confident of getting an appointment

Apologies, my post offers no help but I'm just curious - for years in Ireland I was led to believe the NHS was great - what has happened in the last few years some of the stories I read seem crazy? Was it always this crazy or just more recently?

It works brilliantly at our practice.

Thats fantastic to hear, aa a gp receptionist myself ive been so worried about it as its being rolled out in November for our surgery but hearing this gives me hope! thankyou x

I don't think it's having the form itself that's the issue : the issue is whether the surgery is any use in the first place. My experience has been like OP's in that it's just become yet another barrier to accessing medical care for a surgery that has kept its arms length covid stance going for over five years.

It closes when the surgery decides to switch it off - this can be for more than one day at a time, and it's never ever open past 4.45 pm or during weekends. There's a lot of arse covering, making you tick to say you're not having a heart attack etc. The initial triage is definitely not done by a person but instead is sorted by first filtering out "existing health problems" (this always gives you an appointment in six weeks) and then scanning for key words. If it can find any reason to kick you off and send you to A&E (eg "severe headache"), it will. Only after that does anyone actually read what you've written.

Oh and there's a section where you have to input the body part that is giving you trouble. You can use a drop down or a body map. There are no specifically female body parts/organs on either of these. Which I guess is at least consistent with the medical profession's approach to women, but it's also fucking annoying.

Last time I tried to get an appointment for DC. Every time I went online to fill in the form to request an appointment, it had closed for the day. We are talking 8 am.

After a few days I tried before 8 and was able to complete it, then they text me with an appointment.

It would be good to book an appointment online. Ours already do but you have to go to the GP surgery in person to get an activation code? I hope that's still not the case with today's announcement.

I quite like our e-consult system. I recently had to contact them as I'd been at A&E overnight and was advised to contact my GP for further pain medication.
Filled the form in at 7.30, described what had happened, what the A&E Doctor had prescribed and asked for more of the same. Advised that I was happy to have a phone call but there was no way on earth I could make a f2f apt, I was in too much pain.
Got a text less than half an hour later to say 2 weeks worth of (strong) painkillers and a month worth of lighter meds had been sent to the chemist. No need to see me but make an apt if I had trouble tapering the meds or if I was still in severe pain after a week.

The only issue I have is that it's impossible to make a non urgent but still essential appointment. I have a long term condition which flares up and down and I'd like to discuss ways to be proactive in managing this/a prescription for pain meds when I need them etc.

Ay my last meds review the GP said "oh your condition is well managed" I was like, no it's not, I just don't call for an apt unless my legs are falling off!

I find this so worrying. My practice opens the service at 8am and is often full by 9am. The scramble still exists. My hearing has been impacted as I was refused to be seen and ended up in ooo. Its not an ideal situation.

When I filled it out for my daughter, I had a phone call an hour later and appointment booked. I found it easier than fastest finger first to get in the 8am queue. I need to fill one out tomorrow morning as I need some medication prescribed so will see how that goes.

Wait until you hear who owns SystemOne

Exactly this!

It’s not providing extra GP appointments, just papering over cracks whilst trying to create an illusion of there being more GP time when there isn’t so patients at surgeries already struggling with demand are going to find things even harder and seeing an actual GP even less likely.

And yes yes re the medical profession’s attitude to women. The system we’re on now filters out anything to do with women’s health and you’re put in a separate very loooong waiting list( far longer than the other long wait lists to see a GP)for the same female GPs!!!!Ie you can see the same GP for anything non female related problem but if it’s gynae you have an extra long wait. I honestly don’t know how they get away with it.

And although I’m moaning about accessing the online form and shut downs making it even harder for some I do appreciate the safety aspect and would far rather a qualified GP looks through all forms properly rather than somebody less qualified doing it far less thoroughly. It is worrying how GPs are so concerned about safety.

As an aside why can’t they make it mandatory that if at any time the form is shut down surgeries must provide a phone booking service. Ours refuses to and just shrugs saying system is shut down and no I don’t know when it will reopen- off you trot. It’s simply not good enough .

Our online system is only open to fill in when the surgery is open. So if you can't do it during your own office hours it is extremely annoying. I'd set aside some time in the evening after work when I discovered this. I was then offered a telephone appointment in 3 weeks time!

You’re right OP - it simply isn’t good enough. Primary care in the UK has become a joke. Also why no face to face appointments and why has it become standard practice for appts to be over the phone?!

my gp has this and they are very efficient with it I personally prefer this system to ringing at 8am it works well in my book