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?

Ours literally just introduced it and I tried to use it and all they said was they can’t help and to call at 8:30 tomorrow morning. So not at all avoiding the 8:30 scramble.

@H8484peful This sounds very much like an issue with your surgery rather than the entire system. It’s ok to have part time GP’s as long as the practice has enough staff to offer session numbers all week. Part time can be more helpful when it comes to sickness absence too, the GP isn’t off the whole week because they don’t work the whole week. The online consultation system will only work as well as the surgery running it. Judging by the other comments there are plenty of others who have surgeries who operate well with it. You could ask your surgery what they are doing to address the times the form is closed during the working day as that is clearly an issue. What I do find with a lot of these new schemes is they launch them with little to no notice and expect everyone to have something in place to accommodate and staffing has been highlighted as an issues for some time in primary care. Hopefully your practice will improve as they get to grips with the changes, if not you can shop around.

It’s had the system for some time and going by this thread they clearly aren’t alone. It was a very good practice before the new system so you can’t help thinking it’s the system and not the practice.

I'm in a very large practice and we have had a similar system in place for several years and have a similar experience, it's really not fit for purpose. I once had a missed gp call because she called at a time I said I was unavailable. I phoned reception and they insisted I must start again online. In total it took 8 weeks to get a Gp telephine appt. I did put in a complaint as I'd experienced so many problems previously and was told by a senior partner that online appointment requests is the way forward but that they would look into extra training for backroom staff!! To date nothings changed from what I can see and the whole system seems to be designed to steer patients away from the surgeries.

Seems to be a mixed bag across the country. Very inconsistent…

If its a generally good practice feed the problems back to the practice manager in that context. A good practice can botch the implementation of a new tool and should be open to modifying it’s use to address specific issues. They are likely to want to improve it over time.

A bad practice will not become a good practice by implementing new tools but they are likely to use the tools as an excuse for being a badly run practice.

Local use/implementation of tools and the processes around them is down to the partners who own the practice, not the government.

My GP has just started this a couple of weeks ago and it has been fantastic.

Last week I needed an appointment, I filled in the form and sent it at about 8am, the receptionist called me back at 8.15 with a 9am appointment.

I think it depends a lot on who is doing triage, it should be a doctor.

I have just got back from an appointment for a blood test and I was chatting to the HCA about it, so far everyone who has booked in has had a same day appointment.

I got a message yesterday that flu jabs were available so I could send an admin note to see if I could get the jab at the same time.

But they don't have appointments to offer - they're at capacity, that's why they shut the system. All doing it over the phone would mean is that they tell you that verbally.

I sincerely hope not as when the system shuts down its for everything- GP appointments 1,2, and longer weeks ahead, nurse appointments, pharmacy…

I think reaching capacity means the member of staff processing all the forms has reached the limit of how many they can do so reception staff should be taking the slack when that happens. Hence GPs highlighting safety being an issue. All those forms need to be assessed and read properly.

So it’s the same old story those unable to get in the queue are just as badly off,if not worse as they can’t even book a nurse appointment, a repeat prescription or a GP appointment for a couple of weeks time. Nothing.

We need GPs that stay at our surgery they keep leaving, probably because it's a shit show and they get disillusioned

I think our on-line is opening earlier than 8 which is great for those who work and I am fully in favour of this but once it's full it closes and then youI have to wait until 14:00 when it re-opens after lunch. It sort of works

It's bonkers. I was at the surgery today and tried to book an appointment for my DH to have his regular 3 monthly injection and blood test and the results to be sent to the local hospital oncology department. Even though I was standing there in front of her the receptionist refused to make the appointment and told me to do it online. What is the point of this?

This. Never had a problem with online system.And it's revolutionised the phone call system. Never more than qsg or 2nd in the queu now...that's linked to what used to be Patch's, now systmonline. Brilliant and been that way for several years now

Sorry to hear this, my surgery is also online booking and I've found it brilliant. At my surgery all requests for appointments are reviewed by a GP and I've never had trouble getting an appointment in a reasonable time. I get a message in a very short time, sometimes advising me to change my meds or whatever, other times with an appointment. It certainly is better than the 8am scramble I used to have.

Love the idea that troublesome, sick people demand face to face appointments when they don't need them. My DH hasn't seen an oncologist (or a gp for that matter) for over 3 years. They just ring up and ask how he is and he tells them he's fine. Well, he would wouldn’t he ? Because he's a man. He also has dementia but that's another issue and he hasn't seen a doctor for that either in years.

What are you using the phone call system for?

We have had the online system for a while and I hate it. If you try for an appointment any time after about 9 am it tells you that for the wellbeing of staff and safety of patients there will be no more bookable appointments. The appointments are always in 2 weeks time and they just specify Thurs am rather than a time. As a teacher I cannot just have my phone on and nip out for an appointment so I then have to ring the receptionist and explain. They will then make a massive deal out of rearranging appointment for after 3.30 but again no specific time. I usually get called whilst I'm driving to collect my kids, completely unprepared and slightly distracted so it's never a very good appointment. The system for uploading photo's never seems to work (I often need skin related medication). I don't seem to be able to book a smear test on it so I'm now a year overdue on that.

My online doctors system doesn't work at all I tried it and even the 18 weeks appointments there wasn't any, I can't get a appointment when I ring at 8am on the dot I get through it says you are 15 in the queue and then they are all gone, I don't know how people get through as you can't ring before 8pm

I don't use it to request an appointment, online works perfectly for that. It's more often checking things for my husband, have signed the data protection thingy. This is because he's much older than me, has numerous health conditions and is hard of hearing. So I just select the number for reception, or for the pharmacist...you're directed to those after 1 ring...it's kind of magic since the Patches system was introduced a few years ago, now systmonline

Are you replying to me? I haven't said anything about troublesome sick patients demanding face to face appts🤔

At least you can appointments weeks in advance. For me it's either on the day (if you get one) or exactly a week in advance until they're booked up!

My new GP surgery had an online form like this - they take TWO DAYS to respond and then give you an appointment for several days time. You can't ring up to speak to anyone about it.

I had a baby with a chest infection, they would not see me when I called, only via the form - and the form gave a standard response that I'd get a response to the enquiry in TWO DAYS.

Meanwhile my baby's temperature was spiralling, so I had to go to an urgent care centre and wait for hours to get an urgent GP appointment. Tried 111 but they said it was too urgent and I needed to see a GP that day. Hours of waiting, got the antibiotics. If there hadn't been an urgent care centre I'd have had to go to A&E... For a standard chest infection antibiotics script.

The online form is a ridiculous system. After that I changed GPs to a very old fashioned place that does telephone appointments for the same day at 8am. Granted you have to ring at 8am on the dot, but at least you're actually speaking to a person who knows to prioritise babies for a same day appointment.

At my GP surgery the online consult closes when it reaches capacity. You have to fill it in at 8am or very soon after. If you get a form in though you are likely to get a response within 24 hours.
I do think the elderly and non tech savvy patients suffer now. So many pensioners and even 50+ have not kept up with technology and have to rely on family members to sort their life out now, not just in healthcare but all life admin.

Many 50+ people are very capable of using technology and may well have programmed it at some point. Please don't be so ageist.

Lucky you! Out online form is now the gateway to everything. It is pointless ringing for anything as you get directed to the online form - which is often switched off.

💯 I'm 65 and can use technology. Just about to start work in a complex and demanding role. However, based on the tone of many NHS comms, you wouldn't think the patient population which they seem to regard as a "blob" share more than a brain cell with an amoeba.