To think there should be a way of reporting GP surgeries that don’t have online booking available from 8.00-6.30

[BurtsB33]

We were told by Wes Streeting that online booking would negate the morning rush, facilitate being able to get GP appointments and more importantly make booking easier. We were told all GP surgeries would now have this.

In reality like many our GP shuts online booking down early in the day. There is no other way to book. It’s far harder to contact our GP surgeries and to see a GP particularly if you work full time.

So if surgeries aren’t keeping to government promises and declaration of what is/ should be happening surely there should be a quick way of reporting them so the situation can be rectified.

We have an aging population. A vast number of working age adults not paying much or any tax. We have low salaries, high cost of living, redundancies, businesses struggling and rising cost of debt. That is what is funding our nhs, so no wonder it isn't very good. I suspect if you did complain, the complaints department would be understaffed and underfunded. It would probably take years for your complaint to be dealt with.

OP: I want more GP appointments or a way to impose consequences!

IPs: There’s not enough money, GPs or time in day to make more appointments. Consequences won't make that magically appear.

OP: I don't care, that's not my problem.

OP, stop acting like a total toddler.

System doesn't really work. We all know that. Plenty of people are running around looking for answers. Stomping your feet and holding your breath until you pass out won't solve anything, just makes you appear laughable.

Probably easier to get tickets for Glastonbury that get a non urgent, regular follow up appointment at some surgeries.

A booking system that enables patients that work and commute to get on a list, don’t care how long said list is . The current system means you are on no list anywhere and your need isn’t registered
so you’re held further away from appointments. It’s 10 times worse to get any appointment when you have zero way of booking or getting on a list.

No I’m simply asking for a quick easy way to report said surgeries. Not hard and not stamping of feet. There needs to be a record.

Oh I give up on this thread.
You are just an NHS basher and someone who stamps their foot and demands with no constructive ideas.
You aren’t interested in debate or discussion and obviously no wider knowledge of current political issues generally.
Enjoy your weekend.

Who do you suggest should take over all these surgeries that are not doing what they should? Does the government have a coterie of spare doctors and nurses sitting around just waiting for the call to step in?

You don't get it. They don't have capacity. You should campaign for better funding. **

All that will do is take more resources into management and away from patient care.

Oh just an NHS basher🤣. Hardly I just want to be able to book appointments at my GP service. I’m not paid ££££ to sort out the NHS, others are.

The NHS really does have an arrogance problem if voicing the need for being able to register surgeries that aren’t providing a basic service such as booking is met with declarations of being an MHS basher.

It isn’t going to change - there aren’t the GP’s or funding to support it. Next step is probably privatisation along a US model.

Basically you can’t have an appointment as there isn’t a GP with availability to see you so no point giving you a booking.

DH was a GP for 25 years - am so glad he closed his practice.

Who have you contacted about your complaint - what was the response?

I complained after what happened to mum. Said it was outrageous that people who couldn't get online or on the phone, and then closing the booking once a limit for the day was reached was stopped vulnerable people from receiving care.

This was a while ago, and tbf they did put a note on her record that she is allowed to call any time to request an appointment so she wasn't excluded from care.

Appreciate not everyones GP surgery would handle it as well but its always worth complaining.

now they do operate a booking system thats always open to 6pm. Ive used it a few times since and been seen within a day for urgent stuff, not so urgent within a couple of weeks so the simple, common sense approach can work well. And this is a GP surgery in a shithole area thats always packed so they are extremely busy.

So only the people that can get online at 8.30 to book get appointments. The rest of us and our children just get sicker. Sounds great. No point holding GP surgeries to account that do this. C’est la vie, I’m alright Jack.

That’s actually not ok.

Practice manager. Nothing

Not their problem.

There aren’t many medical problems that would be safe to just put on an infinite list of people who need an appt. Most problems need seeing soonish so if there aren’t appt available you need to try the next day.

It takes 1 min to fill the form in- can’t you do it on arrival at work before your phone is locked away until lunch?

If it’s that bad a surgery then move to a new one? There are options.

No there aren’t options. If there were I’d be doing them. It’s not a big ask to think patients should be able to log on a complaints list surgeries that shut down online booking services may hours before we are told they are and whose booking facility is dire.

They are pretty flexible. I’ve spoken to my dr at 6.30 as I was working that day. Also if you know you need an appointment a week on Wednesday, you could make sure you wasn’t working for that whole day.

"held accountable" how?

I'm not sure what can be done really,.if they don't have appointments available then they don't have any appointments

They can keep it open and empty as no appointments left for the day. Is this what would please you?

If there are no people available to do the work, the problem is understaffing. They won't be working extra unpaid providing additional appointments just to please you. Are you like this with all professional services? God help us all working within them if so. GPs are not 24/7. It's not Amazon Prime. People like you are also the main reason for complaints backlogs.

You know it’s not the fault of the surgeries right? They are massively overstretched and under resourced. Once the appointments are gone what do you expect them to do? So “getting them in trouble” is just bitter and unpleasant.

Better to direct your ire at your elected representatives and lobby for better funding.

At the very least the government absolutely should have a record as regards which surgeries are not providing the booking system hours they say they are.

OP I’ve been a GP for 30 years, so I’ve pretty much seen it all. I would say that in the time I’ve been at my surgery, I’ve more than doubled the number of patients I see per day, and my overall workload has probably quadrupled. I used to get a lunch break and be finished by 6pm. Now I work 12 straight hours with no break at all.

Over the years, successive governments have told us to do this and do that, and every time we do our best. But sometimes it simply isn’t possible. Just because a politician says something has to be done, it doesn’t mean it’s possible.

OP I don’t know what your job is, but imagine if you were a teacher. You teach a class of 30 reception kids, and one of your jobs is to teach them to read. Every year you manage this. It’s hard work, but you manage it. Then a politician announces that pre schoolers are now going to be taught to read, and all schools need to offer reading for pre schoolers. So suddenly, your class is now 60, and it’s a mixture of 3 and 4 year olds. Will you be able to teach them all to read? Without a bigger classroom, more staff, more books?

It’s simple maths.

You're aiming blame at the wrong place. Wes Streeting is a politician and as such will say anything to make him look good or appease people in the moment. In reality GPs are underfunded and oversubscribed, overused due to lack of availability in other medical areas and often inefficiently run (in part due to trying to fulfil the criteria set in order to receive funding). You can report all you like but until the countless underlying issues are addressed, no one can magic more appointments out of thin air.