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.

No sorry some surgeries are managing better than others. You don’t just say as regards overstretched schools that aren’t providing what they should when others do- what do you expect them to do! You expect the education department to be aware of those struggling and support put in place.

Its not a big ask to be able to log a complaint.

But there's no point measuring something for something sake.

The big ask is the solution.

No it’s not ok but you have the capability to do something. If you choose not to do anything then you need to stop moaning.
Make a complaint to your surgery, don’t stop complaining until you get your appointment Or move surgeries.
Just doing nothing is a detriment to you and your families health. If you have capacity to change this situation, get off your backside and do it.

Ours is an on line triage rather than a booking system. Maybe that is a better solution. A GP reviews your message & gets back to you either with a link to book an appointment, a message to say someone will call & roughly when (I agree not ideal if you work, for eg in a classroom) or to tell you to collect a prescription.
It works really well & is very quick. A far cry from when we had both the telephone scramble at 8am & on line booking - both impossible.
I have moaned about my GP before as they got something (fatally) wrong, but this works well.

OP if you’re commuting at the time when the online booking is possible, why not ask your employer if you can start work an hour later?

But do you not understand the ability to manage varies between surgeries depending on their staffing, no of patients and their demographic? It's not hard to understand. Many surgeries try to recruit but it's not that straightforward or immediate.

Of course the whole system should be different but you're hung up on the interface of it, the booking system availability without understanding the real issues.

Why can’t you move surgery?

There are no possible options. She is so busy and her time is more important than anyone else’s.

Mine is the same, I’m able to set my alarm for 8.25am and be ready to phone because I no longer work. If I was working ( ex teacher) that would not be possible. However, there is a way of sending a message even after triage is as closed for the day for routine enquiries, I recently had to send in some blood pressure readings and query my medications. But there is no information about this when you log on, I found it by accident! I’ve used this option three times recently since being discharged from hospital and each time I had a responses the same day, once a text message from a doctor, once a phone call with a doctor and once a phone call from the Practice Manager relaying whet the doctor had said. I was happy with these responses as I did not need an appointment and am unable to drive to the surgery at the moment. They do need to make it clearer though to patients as it might free up some appointments.

Again though, I could not have received a phone call most of the time when working.

I can still phone the surgery once the online triage system has closed for the day to speak to a receptionist or to request an appointment to see the nurse.

People and software companies are being paid ££££ to find a solution. In fact online booking systems were supposed to be a solution. They’re clearly not so let’s stop wasting taxpayers money in the surgeries where online booking isn’t working, save money on useless online booking software and revert to all the old system all patients could get their name added to a list for an appointment.

Do you really think any government would care - they announce policy changes regardless of whether they can be implemented.

Its wild that people think once a limit for requests is reached for that day that has to be it, there are just no other days that requests for appointments can be rolled over to.

So it seems!

OP is expecting GP surgeries to magic appointments from nowhere, just because a politician said something. So I’m thinking that maybe the same super powers could be extended to her employer, who could magically find someone else to cover her work for an hour every day.

An online booking system doesn’t create available appointments.

Yeah, ours opens at 8, then it's full up very rapidly. As long as you log on at dead on 8 though, your request will get triaged. 8am is for urgents, after 5 is routine.

I'll be honest, I'm lucky and have never struggled to get in at my GP. When I've not rung in the morning, but my 18 month old has become ill, they always get me in if it's urgent anyway. I got an appointment at gone 3pm the other week very quickly as my daughter's breathing became rapid with high temperature.

And worst case scenario, when I ring 111 in my area, they always magically find me a GP appointment even if it says none are left online.

But then if you fill that day in advance and then lots of people need an urgent on the day appt on that day there would not be enough slots left. That’s why they can’t release too many in advance. It’s tricky to balance.

Here you go- from the NHS website. https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/gps/gp-appointments-and-bookings/

There’s already a system for complaining.

If you're struggling to make an appointment
If you're struggling to make an appointment, contact your GP surgery directly. Details of the complaints process and surgery management team will usually be on the surgery website.
If you're not comfortable raising a complaint directly or do not feel you've had a satisfactory response, you can complain to the NHS.

Please complain OP, the Gp practice sounds like it could use a good laugh.

FYI teachers have a bit of a special reputation in medicine. 'She's a teacher' said with a knowing look, about someone neurotic who has come about their psychosomatic lost voice, stress or none-provable pain. Or jumping on the ADHD/ASD bandwagon despite only having symptoms this week.

Please mention you are a teacher in your complaint, and mention it several times 😂

If you aren't happy with the NhS, go private. Then you can have an appointment whenever you want

Don’t be ridiculous, I’m far from alone. Many many people are struggling and pissed off with this. Not everybody works in an environment where you can rock up late. it’s not unreasonable to expect a booking facility we are told is in every surgery and a basic facility .

If they did that it would be booked weeks or months in advance regardless of whether patients with more urgent needs should have an appointment.

If you opened up all the appointments for the week on Monday, every appointment would be taken by 9am Monday.

It takes a min to fill the form in. Get someone to do it for you, pause your commute for a minute and send the form, move surgeries. Or just keep moaning.

@BurtsB33

Contact your local Integrated Care Board if you wish to make a complaint about your surgery.

Have you forgotten people have been moaning for years about not being able to book an appointment because you can’t get through on the phone as you are 87th in the queue??

PALS takes a long time and doesn’t collate surgeries not providing a basic booking system. It’s also far too lengthy. A quick system where you log your GP with a screenshot would be far quicker.