to think that there must be a better way to get a doctor's appointment?

[cornflakegirl]

I needed a doctor's appointment for 3mo DS2 this week. I started calling at 8.15am - got an engaged tone every time until just after 9am, at which point I was put through to the queue system where I was on hold for 20 mins. When I finally got to talk to someone, I was told all the morning appts were full and I would have to call back at 1pm for an afternoon appt. I couldn't book a pm appt as they are 'locked' in the system till 1pm.

I can't imagine any commercial organisation trying to use this system. I understand that GPs have different pressures, but I feel that they should either be inflexible on the times but have plenty of people to answer the phones, or keep everyone on hold but be more flexible around booking. The cuurent situation seems impossibly rude.

I'm yhinking of complaining to the practice manager - does anyone's GP have a better system that I could suggest they implement?

On Monday I started calling the GP clinic at 8.02. Got through at 9.40, no appointments.

On Tuesday, I called at 7.58 and got through at 8.12. No appointments. So I said when are the next bookable appointments? A fortnight's time. So I took one.

By yesterday, my need for an appointment was more urgent. I called at 8am and got an appointment for 10am. I very honestly said 'I had a booked appointment for a fortnight's time, so can you cancel it?'

The receptionist said 'No, no. You may as well keep it just in case.'

No wonder everything gets booked up if receptionists are allowing patients to 'stack up' appointments 'on the off chance' weeks in advance. I was !

She probably meant in case the GP asks you to come back in a fortnight for follow up, but I know what you mean.

TBH, the biggest single reason there are never appointments is the 'failed appointments' issue.

I totalled these running for a while and our surgery was averaging 45 failed appointments a week.

That's a full day and a half of GP appointments!

And it's 90% the same people over and over... and there's nothind we can do. It takes dynamite to be allowed to deregister someone.

We thought about telling them they'd have to ring up when they wanted to be seen and we'd fit them in, rather than them pre-booking, the realised we'd be offering them a better service than everyone else, which was seriously not fair.

Got to a point where we started booking them at times where they'd be convenient 'catch-up' slots or emergency fit in slots. Madness!

It's so they can massage their statistics and say, quite truthfully, that there are no waiting times for appointments, that you get seen on the day you ring. (neglecting to mention the "if you manage to get through" bit)
It's disgraceful and indefensible.

Also agreed...

But see the comment about Whitehall...

GP's didn't ask for and agree to the waiting time targets. Or the new contract. The vast majority warned and warned and warned the governement that it was bureaucratic dreaming. We agree that they're stupid (and unworkable) but now we're stuck with them.

A GP pulls about £100 a year per patient, from which all the running costs of the surgery have to be paid. This is the same scheme that dentists bailed on.

A lot of surgeries have gone to on-the-day-only, just to hit this target. And we waste acres of time jumping through hoops for stats on various illnesses.

It's dumb, it's annoying and nobody would be happier than the GP if we could go back to running the practices according to the needs of our patients not the national demographic!

Still doesn't help when you're sick and need to be seen, though....

Oh, I know it's not the Gp's fault, and ours is adorable, and always goes way over time with everyone, but he's well worth the wait! I think it's just frustrating that it means a lot of people who maybe don't feel they need a doctor that badly, put things off because of the system in place.

ginnybag I feel your pain. The system is shocking.

Nearly a year ago I had an ECG. My GP booked a follow up appointment for me for a couple of days after the ECG to discuss the results. She got the flu and had to cancel the appointment. I tried to rebook. I tried and I tried. After 7 weeks of trying I was so frustrated with trying to get an appointment with my GP I gave up and accepted one with one of the other GPs in the practise. That GP did a virtual shoulder shrug, told me it was too long after the ECG and told me I would have to talk to my own GP about the issue

We also have the ring at 9am or 2pm system. I was, until recently, a teacher. I physically cannot ring at those times.

Any other doctors you can switch to?

Ours has an open surgery every weekday. I signed up there a couple of months after moving to the area - I had a v. painful ear infection on maybe a Thursday, and the first couple of doctors I tried had appointment systems and couldn't fit me in till the Monday.