Your gp surgery; how easy to get apt?

[minxthemanx]

After a very frustrating 10 days of trying and failing to get an urgent apt with our GP for DS1, I'm wondering whether any surgery has a system that works. Our surgery operates the "phone at 8 am " system. You can't book in advance unless happy to wait 6 weeks . Having "rung at 8am" on 5 days, the earliest I've got through is 8.20, by which time all apts are gone. This 20 mins of repeated phoning takes place while I'm at work....not easy. This seems the most stupid and inefficient system yet I know a lot of surgeries use it. Anyone got a surgery with a more efficient system of allocating urgent apts?

We have the same issues as you OP. Last time I phoned at 8.00, I eventually got to speak to a real person at 8.35.

Luckily I was able to do this. If I’d have been at work or driving to work it would have been impossible.

We've just switched to a different doctors surgery as our old one was virtually impossible to get an appointment, routine or emergency and they made loads of mistakes
New surgery is walk in only. It works well, you may sit there for an hour if you're unlucky, but you will definitely see a doctor that day.

My old GP was horrendous. Either queue round the block for an appointment at 8am/1:30pm or sit on the phone for hours. Then often waiting in the waiting room for more than 2 hours after the time you were given because they were over running. Hell.

Current GP so much better. I’ve never not managed to book an appointment on the day. Last week DS was sent home from Nursery with suspected ear infection, very very poorly and I had an appointment within the hour. Often called in before appointment time and never overrun by more than 10 minutes.

First job out of uni was as a GP receptionist and the main reason for over running was GP’s working private clinics elsewhere and getting stuck in traffic on their way to our NHS practice. One job I’d never do again.

Our surgery can be a nightmare to get an appointment especially for adults. But with children they are really good either giving a telephone appointment and then to be seen the same day. Or asked to go up at the end of morning surgery. Ours also have the ring at 8am in the morning and see if there are any appointments avaliable but then there is often none left and having to wait up to 3 weeks for an appointment. The wait is even longer if you prefer to see a specific doctor.
I was quite lucky as I rang today and got in on a cancellation for 11am which is good as I don't think I could have waited a few weeks.
I don't know if you have a walk in place we have something called choc that's at our hospital that you can ring up and go when they give you a time to see a doctor instead of going to A&E.
I know this is ment for out of hours but if your son really needs to be seen then it's worth phoning them.
Our surgery also opens for extended ours 2 days a week.

If I phone first thing can usually get a same day emergency appointment but may not be with my preferred GP. For routine stuff it’s usually a 2 week wait and we can either phone or book online.

My local surgery is brilliant - walk in surgery each morning and currently having such a bad time health wise that if I walk in they will normally fetch a gp within minutes 🙈 And they all know my name!

Phone at 8 (only once has it taken more than 10 mins to get through) appointment same day (for urgent stuff). Zone 2 London!

The problem is the lack of cognizance that people go to work, often between 9 and 5 min, often with at least an hour's journey there and back.

There is no comprehension that this poses problems with access. No comprehension that the people who don't go to work can access appointments between 9.30 and 5.

The NHS is free at the point of delivery. It is not free. There has to be some understanding that if working people can't work, funds will be further restricted.

Ah but of course only those who work in healthcare actually work and the rest if us so should just be grateful

That's not right actually. I'd rather have a continental system where I pay a small amount if required and am not treated like an ingrate.

Yes, I've reluctantly come to the conclusion that I would pay (as on the Channel Islands) if it meant a same day appointment.

The system we have here in the Channel Islands is perfect IMO.

If you’re on benefits/top up then it’s all free. If you’re not receiving benefits then you pay. Varies by GP but usually £25 a child or £50 an adults. (Some people get insurance but it’s so rare we go that I don’t bother I just pay)

THEN if you’re referred into hospital or anything it’s all free. So it’s only the GP part that is charged for. Once you’re in the hospital system (ie pregnancy appointments with the midwife or diagnosed with cancer) it’s all free.

It’s amazing. And the quality of health care is well funded and second to none. Same day appointments and hundreds of spare hospital beds.

Walk in surgery in the mornings here too. I Almost always see the same gp, only when she is not in and I need to see gp urgently I see another. I haven’t booked any appointments so I don’t know about that.

When I lived in Scotland they had this system where you have to call at eight. I always got same day appointment.

However, my friend who lives near us was on another local gp surgery. She complained that it was impossible to get appointments and so on. I recommended the one I go and now she is happy.

I wish there was a way to anonymously pool this MN knowledge into a map.

(I'd move to the Channel Islands idea I could- not just for better GP service! - but it's not realistic, work wise.)

Found a new category today "GP wants to see child again in one week". They got me in with a choice of times for exactly 7 days later - which was a relief as it's my day off and 6 or 8.days later would have been a pain.

StinkPickle. The demographics of the Channel Islands are very different to mainland UK though, so not directly comparable.

Children - they will always see them
Adults - some telephone triage, some same day appointments for emergency type things, longer wait to see a doctor particularly if you want one of the nice lady doctors.

Where the system fall down (imho) particularly here in NI is between hospital and GP. So I had severe stomach pain, saw GP she said A&E immediately. Sat there for HOURS cursory chat / examination by ED doc sent home with antibiotics. With better diagnostic tools in GP surgery could that A&E visit have been avoided?

At ours you can request a GP call back - they call back and assess over the phone - if necessary you get a same day appointment or they might just prescribe over the phone depending on your problem

Normal booked appts are usually available within 4-7 days

with ours you queue up from 7am outside the surgery - surgery then opens at 8am, then you put your name down and start to get called from 8.45am.

If you turn up when the surgery opens at 8 (if you don't want to queue outside in the rain/cold/snow) then you have to wait until around 12pm for your appointment or risk not being seen at all.

I think I still prefer this system to the phone system though as it means as long as you are prepared to queue and wait you will be seen.

Routine appointments are around 6-8 weeks waiting.

Ours has the annoying call at 8am system. And this is whether you want an emergency or advance appointment. (So for example if I saw the physio at lunchtime and I phoned the gp at 2pm for an appointment any day next week, I would still be told to call back at 8am). It is also common to be told when you do get through, often after 50+ calls, that all the appointments are gone, and this cycle can go on for days. It's a nightmare for working people, and I struggle because having a chronic pain and fatigue condition, when I'm really bad I can't always be awake and coherent at 8am. I would change practice, but there's a huge shortage of gp's in my area, so it's the same everywhere.

I love my gp surgery! Appointments are easy to get with the 8.30am call system or you can book online. If you end up not being able to book an appointment for any reason they do a same day gp phone call back service, which is what I do for all repeat prescriptions rather than taking up a face to face slot. I'm always been seen pretty much on time for appointments too.

Plus the reception staff are super helpful. I've forgotten to put in repeat prescriptions before and run out of medication.. the reception staff got it signed for me by 5pm.

It's a pretty big practice too. I often leave written compliments about the wonderful service I've received.