So now there’s no guarantee of being able to get a GP appointment

[Anon778833]

At my GP practice, we used to have to ring up at 8.15am and ask for an appointment. You’d usually be allocated one and told what time.

Now, however there is a new system. There’s no guarantee of an appointment- you have to fill out an ‘online request’ which they text to you. And you may or may not get an appointment at an unspecified time...

I don’t know whether this is due to Covid or the f* Tories but here’s first hand experience of services going down the drain. What about old people who can’t use mobile phones?

Anyone else have this? All our usual GPS have also disappeared.

This service works really well at my surgery, have you tried it? For non emergency things you fill in the form and a doctor calls you within 2 days. Yes, you don't know when they will call, but they do! I just get on with my life with my phone on loud. Mostly they've called back the same day.

If you want an on the day appt you still ring 8-9 and a doctor will call you back that morning and invite you face to face if necessary.

Loads of things can be sorted over the phone, it's been great.

It's an individual practice decision, not a government policy.

But if they don't have a work around for those who cannotneasiot access the Internet, or who have hearing difficulties and so do not benefit from phone consultations.

Our practice is mainly on phone triage - receptionist books call with doctor or nurse, who will then book F2F if indicated at mutuallymsuitabke time whilst you're on the phone. There are a few 'bing bongs' where you can be booked in directly for F2F.

I prefer that by a country mile to never getting through on the phone at 8:30

I suppose we’ll see how it works in practice.... it’s not very reassuring though is it if you feel that you need an appointment today?

Oh, and I still had to wait 35 minutes on the phone for the privilege of being told I now need to complete an online form.

I far prefer to ring and get rung back by a GP, means I don't necessarily need to go in, as lots be diagnosed and dealt with/prescribed on the phone.

@Ariela

I far prefer to ring and get rung back by a GP, means I don't necessarily need to go in, as lots be diagnosed and dealt with/prescribed on the phone.

It’s not the over the phone appointments I object to. We’ve had over the phone appointments since the beginning of the pandemic.

It’s the fact that you dont know if you’ll even get one

Surely this is better though?

If you rang at 8.30 with something serious you might not get an appointment. Whilst with this system it ensures appointments are allocated by need rather than first come first served, and people are given an appropriate appointment.

But if you text in with something that needs an appointment that day I'm sure they will give you one. This is the point of the system to ensure people who need an appointment get one, rather than the person who rang up at 8.15 even though they've only got a cold

Yeah, I understand that I guess. But I am rather suspicious because all of our regular GPS who were all very good seem to have disappeared

Also, the receptionist already took a reason for the call before. So if necessary/appropriate , the query would be assigned to an advanced practitioner. Again, I had no problem with this at all.

I hate it. Being phoned at a random time just doesn't work for loads of people. Our practice likes the school run but due to the cliffs, I don't have reception and even if I did, I'd hardly want to be discussing it in front of everyone. Dh had a call last week as he had a stroke recently, the text said 11.45 so he moved meetings etc...was finally phoned at 6.20.

My psychiatrist is doing something similar and I've completely disengaged because I don't want to discuss my mental health with a 2 year old sat on my knee. Not to mention he usually phones when I'm cooking tea.

I'd be OK if they gave a time slot but any time in 48 hours assumes you can have access to phone everywhere and that's naive at best. Plenty of my friends can't have their phones on at work.

After not being able to get an appointment despite having just had a major op I looked at the practice website. according to that there is one GP, one paramedic and 9 admin staff ! No wonder theres no appointments.

If all the regular GPs have gone the practice may have gone back to health board/ local authority control so they have to employ locums to do the work and there won't be enough and they will be told how to work.
This is happening in Scotland so not a Tory issue. It's because the GPs who were there have not been able to take on extra partners so can't cope with the workload so have handed control of the practice back.

Health board/LA run practices are notoriously expensive and inefficient to run. And it's going to get worse.

Oh ffs. Well I’ve heard precisely nothing today so far. I have now run out of antidepressants and I will get ill if I don’t take them.

I’m supposed to be able to get them on repeat, but, I can’t because the stupid inefficient website won’t let me sign in. If I phone the GP, they say it’s nothing to do with them. They told me to send an email to ‘the administrators’ which I did. 3 months ago. There is no phone number and no tangible way to sort this out.

Though it sounds like some of you have more urgent problems than me and can’t get seen. It’s madness.

We’ve had this for a while, but we get a call back before the end of the next day, and the confirmation message gives you a number to call if you need urgent help, or directs you to 111.

Can 111 help with your prescription? They’ve helped a friend who had run out before, I went to grab the prescription for her.

Can 111 help with your prescription? They’ve helped a friend who had run out before, I went to grab the prescription for her.

This. If there is a repeat prescription on the system, 111 should be able to authorise it. That's how dh got his 1st lot of blood pressure meds, the GP said they'd be at the pharmacy on the sat...they weren't and the pharmacist told him to phone 111. Spoke to various people, ended up with the 111 pharmacist calling our chemist and 30 minutes later he had his prescription.

What happens for those without online access, or the illiterate?

@Crazycatstory

What happens for those without online access, or the illiterate?

No idea. I’ve still heard nothing!

This is my point really though. They are just trying not to have to see people or put stumbling blocks up which will definitely negatively affect people who struggle with things like this and technology.

I phoned yesterday evening to find that they hadn’t actually received my online form so they have no idea what my appointment was even about!

Our doctors have changed to an E consult thing on their website, which in principle sounds great but they say they'll call during the morning of the next two days - but I work mornings. I work in education so phones aren't allowed and I'm already in before the surgery has started . I have tried requesting could they call during the afternoons and was told no. So I just have to hope to be Ill during the holidays..!