E-consult rant!

[Midnight2290]

Sorry to be a neg out, but I just wanted to post a rant regarding e-consult. It’s an absolute nightmare getting GP appts these days. I’ve completed 2 e-consults in the past 3-5 months and neither of them got responded to by the surgery!! I had to call NHS 111 last week as I had a UTI and needed antibiotics. Have GP surgeries just done away with emergency appointments now?

I personally don’t agree with this e-consult system.

I just filled one out for this morning to get an appt, and it came back saying my symptoms couldn’t be assessed by it and I needed to phone my surgery. I then phoned the surgery only for the receptionist to recomplete the bloody e-consult again over the phone with me. At my wits end! Hate the bloody things and simply just want a doctors appointment 😫😡

YANBU except for the urgent appointment comment.
Ours are often full within minutes.

Drives me mad too. The receptionist at ours always says do an econsult. I then get a text message from them saying issue can't be dealt with this way and to make an appointment. Receptionist then tries to get me to do it again!.

My teen dd is unwell atm and as she's on immune suppressants she really needed a doctors appointment. So I ring up and get told there's none but I can try again at 8am next day. I explain she needs to be seen that day. I'm told no can do and to ring 111.

I ring 111 who then make my dd an appointment for that day with her gp at our doctors surgery!. I'm baffled quite honestly.

Full for appointments because of e consult?

I am also wondering about people who might not be able to fill these out such as older adults, those with disabilities or learning needs.

Gosh, that makes no sense! And sorry to hear your daughter is unwell, I hope she gets better soon.

My thinking is they’ve created it to try and streamline triaging and determining who requires an appointment that day, and to avoid unnecessary appointments, but I just don’t think from a patient’s point of view that it is working at all.

I really miss the old days.

I really like ours but I wouldn't use it if I thought i needed an appointment that day. I use it more for things that aren't urgent or could be done over a telephone appointment rather than in person. Our surgery have a 48hour (working hours) period for response and it's always been much quicker than that.

Midnight2290 full because of everything.

Ours is 100% econsult and it works really well. I posted the other day, that I filled out the form at 8.30am, received a text from a doctor at 9.30am, a call at 10.30am, medication ready to pick up by end of the day. I was actually really surprised. So much better than having to ring up repeatedly.

Ours is 100% e-consult, you can’t even phone for a same day or emergency appointment anymore. I really don’t like it!!

I am glad to hear that’s been your experience. In theory it could work really well but it depends how responsive and efficient the doctors are. I have a feeling my surgery is just absolutely swamped. Mine have been missed.

They must have a ranking system of high priority & low.
If it's urgent mine are really good at same day appointments, if it's not urgent then they tell you to ring back the next day as all appointments have gone for the day.
I rang up today at 8.15am - I was seen by a Dr at 9.30am.

Our surgery’s default is to ask for an e consult. I completed one the other day and got no further than the first page as my illness wasn’t listed. It was impossible to bypass that. I called reception and was told ‘oh, they don’t list all illnesses’. By that time all the appointments were gone.

Is it a ruse to fend off patients? It certainly seems so.

We should offer 75 on the day appts.
We offer 128 on the day appts.

On Monday we had 316 requests for on the day appts.

That is the stark reality of primary care services and funding.

Our surgery basically use it as a request for appointment. I've learned not to bother with much detail because they never go to a clinician just a receptionist. The receptionist will then either text you an appointment or pass to triage if it looks urgent. It's actually the quickest way to get seen.