Can't book routine GP appointment in advance

[Megifer]

Does anyone know if there is any official process for people who can't use online triage forms?

Mum has been told to book a routine appointment with her gp, ongoing issues/test results etc

She doesn't have a smartphone/can't use one (she just can't, i have tried)
She rings bang on when phone line opens
Gets through to be told all appointments have gone as online triage takes precedence over telephone calls at that time
She tells the receptionist it's just to book a routine appointment for within the next few weeks
Computer says no - She needs to do online form or call back in the morning or go to the docs face to face as soon as they open
She calls back in the morning - rinse/repeat
She can't get to the actual surgery because she's not very mobile early in the morning due to her condition and cost of taxis is ridiculous just to book am appointment
I've tried to do the form for her, but with the timings it opens and by the time I've done school run and get to work in time and get on my phone the triage has shut
This morning I had to take unpaid time off just so I could make sure I could do the form as soon as it opened

I spoke to the reception before and asked how are people in this situation supposed to get health care or if they didn't have family to help, and was told if they really needed it they'd find a way.

Now in mums situation I guess I could keep taking unpaid time off every time she needs to arrange an appointment but this seems crazy! There must be so many people without family etc. who just can't get an appointment because they aren't online.

Does anyone know if GPs can generally do this? Have such a rigid way of booking appointments? I can't find anything on the Internet about it. Ideally I'd like to go in there and say "this official NHS thing says you have to have an alternative method so please follow it and let people like mum just book appointments in advance when they are asked to by you!"

Write to gp surgery via email giving all the info
is she elderly?or fill in e consult
If she allows she can give your mobile contact and email
In the email state the dates and times suitable
For an appt
Ask them to text you the date and time of the appt
Advise that
Otherwise they must arrange a home visit

Same with our GP, we ring at 8.30 am any later then you are 30 something in the queue, we gave up as had to go out and rang later, only to be told all phone appointments have gone for the day and we should have stayed on the phone until they answered. We then have to wait for GP to call back which could be anytime during the day and if they need to see you, they try sending you to our Community Hospital some 6 miles away and not on a bus route, where I understand, there are part trained GP’s who are cheaper than themselves. I had an asthma checkup last month with the Nurse, waiting room empty.

She can't do e-consult / online triage (elderly and cant use online stuff) and unless I take unpaid time off work I'm never able to get online to do it for her before they close it off 😔

They won't do anything like that, no email, they won't call us, she doesn't need a home visit as it's rarely urgent its usually for routine checks after tests etc.

When I said before it's not a triage situation as its not urgent she just needs to book an appointment as requested by her gp I just got "well someone needs to do the online form for her or come here when we open and we fill the online form out there and then"

Write to the practice manager (we’ll have your mum do it) and ask them for what patients in her position can do with no access to the Internet and no one who can regularly do it for them. Ask for a reply in writing

They’ll find a way as they won’t want to put in black and white that they have nothing in place for elderly or vulnerable patients

Two of MILs friends book appointments at our surgery by email even though if you ask them they’ll say that’s not possible. They both wrote and asked how they accessed services when they can’t use the online system (ours is only online now).

"They’ll find a way as they won’t want to put in black and white that they have nothing in place for elderly or vulnerable patients"

Ah this is a good idea thank you. I didn't think of that as don't want to be awkward but I think we'll have to.

What's even crazier is when I did the online form on her behalf making it clear it was for her, and it had to be with her usual doc as that was what she was told i got a text at 3pm inviting ME to a surgery 4 miles away for 3.30pm!!

I have utter sympathy. Going through similar for my elderly Mum. I have complained to the practice manager who basically said “tough”. One of her friends has a husband who can do the minimum on the computer, she says she has to die before him because she won’t be able to do something as simple as make a GP appointment. Healthcare for the fit and able. It is a scandal.

I work in primary care, I get it. But for this, I don’t care about the whys. I don’t care about explanations about increases in pressure on primary care. I don’t care about all the but but buts. I think anyone in the NHS who tries to justify this is morally bankrupt.

Even if you do use their online system, a lot of the submissions are being ignored by apps and systems like Airmid, SystmOnline and Anima; and/or one tells the patient to use the other and back round again in circles.

I'm now being sent texts about 'outstanding' tests and nurse appointments due, and I have medications running out, but I can't make the bloody appointments because none of my online requests are being read and acknowledged 😱

Totally unsuitable for elderly and vulnerable patients.

But you can log her name and nhs number for e consult? I wrote email to gp for elderly relative explaining everything etc
They switched to sending me texts of appts.
Write to practice manager
Explain.
and say you will wait 14 days for response and then will contact the health trust and councillor

They can find a way

I have an elderly friend who is completely technophobic. She won't even have a very basic mobile phone. She communicates with her GP by writing a letter and posting it recorded delivery. For the last few years this seems to have worked. I hope it continues because I worry about her and she lives a couple of hours away from me.

I wonder if the CQC have any rules about this kind of situation. There must be people with disabilities like visual impairment that struggle too.

No they don't have e consult (I don't think, just googled what that was and put the surgery name in and nothing came up), they use a different online system.

They have my name down as a contact for her its just they are saying it's either do online form or physically go in when all she needs most of the time is an appointment for say a weeks time. She has about 5 diff health conditions that all require separate appointments to review because they won't see her in one appointment for them either (which we can put up with if she could get an appointment in the first place!)

Put in writing
Request them to send an appt in writing
If they write back "no" write to the primary care trust or change gp

Will do thank you.

It almost feels like a sneaky way of preventing really ill or immobile people and those of a certain age from accessing health care 😔

I'm not that old but we don't have online booking, so I write to the GP now or go in physically and get the receptionist to send the doctor a message. I can't be doing with the 8.30am phone thing...

It's actually working pretty well. I used to email but they told me off.

This seems to be the new normal. Getting a gp appt is like winning the lottery with the 8.30am phone queue routinely 40-50 patients long.
Or you get told to try going to the surgery to queue in person with no thought that you might be too ill/ immobile to do so.
Many people especially the older generation are simply not considered in the race to use technology for everything. Bad enough with banking and parking but with healthcare it is literally deadly.
I agree put the problem in writing and insist on a written response.
Then escalate to your mp if needed.
The healthcare trusts need reminding they can’t carry on their way ignoring “inconvenient” patients.

Write to the practice manager and cc in your MP

Ring and ask to speak to the practice manager.
It might help.

The NHS everyone. Free at the point of use.

Taking unpaid time off work.......OP

Sitting waiting for phone to be answered while on PAYG yep still free at the point of use 🙄

No wonder this pisspot of a country is in a hell of a mess when the priority is whether a Royal Mothers Day photo has been edited or not

We often have a very quiet waiting room but that's because sometimes we have barely any staff to run the clinics. Early retirement and difficulties recruiting being the main factor atm.

I spoke to the reception before and asked how are people in this situation supposed to get health care or if they didn't have family to help, and was told if they really needed it they'd find a way

Which is what my dad does. He goes to A&E Fuck me what a shitty attitude from their reception

Given that your Mum has so many conditions, she probably has a disability. (A disability doesn't have to mean being a wheelchair user, or blind ect).
So I'd be asking your Mums surgery what reasonable adjustments THEY have put In place to help people like her. It's not for your Mum to adjust. It's theirs.
In my case I have Essential Tremor which can means typing can be really hit and miss - I must be one of the few that bless autocorrect 😁. In my surgery all elderly or disabled patients are offered alternatives.

Yea I actually felt a bit teary at that comment tbh, not for mum necessarily just in general.

Well that's another thing. We keep asking what condition is it/they exactly so we can look into some sort of financial help so she can get taxis etc but no-one will give any info its just test after test after review etc.

I'm not sure she'd want to go through assessments etc anyway tbh she has crippling depression/anxiety too.

I only found out today that she's been trying to get this latest appointment for 6 weeks

Its disgusting. These attitudes are going to kill people

@Megifer your Mum wouldn't have to go through any assessment to ask for a reasonable adjustment