What the hell do you do when you just can’t get a GP appointment?

[Anniessongs]

It’s a horrendous system.

I am 43. I’ve had back troubles for years but my last pregnancy exacerbated issues to the point I could barely walk. I am now also having issues with one knee being incredibly painful and I’m struggling to live a ‘normal’ life.

You can only make appointments at 130 on a Friday. Normally I’m at work then and you can be on the phone for hours. I’m actually on maternity leave at the moment but you just cannot get through. I’ve tried going in but with two small children waiting for hours isn’t feasible.

The only thing I can think of is to go private but I don’t want an online appointment! Does anywhere offer a system where you can actually SEE someone?

I do one of three things.

I either book whatever appointment I can get for however many weeks in the future it is.

I call the receptionist later in the day and I explain I'm really struggling. They sometimes fit me in for a telephone call.

Or I call/do 111 online and get an assessment. If they decide it's urgent enough, they'll tell the GP that they need to free up an appointment for me that day, which the surgery is then obligated to do.

But I’ve had back pain on and off for eight years and it was at its worst last summer. The knee is recent. Anyway, I suppose this is the point - I really could do with it being looked at properly to work out what the problem is and then to address it.

Ok, well then there are absolutely no solutions to your issue then 🤷🏻‍♀️

I don’t think there are solutions that people are necessarily pushing here. I know you meant it sarcastically but actually in a horrible way, you are right. For my back, there are no solutions. If it ‘goes’, for want of a better turn of phrase, I literally have to just wait until it heals a bit. I can do things to make it a bit better but it isn’t ever going to be as it was.

However, I do think sudden, severe pain with no known cause needs a medical professional to look at it if only to rule
out anything sinister. I think that that is reasonable.

Quite, @HungryBeagle .

Honestly I would just keep ringing your Gp everyday until you get an appointment. Sometimes I have to ring 50/60/70 times before I get through. Lickyily you're on maternity leave at the moment so can make time for it. You can also request an appointment online at Wellbrook. I'd really ham up how severe the pain in your knee is. Failing that try 111 and see if you can get an OOH GP appt at Burton or Derby hospital.

Another vote for a private physio. I was in agony with my shoulder with Brachialgia (basically sciatica in the shoulder), OTC pain meds were not touching it. Had an appointment with GP to be told to take ibuprofen and paracetamol for 12 weeks, if no improvement then I suppose we will refer you to a physio who might be able to give you some exercises or advice. The waiting list is 12 weeks for an assessment by the physio, then if they think that some exercises would help you would be put onto the waiting list for a physio which could be a further 12 weeks.

Paid for private GP appointment who said to give physio a try and emailed me a "prescription" to give to my chosen physio. It asked for massage and some exercises that help with brachialgia. They said if no improvement after a course then we could explore other options. Rang local independent physio, seen next day. 8 weeks later I was pain free, with a management plan. 100% worth the money.

On the NHS I would have been waiting at least 6 months and even longer if put on the waiting list for a physio place. The physio I went to see actually does some work with patients on the NHS and he said due to the waiting lists, the state some people get into due to the long waits for care means that the physio doesn't work or takes multiple courses (that doctors need to re refer for and don't want to re-refer for) as the damage is so severe and people end up having operations and injections when actually timely intervention would have meant the condition could be managed or healed without operations.

Yes you’re right, it probably does need looking at. There is a walk in centre in Derby which doesn’t require an appointment, I have used it when I couldn’t get a GP appointment at my local surgery. Other people on this thread have mentioned private GPs which offer face to face appointments. Alternatively you can keep ringing on a Friday at 1.30pm, as per your GPs appointment system.

I do have to wonder about people on a Thursday morning who get their kicks from having a go at people on the health board …

@mirl you can only get non urgent (I know, but that’s what they say!) appointments on a Friday at 130. You just can’t get through. In fairness I’ve usually managed to get a same day appointment when it’s been a child unwell but this is difficult as while i appreciate it’s not an urgent matter it’s massively impeding my life. It’s horrible being in pain all the time and worrying too.

The thing is, people have taken time out of their Thursday morning to offer up a variety of solutions to your problem, but they’re all being shot down. What you want is to be able to see your GP. And that’s absolutely fine, but no one on this board can help you to get an appointment with your GP. All you can do is keep phoning.

And I wonder about people flopping about complaining of pain and the legitimate need to be seen then dismissing out of hand every option provided to them to resolve the issue.

Try the self referral mechanism. They'll tell you if you don't qualify.

Pay to see a private physio. They'll advise you and write to your GP

Pay to see a private GP in person. They can refer you back into the NHS and write to your GP.

Try the phone queue on Friday. Some people clearly get through, you've as much chance as anyone else if you try.

You also made mention of going down there - yes it's more difficult with two kids in tow than on your own, but it's an option.

But don't bother if you don't think it'll help.

You could see an osteopath for an examination/ assessment. Mine charges around £ 40 for a consult and it has been well worth the money.

I feel for you. Wellbrook is well known for being absolutely awful with appointments and answering the phone. I'm not in Willington but luckily still in the catchment for their GP, they're much better and I never have an issue getting an appointment. Are you in the catchment for any other doctors? Wellbrook really are awful.

A local physio saved my back last year. I couldn't walk for ten minutes without being in pain. It had been a combination of hyper mobility and lack of exercise following a long illness that caused a lot of problems. It took a good few months, at £60/ half hour, but I'm up and running again now. I dread to think how much worse things could have become if I hadn't been able to access that kind of intervention quickly.

I changed doctors and it was a revelation that a different gp surgery can operate and I can get an appointment.

they have just changed to triage online system, but my dd uses this and it’s been easier she said.

@NCForQuestions and @HungryBeagle what you don’t appear to understand is this isn’t just a matter of minimising or managing pain. Pain can be an indicator of serious conditions - cancer being one. It’s unlikely but I do think (as I’ve said) it is reasonable to want it looked out and anything sinister ruled out.

It may well be that the GP or whoever I see think physiotherapy is the best option but do remember I wasn’t referred for it despite it being really horrendous back in 2016, when I slipped a disc. So I’m not totally sure it’s the answer we’re all seeking. It needs proper attention, whatever it is. And - I’m sorry but I live where I do! I can’t help that I don’t come under the link someone posted!

Thanks @FriendlyNeighbourhoodAccountant . I don’t mind as they’ve always got the children in but this is tricky and I have to admit I have been ‘putting up with it’ because I’ve no alternative but it’s getting worse

DH is wfh today so I’m going to ask him if I can dig into our ever depleting savings and make a private appointment. Hopefully that will help the huffers.

If you can only call to make appointments at 1.30 on a Friday the first thing you need to do is change your surgery.

A GP is not going to be able to do anything for back/knee pain other than refer you for physio - which will take months for an apt - and prescribe painkillers. You can see a pharmacist for painkillers. Your best option is to look up private hospitals/ osteopaths in your area and give them a call. If you are in pain your priority will be to get it sorted quickly.

The only options available to you are

1. Perservere getting an apt with your GP and wait months, possibly years, for an NHS Hospital apt
2. Pay private and be seen quickly

My adult son suffered with his sinuses. After years of going back and fore his GP and waiting months for a hospital apt that didn’t materialise he paid private to see an ENT consultant. He had an apt that week. All tests were carried out the day of his apt and he was treated. Yes he had to stump up ££££’s but his complaint was sorted quickly and he was able to get on with enjoying life.

Our NHS is overwhelmed and crumbling around us but you have other choices. Unfortunately you have to pay or continue to suffer. That’s it I’m afraid 😞

A good physio and proper physio assessment is worth their weight in gold. Many GPs refer for physio just for exercises or to target one area. My dad has suffered severe knee, back and hip pain for years aggravated by an ankle injury. He has had 6 lots of NHS physio over the years. He decided to see my physio privately after seeing no improvement from the injections. He has also undergone 3 operations and still in pain. Short of full knee and hip replacements he has near enough had everything the NHS is willing to do.

He said it was the first time he had a full proper full body physio assessment when he saw my physio. He has a proper support for his lower back now, strengthening exercises for his back, proper exercises and plan for his hips (both not just the one in pain), proper exercises, support bandages and strapping and plan for knees and strengthening exercises and support strapping for the ankle. Having all these treated and put in a plan together has meant that for the first time for years his pain is managed and he is gaining mobility. He goes swimming a couple of times a week, is doing gentle bike rides and daily walking.

It you do go down the physio route, please mention it has been made worse by pregnancy. I have a French friend who has had 2 children in France and her youngest here and she was absolutely appalled by NHS maternity and postnatal care. She was shocked that proper Physio and pelvic floor physio and checks after birth is not a thing here in the UK. In France this is standard. Every woman is offered post birth physio, especially after C-section or instrumental births.

I’ve had two sections. Initially after having her it seemed to ease. The knee has been bothering me since the start of the year and then seemed to briefly improve and now is getting notably worse. That is a real concern for me as I know the cause of my back but my knee seems to have come out of nowhere. I definitely can’t think of any sort of injury or strain that’s been put on it either.

Posted too soon. Pregnant women are not left to struggle with pelvic girdle pain or back problems in pregnancy in France. She was shocked it is brushed off as "will get better after birth" here. She believes NHS maternity and post natal care in England is on par with the 3rd world with how pregnant women are treated. You really should have had some advice and help for the back pain in pregnancy and not just told to get on with it.

My dad was told, bad backs aggravate knees. You automatically compensate to minimize the back pain and that then does the knees in.

I’m not totally sure. I do know what you’re saying but it’s more than an ache. Anyway, neither of us know I suppose - it needs looking at.

Do they have an e-consult? My surgery do and it is pretty quick

Ok, but physio isn’t the only solution that has been proposed on here. I would be entirely with you if it was. There are walk in centres where you can see a GP without an appointment in the Derby area. I have used them myself. There are private GPs who offer face to face appointments. While I don’t think people should be forced to pay, sadly that is state of our NHS at the moment. Alternatively, you can keep calling your own GP. No one here can get you an appointment with your GP.

The physio is actually more likely to be able to look at your knee and tell you what is wrong with it.

They have experience of muscle-skeletal pain and injuries and will tell you if it isn't that.

Personally I'd try a physio first.