How am I supposed to get a GP appointment?

[muddlesandpuddles]

I’m wondering if it’s just a bit of a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

I am experiencing some symptoms which I think could indicate I’m menopausal and it’s not much fun but obviously doesn’t come under the ‘same day appointment’ umbrella.

You can only make advance appointments at half past one on a Friday but I’m working then.

Surely this is just stupid? Not sure what I’m supposed to do.

I dont understand this. If someone isn’t urgent and by that I mean they can clincally wait, then how is someone going to magic an appointment out of thin air. My surgery has 16,000 patients so surely there needs to be some kind of priority based system.

Our surgery definitely don't do e consult, you can't contact them any other way than telephone, which is impossible! Even the NHS app doesn't allow you to book an appointment with them.

Not in an areas of the country you can't, that's decided by the NHS trust that your GPs surgery comes under.
I can't even get my son's ADHD medication from the NHS because we went private for the diagnosis and first round of meds.

No way of booking on the website; I’ve checked. I think I don’t have an alternative other than put up with it!

What's the scope to move surgery?

I've just moved.

My old one you rang up and they said unless urgent on the day you needed to use 111.

I have a LT health issue and the receptionist point blank refused me an appointment because it's not urgent - despite GP asking to see me and the meds not being out on repeat.

She kept saying use 111.

I tried the e consult and it was often full by 8.02am!

Practice manager assured me the receptionists had enough medical training to know what constituted an emergency or not.

After going through 111 a number of times the Gp called me in to refer me to neurology.

Yep - my "can't be much wrong with you" from receptionist was something I need a specialist for.

New surgery struggles with appointments too. E consults are 11am M-W. But I have managed to do one, had to wait over a week for a response and then over another week for telephone consult.

But the major difference is when you speak to staff at new surgery they are helpful - last one just kept being told "no".

Can they not send your script through to a pharmacy?

There are loads of online prescription services. I use pharmacy 2 you. It links to your gp surgery, prescriptions are agreed by them. You pay online and prescriptions are sent to your house. It costs the same as if you picked them up in Boots.

OP there absolutely must be a way to get an appointment. Ring the surgery at another time and explain you can't ring at that time and ask what to do and if there's an econsult option.

Ring after 11am when the rush is over and ask to speak to the pharmacist/nurse practitioner, they may sort you out and even arrange for the GP to see you.

Have you tried on the NHS app? I can book appointments directly for my surgery there. If you want email the surgery and say that you want them to connect to the app!

Sorry to hear that - it’s not an issue I’ve experienced but thank you for bringing it to my attention.

The prescription are NHS.

Not sure if it's even the NHS trust - it's just some GPs who decide they won't do it.

Fortunately not my GP surgery.

My DH for example gets eye drops originally prescribed by an NHS consultant - I don't know what GPs are thinking saying they won't prescribe but they say they won't prescribe outside their competence. It's not like someone goes in and says I want x - they get a letter from the consultant concerned!

It's not about private/NHS - they are effectively refusing shared care.

Are you sure they don't have an online booking for routine non urgent appointments? My surgery and all I know of do this. Also you can call reception in the afternoons up until 6pm and make an appointment that way. I'd call and see what they say

Same here.

I recently changed GPs to one where they have an e-consult service. I think most GP surgeries have this option now so might be worth ringing round

@muddlesandpuddles ivechad a similar issue this week and really needed to see aGP.
In the end, I got the receptionist to book me an out of hours appointment (the specific service is called Extended Access)
Not only did I get an appointment then. But I also could book another appointment in 2 weeks time fir a follow up Wo any issue 😳😳
Maybe they have something similar in your area?

Try the natural route first, there’s tons of options just do your research. Going to the doctors should always be the last resort for anything like this because all they’ll do is medicate you with something that has side effects which means you’ll end up taking even more medication to subside that then too. Vicious cycle

Econsult, telephone consult, ask for an appointment with a nurse instead of a gp or book when you are off work. It sounds non urgent so can wait a few weeks?

If you are actually unwell and need to see a gp they will fit you in.

Aren’t the prescriptions then also private? It’s the ongoing potential cost that worries me. DH had an appt through his work health insurance but the prescription was 60 quid instead of ten. For HRT that could potentially get unaffordable for some sadly.