Next available GP phone consult a month away-is this normal?

[Scareofgettingthiswrong]

I’ve just moved from a rural town to a city. My daughter needs genetic testing, and to get the ball rolling I need a phone consultation with a GP. The first available appointment is on the 13th January! Is this normal for cities??

No not normal at all! At my practice we get one and the same week.

This would be normal where I am for a non-urgent appointment yes.

Very normal here. First appointment free that I booked last week is the 23rd January.

I need a blood test and there is a 6 weeks wait. Ruralish practice

We do all our phone calls on the day, but that probably isn't so unusual in some practices for a routine call, given that there are three bank holiday days in between now and then, and it tends to be urgent things only between christmas and new year

Normal here for a non urgent appointment (south London Surrey)

Normal in Cumbria for non-urgent appointments

In fact you'd be lucky to get one within 6 weeks in my practice!

Not for me - the practice I use has mostly the same day appointments; some can be booked up to a week in advance (though only for ongoing issues). So long as I can be on the phone at 8.30, I've always got an appointment that day. DH was once asked how urgent his issue was as they were running short of appointments. He said he could wait, but was able to get one the next day.

who has told you that your daughter needs the genetic test? can they not arrange it?

Not normal for my London GP, but it might be a couple of weeks, plus another weeks delay for Xmas /New Year

I would say for none urgent yes … I saw my gp two weeks ago ago and she needs to see me this week so I was booked into a blocked out appointment which either would have been released on the day or saved for emergencies

Thank you all so much. Our previous surgery was a “ring at 8am” surgery, so you got one on the same day.

6 weeks is normal here 😵‍💫

Who said a genetic test is needed, and why aren't they arranging it directly?

6 to 8 weeks for non urgent phone call.

Quicker and easier to see the consultant.

Normal for something non-urgent.

Who told you she needed genetic testing? They should be arranging it themselves.

Nope. Same day appointment where I am. Unless you don't get in the phone queue at 7.59 am

No, with my doctor you definitely be seen that week or something like this and would be seen on the same day if it was urgent.

It's 6-8 weeks at my surgery in the South East (rural area). Just awful.

Completely normal for a non-urgent request. However, as others have said, genetic testing is not usually arranged by primary care, whichever consultant/specialist who recommended it should be arranging it for you.

My GP book routine appointments a week in advance, but they only have a certain availability and after that you're told to try again tomorrow. The result is you spend and hour on hold at 8am for 5 days in a row and still don't get an appointment.

Not normal get reviews on other practices in the area see if you can switch

Our routine appointments are currently 4 to 6 weeks. GP's appear to be thin on the ground at the best of times (rural practice).

Emergencies however are usually seen same day or within 48 hours by a nurse, physician associate or a paramedic.

Compare to a 2 year wait for non urgent appts in hospitals it’s a dream.

and yes it’s likely that the person who suggested the genetic test should be the one requesting it.

I'm in the middle of a meds reviews that started with a text back in August. So far three 'routine' appointments have been required and I have had to wait between 4 and 5 weeks for each one.

City practice - Midlands