GP appointments process

[NorthernDancer]

I'm starting to wonder how much more difficult it can be to make an appointment to see a GP.

Historically, our surgery had operated a system whereby you could book a routine appointment, which would be anything up to 5 or 6 weeks ahead, and if you needed to see somebody sooner, you could phone on the day at 8am and take your chance. It wasn't ideal, but it did at least enable at me to plan, because generally I only need routine appointments.

I called up in the middle of May because I needed to make an appointment for the beginning of July to discuss results of a blood test I am having next week. I was told that they now have a new system and I would have to book online. In fact, they could tell I have the NHS app and I was told I would have to use that, even though I pointed out that a lot of the time, I can't actually get into it. (I've been trying to resolve this with their tech people for about three years.)

When I go online, the first screen I see says that there are no appointments available. It always says that. My only option is to make an admin request , which doesn't relate to the making of appointments, or fill in a triage form. I do not need to be triaged. I do not have an acute condition which requires the attention of a doctor. I have an ongoing chronic condition, about which a doctor wants to see me, not the other way round.I am making this appointment at the doctor's request.

Completed triage forms are reviewed by a doctor. It seems like a complete waste of a doctor's time to review my triage form when I don't actually need to be triaged, i just need to book the appointment that one of his colleagues says I need.

I have a number of concerns about this process, not least of which is the effect on my sanity! Is anybody else having to go through this sort of process just to book an appointment?

My GP surgery is all online based, you can’t go into the surgery or call them, if you don’t go via their booking system, you can’t book an appointment.

I went on the website around mid May to try and get an appointment, earliest available appointment is late August.

I’ve given up and am now looking into private options.

At my surgery in that scenario the best bet is to do it as an admin request. Say you were told to make an appointment for results and could they make you one. Give dates / times unavailable. They then either ring you or send a message with an appointment.

I looked at doing it as an admin request, but there's no obvious option. I'll look again.

I completed the triage form on Monday morning, as instructed, and asked for a phone call to help me book an appointment next week. I received a text message with a link to book an appointment this week. That didn't work because (a) I am not available this week and (b) I need to wait for my test results to be back before I go in and see the doctor.

So, I called them up and was told that the doctor I need to see has no appointments next week because he is 'on call' and it is too early to book for the week after. I would have to do that next week!

Luckily, I know that there is absolutely no urgency to this, but it would be all the same if I were not able to make that assessment.

The surgery I am registered with has a system where the patient does not have to book an appointment for their blood results, they say that if patients don't hear from them, their blood results are fine but if the GP needs to discuss the results with the patient a phonecall appointment is booked for them by the surgery and that is then txted to the patient.

I can usually pick up my results from the Patient Access app also using the google authenticator as an extra layer of security health apps have really 'revved' up their security the google authenticator app has been great, easy to use, fast and it has worked well for me.

Ours works well now. You are meant to do an online form and then someone gets back to you. I usually only do it for DD but everytime we’ve had a same day appointment.
you can also ring which is easier now that they use the online system.
There was a few yeats of the 8am appointments nonsense but it’s better now. There’s also 2 locations and if you can drive the second one is quieter so it helps.
It’s still hard to get phlebotomy appointments tbough.

At ours you can just turn up before 11 and you'll be seen, so it always surprises me that other practices make it so difficult. I assume that they all just need to employ another GP or two.

It's awful. They brought in a system called Patchs, which might be ok for those who don't work (or can spend their working hours answering non-work phone calls).
Compared to the early noughties, it is appalling, and literally could kill some people, as older relatives have been scared off by it.