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?