How is your GP working now?

[Y0uCann0tBeSer10us]

DH has had a non-urgent but irritating twitch in his face for a little over a year now, and has spoken to a Dr previously about it, but it isn't improving (in fact it seems a little worse). Yesterday he sat on hold for 45 minutes with the GP surgery only to then be told that the non-emergency appointments were gone for the day and to try again tomorrow. He works full time and we have children to get to school, so he really can't afford to spend ages in the mornings trying to get hold of someone on the off chance they'll actually deign to speak to him. They are STILL running an on the day only 'service' after two and a half years, so it's not even possible to make an appointment in a couple of weeks time to speak to someone (in person or otherwise).

This is to me just seems totally unacceptable. There is essentially no non-emergency medical care available to us, which is not only bad for us but also extremely short sighted, as people have no choice but to wait for problems to become emergencies which then need more involved care. Are we just unlucky, or are they all running a similar 'service'? How are things where you are?

Ours is frustratingly awful. I was told they needed me to make an appointment to review medication. I am a teacher and need to be in work / travelling at 8am. I can't phone later as room full of pupils.

I ended up in tears and so upset that they refused to understand that they had told me to come in and I just wanted to arrange when. Kept being told it was not urgent. I escalated it twice and eventually someone phoned me.

It is disgraceful. MiL came out of hospital after a stroke in July 2019 and has not had any review of her condition or anything - meds just arrive. We asked for an appointment but she has to ring at 8am, or DH does but he works too.

I need blood tests for an hereditary illness but still I have to drop work, get cover for my classes, sit in a phone queue and still won't get an appointment.

It is utterly awful.

We need to phone at 8.30 for an appointment but can call later in the day if you want to book one for weeks in advance. Either in person or telephone.

Think I’m in the minority- my surgery is brilliant. Phone is usually answered within 10 seconds. Can book appointments up to 3 weeks in advance but if it’s urgent can definitely get a telephone consult within a couple of days or if important the duty dr will phone you back the same day. Couple of times I’ve phoned for the duty dr and after conversation have been told to head straight to the surgery for a face to face to be checked out. I’m very grateful for the service and know how lucky I am.

Unsure why gps do this. I'm in Australia and we have an app where you can book yourself in, with appointments available on the day/the next day. Appointments cost $30 though, maybe that's why?

Well we have 3 clinicians off sick according to the website. We had also been told that there were IT issues and it's urgent appointments only. Been like this for weeks.

I no longer have one!

Phone appointment only. Nothing online - I signed up to the advertised "patient access" service but all I can do on it is to ask for a repeat prescription. Getting through takes forever, then you might be offered an appointment for 3 weeks' time, between 8am and 1pm.

It's really crap.

Am in Forth Valley - our surgery doing phone and in person. 830am call in for emergency and book up to a week in advance.

Ours has transitioned back to mix of on the day, and pre-bookable. I’ve been very impressed, and am usually happy to have a phone appt not in person. All in all I think they’re coping brilliantly and have told them so. Receptionists are clearly trying to help, and literally my only complaint is slightly passive aggressive recorded message about being polite and patient which always makes me a bit grumpy when I have to redial and listen to it again!

My surgery refused to let me book ahead for a non-urgent appointment even before Covid.

I was advised to phone at 8.30am for an on-the-day appointment. When I asked why I was told that if I booked an appointment in advance that I might forget about it! My response was that I had a diary and knew how to use it, and that it seemed daft for me to take an appointment from someone who had an urgent need when I was happy to wait for 10 days or a fortnight.

But it’s phone at 8.30am or forget it.

We do an online consultation, or phone and the receptionist goes through it with you, you then get an email saying to call for an appointment, prescription has been sent to the pharmacy or you get a call from the duty clinician.

Repeat prescriptions are ordered on patient services.

I prefer it, saves having to go to the surgery when it's not necessary but if you're not tech savvy I can imagine it's frustrating.

You have to speak to an on call doctor at our surgery before you can have an appointment you have to call between 9 and 11.30 am or 14.30 and 16.00 pm and the doctor will decide if they should see you. I have been trying to get an appointment for 6 months as I think I have a hernia but it's constantly engaged. I had to ask a question about my daughters place on a waiting list and I spent 4 hours to make 56 calls to get through to reception just to get a number to call the kids services.
My dh friend is a GP in another local town and he said everyone is talking about our practice it's a nightmare.

Ours is utterly dire. We also have to call at 8.30, left on hold for 1/2 an hour, only to be told no appointments left. Three members of our household now need GP appointments! I’m seriously considering challenging the practice manager under the Equality Act - how are single parents of young children, who need to do the school run at a particular point of the day, supposed to spend that same period on hold. Every. Single. Day. Still no appointment.

I didn't answer this earlier because I hadn't used the GP to comment but now did need to book an appointment, not particularly urgent issue but I do need to be seen..

Phoned today at 10:30am and I was offered 2pm this afternoon, doesn't work for me so I got first thing on Monday, but she gave me options for any day next week. Very impressed, t after reading this is I didn't expect it.

Also due a smear test phoned at lunchtime earlier in the week, got booked in for early Dec.

We send an econsult in on their website and they'll call back that day for a chat and if necessary an appointment. Personally I have loved or so far, had a couple of instances where I have sent an econsult and had an email reply or call and prescription was sent directly to my local chemist.

But we havent needed to use for anything urgent or massively concerning, and I know my mum would have hated it!

We send an econsult in on their website and they'll call back that day for a chat and if necessary an appointment.

But this means inequality of access to healthcare. What about people who work full-time in a job they cannot have their phone by them or answer it in privacy to have a healthcare consultation. Does the supermarket checkout operator want to discuss her menopause symptoms in front of the checkout queue? Does the teacher nip outside the classroom to discuss mental health issues in the corridor with people passing?
If it's not an urgent issue these "on the day" systems are discriminatory

E Consult has not reached the darkest depths of Bearsden and Milngavie.

Also agree that it's inequality of access - my mum could no sooner fill in an e-consult form than fly to the moon. And yes, she could phone me and I could do it for her, but that's not always approprite.

I think Scottish GPs can operate whatever system they like. Pre-covid ours started with E-Consult and although you have to fill in a long form on-line, I usually like how it works for urgent and non-urgent.
It needs to be handled appropriately by the surgery though. Done properly rather than as a daily rationing mechanism, it has got to be a more efficient form of triage than waiting in a long telephone queue to convince a receptionist that you are worthy of action today.
This means you could fill in a form on a Sunday afternoon and they will phone you on Monday morning with a suggestion such as telephone call/face to face appointment with Advanced Nurse Practitioner/GP/prescription sent to Pharmacy etc.
If the system thinks your symptoms are serious, it tells you to phone instead and ask for an urgent appointment.

E-Consult states that those who can't use the internet, should phone instead.

Yes but if your practice can do that, they all should be able to.

Same as mine - I had a baby recently and have had PND, and after being told for weeks I couldn't see a GP I had a breakdown on the phone to the receptionist, then managed to get a phone appt.

I got to go in to the GP a week later and he told me I was fine because I was well dressed and that if I was depressed I wouldn't look that way because depressed people "lack insight".

Had to go privately and pay through the nose for treatment.

That's awful, @Winniethepig . Impossible to see a GP and when you do, they fob you off. I had similar when I presented with awful menopause symptoms and left with a prescription for folic acid. 🙄

Hope you are feeling better now.