GPs in Scotland are so bad

[Fragmentedbrain]

I can't believe how long it takes to get an appointment

And then when you do you have to wait around for them to call (no timed appointments even if you have work to go to).

Feels so belittling and a bit scary. I really think this problem is behind the large numbers of people out of work for ill health. Why can't we be treated with some respect. Even my hairdresser treats me better (a lot better, there's an app).

It just feels like no other part of adult life, dealing with healthcare. Suddenly cast back to the status of a child pleading for assistance.

Yes. Always in person.

We can't make appointments in advance. You have to phone up after 8am and hope to get an on the day appointment .
Each doctor is allocated some of these per day so not quite sure what they're doing the rest of the time.

My surgery is great. You can phone first thing and if its urgent you'll get a call within a few hours from the duty doctor who'll triage you and either deal with you over the phone or ask you to attend the surgery.

For less urgent you phone at 1pm and you'll usually get an appointment within 48 hours. Routine appointments are around a week

I was really unwell about 18 months ago. In a 12 week period I had 15 GP appointments including 2 house calls

So no not all GPs are bad. Some are far from it

I think it’s completely practice dependent. And that variation arguably shouldn’t exist

We used to have econsult during Covid which was great

My daughter's surgery still has it yet we both come under NHS Grampian.

Our practise is quite good with appointments and recently when I needed a emergency appointment for ds we got one the same day at the surgery.
My medicine reviews have all been at the surgery she can't do blood pressure and stuff over the phone.
Routine appointments can be booked upto a month in advance with choice of phone or face to face.
We also have a online facility to make appointments.

We have an askmygp system at our GP surgery. You submit your issue online between 8 and 9.30am and then its triaged and you can end up with a face to face appointment, phone call, request to go for blood tests, etc as required.

It seems to work well and saves having to phone and wait in a queue

Also in Forth Valley. I called yesterday morning at 8am and got a same day appointment. On my way out, I made a follow up appointment for next week.

On Monday I made a routine appointment for my daughter for this Friday. They’ve changed the way they do appointments in the last 3 months and it has made it better.

Another forth valley here - I've found it very easy to get same-day appointments for emergencies and non-urgent appointments within a week.

Mine is pretty good but oversubscribed so they are building a second surgery. I saw my GP on 7th March after calling a week before, I had blood take a few weeks later and gave a referral for a hospital appointment on 7th April.

Ours is good but within a mile there are lots of new builds that have zero access to a GP. No new surgeries and all other nearby ones full and not taking on new patients.

The issue is very much funding. GPs used to get 11% of NHS funding in 2004. That has fallen to 6.5% now. GP practices cannot afford the recruit new staff, and GPs cannot get jobs. It’s like teaching. There are people waiting to be employed, keen to work, well trained, but our government isn’t making the funding available to recruit them. Ditch the Scottish child payment or tuition fees would bring in nearly £1bn, money that would make a real difference to services but the Scottish government would rather not.

More and more new houses keep getting built in our town so it's just going to get worse.
There are already 2 surgeries with what appear to be plenty of doctors in themJ so I struggle to see what the issue is.

Same here. I'm in d and g. Ring in morning. Usually get telephone app same day. Will see yiu in person if required.

If we are booking it is usually about a fortnight for a set time. If it is more urgent you phone at 8 and they rung back around 9 with a time for that day. Inverclyde.

Those in forth valley - I’m jealous lol! I called my GP appt 2 weeks ago for an appointment, told no apps left for that 2 week period. Called back yesterday and again told no appointments Left in 2 week period and to call every day in case of cancellation. It’s a joke now.

It definitely depends on the practice. I'm in Glasgow and have no problem getting a face to face appointment at short notice if I need one. In fact about a year ago I called a few hours after the 8.30am rush when something urgent arose but was not A&E urgent, and although there were no appointments they said they would call if they got a cancellation, and did indeed do so.

I can't really grumble about mine of course it's the phone for 8.30 and usually triaged but get a call back and appointment arranged.

Also Forth Valley, also can generally get a same-day appointment by ringing at 8 – usually phone triage first, then come in (for a specific time) if needed, although I've known them to skip the triage step when it's very obviously in person required. Ring at 11 for routine/non-urgent, generally get an appointment within a week.

I'm in Forth Valley our surgery was taken over a few years ago and they are better than they used to be.

No problems with the GP where we live, can phone the medical centre and get a same say appointment, just have to go through triage, but I've never had to wait a few days to see a GP. Trying.to get an appointment when we lived in England was virtually impossible, at one point a 3 week wait!.

I think a lot of it depends on what you're calling for- a lot of things dont need a face to face appointment and phone appointments can generally be done much quicker and with less faff. My gp offers both, a call within a few days if not an emergency or a face to face within a week roughly especially if you arent fussy on which gp you see.

My gran wont see anyone except one single gp so waits many more weeks.

So it will depend on many things, what's actually wrong with you, age, co-morbidities, who you want to see etc. And I know this sounds awful but if you are one of those people who phones for every sniffle and the reception staff know your name then...

@Fragmentedbrainyes, appointments are in person, or can get a same day call back if it's a query.

I'm in Forth Valley. We get a mixture of in person and telephone appointments and some with advanced nurse practitioner.

Depending on urgency can be same day or a week or so away. It can be annoying having to explain your symptoms etc. to the receptionist but in terms of waiting time, treatments and referral for tests etc. we can't really complain.

No problems where I live (Highlands). Can usually get an in person appointment the same day or the next day, even for routine stuff. Phone appointments available as well if I prefer.