doctors making it as awkward as possible to be seen

blue_monkey_2

Don't get me started on prescriptions. We have moved so changed doctors and I went to get a repeat prescription for my asthma inhalers. This is something I have to take for the rest of my life and I've been taking them for 29 years now - and instead of the 2, 3 or 4 I have been getting in the past (4 is the max before the doc is questioned over it by the BMA btw) they will just give me one to last the month.

They do not ask to see me but I put a repeat prescription in and they scrubbed the 2 out I asked for an attached a note to say I could have one only. They say it is practise policy. It is bad enough that I have to take these damn things and pay to keep well every single day if I don't take them I could have an attack and die but to have to have a one per preseciption allowance is a joke! So now I have to pay for each inhaler I get and take time out each month to go and ask for the repeat, go and get the prescription and then go and get it from the chemist.

I am pretty much tempted to book and appointment each month for an asthma check because if they were that concerned about me having them then they clearly need to see me.

As it is, I've stopped taking them so often while I feel OK and if I feel ill I'll step up using them again. However, why should I have to do that for a drug they know they will need for the rest of my life. A complaint in writing is looming!!

liney

You aren't turning up in the morning to make an appointment though are you? You are turning up to sit and wait your turn; a system which is very common i beleive.

3plus1

I don't know if they still do this, but when I was a student, it was bloody impossible to make an appointment to see a doctor. The health centre there ran what they called 'open surgery', ie. you turn up during the surgery hours and wait for your turn. Without exaggerating, it was not unusual to have to wait for several hours. If you wanted to book an appointment because you couldn't make open surgery or you had classes/work and couldn't afford to sit around for 2 hours doing nothing, the reception staff did their best to try and talk you out of it. You really had to be persistent to get a booked appointment and have a damn good reason.

Where I live now, you can book appointments. However, there's normally about a month to wait until seeing my GP. I could see another one much quicker, but I chose him as my GP for a reason - he's not just a GP, he's also a specialist in my medical condition. Every time I need a doctor's note, I get so much grief from work because they don't believe I have to wait a month to see my doctor.

Becles

Our doctors trialled a system where you could only make an appointment that day. The phone lines opened at 8.30am, so you just had to keep sitting and hitting redial until you got through, while I was meanwhile trying to get the children ready for school, me ready for work etc.

My youngest son had an ear infection and we spent a few days of listening to the engaged tone for ages only to be told all the appointments were gone for the day. I had to complain to PALS as my son was getting worse and I was getting concerned. They managed to get me an appointment so he could get treatment.

They dropped that system after too many complaints. Now you can make routine appointments whenever, but they have one doctor "on call" every morning with no appointments. You ring in the morning and a triage nurse rings you back for a telephone consultation. Sometimes she can arrange a prescription to collect, or you pop in and see her, or she'll give you one of the emergency doctor appointments. It works well and we've always been seen that day when it's urgent.

MrsTinks

I have to say that to see a doctor at my surgery it's great - you can make a normal appointment for when your doc is next free OR another doctor is free if you're happy to see any GP. OR you can call first thing (or infact any time that day) and a nurse will call you back and basically triage you. They have one GP allocated every day to basically be the "emergency" GP and handle any urgent cases. If you're urgent then one way or another they WILL fit you in - you do sometimes have to be prepared for the GP to run very late though as they will also be the one that gets called out to people at home or to certify death etc so it's always made clear that they might be late. If you're a "super urgent" but not quite hospital they will try and jiggle things and get you in with another GP...
Seeing a Midwife however... HAHAHAHA now THERE is a joke! Bear in mind this is a large sugery with about 10 GPs and there is a midwife in 2 days a week - that's it! You have to book appointments 4 weeks in advance which is a problem when like me you have to go and be monitored roughly every 1 - 2 weeks... they've had to take to putting me in before normal appointments to fit me in. I don't know if it's because of a midwife shortage or what but it seems riddiculous to only have someone in 2 out of 5 days in such a large and busy surgery

busiscoming2

At my Drs you have to phone at 8.30 to get a same day appointment, the receptionist always asks what its about, and if she doesn't think it is serious she says she will speak to the Dr and to phone back after 11am, whereupon the Dr will ave either issued a prescription (yes even for kids), told you not to worry about the problem or if you are lucky, you get an appointment to see him! I have got wise to this and now I just say I only want to discuss it with the Dr and always get a same day appointment. The thing is whenever I have been there I am usually the only person in the waiting room and no one is in with him and quite often no one when I come out either. Once there were 2 other people in the waiting room and these turned out to waiting for the nurse!

jackieb

busiscoming2 wrote: »

At my Drs you have to phone at 8.30 to get a same day appointment, the receptionist always asks what its about, and if she doesn't think it is serious she says she will speak to the Dr and to phone back after 11am, whereupon the Dr will ave either issued a prescription (yes even for kids), told you not to worry about the problem or if you are lucky, you get an appointment to see him! I have got wise to this and now I just say I only want to discuss it with the Dr and always get a same day appointment. The thing is whenever I have been there I am usually the only person in the waiting room and no one is in with him and quite often no one when I come out either. Once there were 2 other people in the waiting room and these turned out to waiting for the nurse!

A few years ago one of our receptionists was fired for telling a patient's details to one of her friends. It came about that the patient hadn't told anyone she was pregnant, including her partner, yet it still got out, via the receptionist.

Kirri

blue_monkey wrote: »

Don't get me started on prescriptions. We have moved so changed doctors and I went to get a repeat prescription for my asthma inhalers. This is something I have to take for the rest of my life and I've been taking them for 29 years now - and instead of the 2, 3 or 4 I have been getting in the past (4 is the max before the doc is questioned over it by the BMA btw) they will just give me one to last the month.

They do not ask to see me but I put a repeat prescription in and they scrubbed the 2 out I asked for an attached a note to say I could have one only. They say it is practise policy. It is bad enough that I have to take these damn things and pay to keep well every single day if I don't take them I could have an attack and die but to have to have a one per preseciption allowance is a joke! So now I have to pay for each inhaler I get and take time out each month to go and ask for the repeat, go and get the prescription and then go and get it from the chemist.

I am pretty much tempted to book and appointment each month for an asthma check because if they were that concerned about me having them then they clearly need to see me.

As it is, I've stopped taking them so often while I feel OK and if I feel ill I'll step up using them again. However, why should I have to do that for a drug they know they will need for the rest of my life. A complaint in writing is looming!!

My drs has started doing this but only for over 60's I think it is (is there some new policy in place across the UK?), they can now only get one month at a time, which is stressful and inconvenient. If you go in one day early per month, even when the date in one month's time falls on a weekend, they refuse to give out the prescription! For anyone under 60 they will only give out 2 months's max. It just seems ridiculous for anyone on something they need to take for life or long term.

Though reading through this whole thread, access to drs seems to be getting worse than ever, people are being treated like naughty children, being denied access to booking and planning an appointment in advance which is essential for any working adult!

Js_Other_Half

I played 'chicken' with our GP receptionist recently - Ds was ill and had been for a few days with a temp and bad cough. They tried to tell me there were no appointments - I reminded them he was 2...and kept quiet every time they said there no appointments - they eventually found an appointment for him.

frivolous_fay

Right now we have to phone an 0844 number if we want an appointment. Then the locum will ring back to establish whether you're really ill enough to get an appointment. This system is for people who don't believe their ears when they ring the automated booking system (same 0844 number) and hear that their are two appointments available... first thing in the morning tomorrow with Dr Bob, or... in a week's time, with Dr Bob. All other docs apparently booked up...

I have met my actual GP precisely once