Doctor's appointments - what a farce.

advent1122

Tried to book a doctors appointment for jnr.
Mrs Advent phoned up to be told all the appointments were gone. Phone at 8am and book one then.
Mrs Advent phoned back at 8am the next day - took 5 minutes to get through, only to be told all appointments are gone for the day.
Mrs Advent said, not to worry jolly reception person, can I book one for tomorrow please. Was told we have to book them at 8am the morning of surgery???????
Why? enquired Mrs Advent..What has happened to all the appointments?
Oh, They are taken up by people needing regular appointments was the reply and whatever scraps are left over, people can fight for them at 8am.
So it seems that the 90 year old with his gammy leg can book appointments in advance as he is being treated, but jnr, who has been scratching like a madman must take pot luck?.
What to do?
As it has been a few days without being able to get an appointment we had to take him to A&E just to be seen by a person wearing a white coat and able to prescribe some pills and cream.

Poppy9

Ring back and speak to the practice manager. Explain you have tried for 2 days to obtain an appointment and have had no luck. Tell them if you cannot have an appointment to see the doctor at their surgery a home visit will be acceptable.

My GP surgery has a similar system in that 8.30am for morning appointments and 12pm for afternoon. However I haven't failed to get an appointment if I ring after 12 if I say I need to be seen that day.

Miss_Behaving

Totally sympathise - I could never get to see my old GP when I needed to, I had to wait mimimum of 7 days which is no use as most of the time you don't plan illness. I changed GPs in the end and my new GP is fantastsic so they're obviously not all the same. Can only suggest that you change GPs too.

gratefulforhelp_2

This drives me insane at my doc's. Receptionist says "phone at 2pm" I say, "oddly enough my headteacher gets a bit arsy if I'm on the 'phone whilst supposed to be teaching and keeping safe 30 children"...

hoyles10

I know exactly how you feel. I tried for 4 days to get an appointment with my doctors without any success. After 4 days of failing to get an appointment I felt that ill that my wife ended up getting me an appointment with her doctor at a different surgery because I felt and looked that ill. Luckily he agreed to see me that morning. That was on the 3rd of June last year, I went to see him, he sent me straight up to the hospital and the next thing I knew I was waking up in intensive care on the 7th June.

If I hadn't been to see the doctor that day and decided to wait until the following day to try and get an appointment with my doctor then I wouldn't have been here to try and make an appointment.

custardy

Poppy9 wrote: »

Ring back and speak to the practice manager. Explain you have tried for 2 days to obtain an appointment and have had no luck. Tell them if you cannot have an appointment to see the doctor at their surgery a home visit will be acceptable.

My GP surgery has a similar system in that 8.30am for morning appointments and 12pm for afternoon. However I haven't failed to get an appointment if I ring after 12 if I say I need to be seen that day.

ours runs the same set up
as with you ive yet to not get a same day appointment
so much so i havent changed my doctor after moving

movingforward2010

tell me about it. rang yesterday at 8.30 to get an appointment receptionist ' is it an emergency?' , me: 'erm.. not really?' (i have impetigo and needed some antibiotic ointment') , receptionist: 'well the earliest appointment is wednesday the 12th at 2.45pm'

bloody hell! whats going on!, anyway if it was an emergency i'd be calling 999 not the local health centre! its seriously !!!!!!!:mad:

movingforward2010

i remember 5 years ago going to my health centre, i had severe depression, anxiety panic attacks, i could'nt leave the house . At the time i didnt know what was happening to me, i was scared and alone. The doctor i saw was the most nasty hateful person i have met, he told me to pull myself together, and prescribed some antidepressants, i was in tears in his room and all he said was ' theres nothing else i can do now, i have another patient, if you carry on like this i will have to send you to the secure unit at ***** hospital' -i.e the mental unit.:eek:



well anyway i left and got private help thank god!

sarahg1969

I have no problems booking appointments in advance - I guess I'm lucky.

In the past, if I've really, really needed to get a child to the GP, I've either turned up on spec, or phoned, and said I'd take them to A&E when there's no appointments, and they've always found a slot for me. I hasten to add, it's not a regular thing - I think I've done it a handful of times in real emergencies. In fact, eldest son, who's 21, hasn't even seen our current GP, and we've been with him for 10 years!

LemonGrove

Our local Doctors is a bit of a farce, but I phoned them one afternoon as was given and appointment when I wanted for the next day. When I was there though I had to wait over an hour as only my Doctor was running late.

Nothing like 'Doctors' is it? :rolleyes:

dacouch

The reasons doctors do this is because of targets the government give them that a centage of the patients can get appointments the same day. By doing it this way they hit their targets and get their nice bonuses...