Doctors Surgery

Torry_Quine

My surgery has just started saying that you can no longer book an appointment more than two weeks ahead as there have been so many missed appointments! You can phone first thing to get an on the day appointment but that isn't something I would use unless an emergency as I'm never up and awake that early.

50Twuncle

claire16c wrote: »

Cant she just refuse to answer them?

When I used to ring up my doctors to get an appt at work, if they asked what it was about, I just said 'Im at work Id rather not say', and then the receptionist would look at my file and ask questions I could say yes or no to i.e 'Is it to renew your prescription for the pill?' Then she could book me an appt with the nurse etc.

why doesnt your wife move surgeries to your one?

If only it was that simple
My wife has no transport and if I am away - she can't get to the surgery (mine is 8 miles away) - hers is 1/2 mile away
Buses are non existant where we live as well
And as for the phone calls - All that I know is what I have been told - that she is asked intimite questions that are not suitable for men to hear the answers of (she has "womans problems")

hermanmunster_3

21Twinkle wrote: »

How many surgeries offer on-line booking - using EMIS ?
I thought that they were all supposed to ...

not all on EMIS web yet... don't think LV does it

Tigsteroonie

Online appointments? :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: I can't even contact my GP surgery by email.

In fact, it's flipping hard to contact mine at all. I have to request a repeat prescription for litt'un every 4 weeks. I cannot request this by phone; I cannot drop the request into a mailbox out of hours because they don't have a postbox; I cannot contact them by email. So either I have to send by fax during their opening hours (they switch it off out-of-hours); post it to them (stamp prices anyone?); or utilise a repeat service by the local pharmacy (not always reliable).

I found the Practice Manager's email address through a Google search, and emailed her to complain about the lack of options to contact. She wrote me a snotty email back saying that it was her "personal" email address and not to be used. Excuse me? I think you'll find it says "NHS" within that email address, which makes it a public service, one that I pay for through deductions to my wages.

I had to phone them this week because it looked like they hadn't received the fax (they hadn't). They've now instituted a "press 1 for XYZ" service. Apparently I can only phone to query a prescription between 11 & 12 (option 2); and if I want test results I can only phone after 2pm.

If I could find a different surgery relatively local that was actually in the 21st Century, I'd switch.

:mad: :mad: :mad:

I just consider us lucky that we haven't needed an emergency appointment yet - wonder if that's "option 1" on the phone? Think we'll skip and just go straight down to A&E.

hermanmunster_3

The problem with any appointment system is that whatever you offer will still be not enough. My practice is very small and we happen to be able to see people on the day or the next morning more or less regardless of when they phone, However I hear the receptionist sorting out an appointment on the phone and there can be endless excuses as to why it it isn't right or convenient... they can offer loads and then after an appointment is finally agreed a couple of days ahead they say "well if that is the earliest you can offer me..." ..

....Feel like screaming NO we offered you late this morning (but you are in Tesco) , this afternoon (but you will be at the hairdressers..), tomorrow morning (but the plumber is coming), so it is 2 days ahead..

j.e.j.

21Twinkle wrote: »

In the past - she has phoned up from work and has been forced to discuss intimite womans problems out loud in an office full of men - the receptionist is an OGRE !!
She doesn't normally bother with the doctor for this very reason

This reminds me of when I was dealing with the gynae dept of a certain hospital a few years ago. Their phone line was only open between 10 and 12 then 2 and 4pm, which made it very awkward for me, as it meant having to phone during work hours.

No way was I going to sit in an open plan office talking to them about something of that nature, so I ended up just writing a letter to them. They seemed to take issue with that, but what was I supposed to do?? Start talking about whether or not it was a bartholin's cyst, and whereabouts on my

---

it is, and can I have my smear test results please, etc etc etc in front of all my colleagues. I don't think so!

Anyway..! OP I'm guessing, then, there is no other surgery than the one your wife goes to and the one you go to, which she'll have trouble accessing due to lack of transport..?

claire16c

21Twinkle wrote: »

If only it was that simple
My wife has no transport and if I am away - she can't get to the surgery (mine is 8 miles away) - hers is 1/2 mile away
Buses are non existant where we live as well
And as for the phone calls - All that I know is what I have been told - that she is asked intimite questions that are not suitable for men to hear the answers of (she has "womans problems")

Well she should just refuse to answer or get the receptionist to ask her questions that she can say yes or no to.

If she really needed to go to the doctor surely she could just get a taxi to your surgery if she changed to that one?

Arg

cheepskate wrote: »

Call that day and say it is a urgent appointment. Give a vague details so that it falls into that catorgory you will get one that day.

We wait 3 or 4 weeks to see our doc, same 8.30 phone in. I now use the emergency appointment as i can not call at 8.30 and should not have to wait 4 weeks because of this.

AND before anyone says thats wrong......so is the system, - benefits all the dole punting scroungers who if they have children just kick them out the door to school. at 8.30 in the morning.
The system is wrong , it is discriminatory to working people or people who are travelling(to work) and cant stop for half an hour dead on 8.30

In this instance it's probably the GP that are scroungers because it used to be the case that if they saw someone within 48hrs they got a bonus so rigged the appointment system for it.

room512

21Twinkle wrote: »

How many surgeries offer on-line booking - using EMIS ?
I thought that they were all supposed to ...

Ours uses EMIS and it's great. If you wait until the surgery has closed for the day then the appointments that are available for people to book via the telephone the next morning appear and you can book them or you can book appointments in advance. Also repeat prescriptions can be ordered. As my OH takes about 15 different sorts of medication that all run out at different times, it saves so much time and hassle. I thought most surgeries were like this now - didn't realise we were lucky x

Torry_Quine

room512 wrote: »

Ours uses EMIS and it's great. If you wait until the surgery has closed for the day then the appointments that are available for people to book via the telephone the next morning appear and you can book them or you can book appointments in advance. Also repeat prescriptions can be ordered. As my OH takes about 15 different sorts of medication that all run out at different times, it saves so much time and hassle. I thought most surgeries were like this now - didn't realise we were lucky x

That sounds great. I've never heard of EMIS or booking appointments or prescriptions on-line.