GP Surgery opening hours - official guidelines?

InsideInsurance

Ours are 0800-1300 and 1400-1730 monday to friday

There is a 1800-2000 every other monday but is for prebooked appointments only and normally they are booked up for a couple of months in advance

Flugelhorn

Surgeries in England are supposed to have somebody to answer the phone etc 0800-1830 - outside these times is the out of hours GP service (ie ME - but not all of the hours, I do like to get home sometimes)

Philippa36

GP practice hours are changing country wide from June to be open, depending on practice size between 8am and 8pm up to 5 days a week plus 4 hours on Saturday.
Every surgery will be updating their new hours soon so maybe a call to find out when yours will be opening?

However, most of our patients don't want to go see a GP much before 9.30 or after 5pm (especially if it's dark outside) so who knows if anyone will turn up to their 7:30pm appointment - especially if that means missing their favourite soap opera...

Tigsteroonie

Heck, some of you are well off with normal office hours compared to here - we don't even get those. Officially the surgery times are:

Weekdays 8.40 - 10.30am, 1.30 - 2.30pm & 4.00 - 6.00pm

I make that 5 hours a day. And they say they're over-worked? Trying opening for longer hours!

mountainofdebt

I must admit I usually have to wait about a fortnight to get a suitably timed appointment which is a pita on a good day.

However they surpassed themselves recently - I phoned up to make an appointment with the nurse and when I briefly explained the problem I got an appointment 2 hours later with a doctor.

maman

Philippa36 wrote: »

GP practice hours are changing country wide from June to be open, depending on practice size between 8am and 8pm up to 5 days a week plus 4 hours on Saturday.
Every surgery will be updating their new hours soon so maybe a call to find out when yours will be opening?

Thanks for that. Sounds like a great idea. I assume it's to try and stop people using A&E when they don't need to.

Poppy9

We have opening hours monday to friday of 8.15-6pm but GP consulting hours are only.

Mon- Weds and Friday 8.40 - 11:30am an 3.50 to 6.00pm
Thursday 8.40 to 11:30am

Closed all weekend

Only limited pre booked appt. allowed you have to ring on the day for appointment. A nightmare getting through but you can usually be seen on the day if you say "yes" to "is it urgent". If you say no you are told to ring back the next day as all the non urgent appointments are gone! This can go on for days so you always have to say yes!

mgdavid

j.e.j. wrote: »

Thinking about it, it is a strange old system we have in this country isn't it? You have to make sure you're in need of a doctor only during office hours..
......

This comes across as deliberately provocative and a completely ridiculous statement. If you NEED a doctor then there's NHS direct, there's A&E, there's 999 ambulance or paramedic to your location, and many surgeries still book house calls after surgery has finished. Also of course most employers give time off for medical appointments, sometimes this would be unpaid, but then how much do you value your health?

Philippa36

maman wrote: »

Thanks for that. Sounds like a great idea. I assume it's to try and stop people using A&E when they don't need to.

Yes, I assume that's the thinking behind it. With a cost of £50 per visit to A&E its certainly in any practices interest to find alternatives.

We haven't been told the exact requirements but it should all be in place very quickly as it will affect funding for the practice and a huge loss for those who don't wish to comply.

Yorkie1

Philippa36 wrote: »

Yes, I assume that's the thinking behind it. With a cost of £50 per visit to A&E its certainly in any practices interest to find alternatives.

We haven't been told the exact requirements but it should all be in place very quickly as it will affect funding for the practice and a huge loss for those who don't wish to comply.

I agree, particularly now that the Clinical Commissioning Groups are involved with the GPs now.