GP Surgery Times

Herongull

goater78 wrote: »

They have not all been closed. Don't be ridiculous.

I'm not being ridiculous, but I should have said "are closing" rather than have closed.

All the ones anywhere near me were closed a year or so ago.

And mass closures across the country (when the contracts expire) have been in the pipeline for some time so I had assumed these closures had all been implemented by now.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18503034

See: http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2011/06/23/over-popular-nhs-walk-in-centres-are-forced-to-close/

mjm3346

No saturdays here but 0800 to 18:30 weekdays with two early starts 07:30 and two late finishes 19:00 is not too bad.

pulliptears

Wow, I feel for you. Mine has moved into a new health center, they have the facilities for blood tests, minor ops etc and best of all my surgery from 8am to 7.30pm daily and 8am - 12 on a saturday.

System

Herongull wrote: »

I'm not being ridiculous, but I should have said "are closing" rather than have closed.

All the ones anywhere near me were closed a year or so ago.

And mass closures across the country (when the contracts expire) have been in the pipeline for some time so I had assumed these closures had all been implemented by now.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18503034

See: http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2011/06/23/over-popular-nhs-walk-in-centres-are-forced-to-close/

You are being ridiculous. Some are closing but the statement "NHS walk in stations have all been closed" is ridiculous and untrue. Even changing to "are closing" is still wrong!

Herongull

goater78 wrote: »

You are being ridiculous. Some are closing but the statement "NHS walk in stations have all been closed" is ridiculous and untrue. Even changing to "are closing" is still wrong!

Lighten up! If you'd read my post you would have noticed I prefaced it with AFAIK.....

Blackpool_Saver

OP, I would change surgery. It's a very easy procedure, get a practice leaflet to ensure they fit YOUR needs and not the other way round. Good luck.

http://www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/GP/LocationSearch/4

hippygran

I am registered at my local 'walk in centre' as a patient.

I can't always get an immediate appointment, as only non-registered patients can have a 'walk in' appointment, it seems!:(

People do have to make an appointment to be seen though, so its not really a case of just walking in!

On the plus side of this practice, they are open from 8am to 8pm SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, the only day they are closed is Christmas day. :T

I can generally be seen the same day, and this is certainly the case if I say it is an urgent need. And even if not urgent - a telephone appointment the same day is offered!

The down side is that I am a patient of the 'practice', rather than of one person. So I do tend to make appointments a long time in advance, as I do prefer to see the same doctor (who only works one day a week) - a lot of the time the practice is staffed by locums.

My husband, however, has been with the same doctor's practice since childhood. He refuses to change, and finds it sooooo difficult to get to see anyone at his practice. The last time he wanted to see his doctor he got told that the doctor was fully booked for a month ahead, and that he would have to see the practice nurse instead, and that was a two week wait!:eek:

His practice is only open 8-5 and no appointments for about 4 hours in the middle of the day. You can only make appointments at certain times (8-11 - I think, but the phone is constantly engaged!), and Sat mornings - open till 12 are reserved for 'emergencies only' - working full time not being an acceptable reason to get a Sat appointment. :eek:

So shop around in your area, and choose a practice that fits in with you, rather than you trying to fit around them.

Pennywise2012

Would it be possible/practical to transfer to a practice near your work? It would mean you having to forego home visits, but then at least it won't be a massive hassle if you need to go.

giraffe69

If you complain to the practice manager make sure the letter is written in a nice way.
It is fairly common to be removed from the gp's lists for very minor things.

If someone threatens violence or perhaps carries out the threat then I can well understand that they might be removed but if patients get removed for minor reasons (in the real world rather than the one the Daily Mail inhabits) then something is wrong.

That something is, in my view, the fact that the service is run for the benefit of those running it not the patients. Supermarkets used to close at 5.30 and not open Sundays. These days they and many other shops are far more flexible.

Some surgeries have become a bit more flexible about appointments but there are still some that make it very difficult to make an appointment except when it suits them and not even then sometimes.

I think I'd start by reducing the amount they get per patient by x% if they don't offer a reasonable time range and y% more if they don't meet a standard of call answering.

pmduk

Ask your local PCT what arrangements they make for patients in your situation. Certainly in this area they have a list of practices which offer evening appointments.