Impossible to get GP appointment

System

pinpin wrote: »

You keep hearing of cases where someone dies as the Doctors failed to pick something up. Probably because they would rather save money and not run blood tests

I think this is the problem with the current system. In theory the NHS is a health service (as opposed to a business) and the treatment you receive should be based on need. In practice however it may well be the case that a lot of clinical decisions are based on how much it is going to cost, more than whether the test or treatment is necessary.

If the NHS foots the bill, then the NHS decides which tests and treatments you are allowed to have. This can leave patients frustrated and anxious at the seeming lack of control they have over their own healthcare. If you are prepared to pay privately you may have more or better options.

Herongull

I was with one practice for about 15 years which used to be pretty good for appointments - you could usually get one within a couple of days with any doctor or say 3-4 days if you asked for a specific one.

Then a few years ago it went completely downhill - waiting time for appointments (with any doc) was nearly always around 2 weeks, and it wasn't worth trying to see the same doc for a given condition.

In the end I decided to switch. Had a look on NHS Choices and found a nearby practice one of the best scores for patient satisfaction in the borough.

I have been with them about 3 years now and it is amazing. The receptionists normally answer the phone quickly and are incredibly helpful and nice. Based on the feedback from the National Patients Survey, all the patients just love the receptionists, and I can see why.

And you can get routine appointments either the same day or the next day (if you don't mind which doc).

So if your GP practice goes downhill, move on - there may be a dream practice nearby.

Murphybear

Our GP practice sounds quite good compared with some. I have a number of different health issues which mean I do need quite a lot of routine appointments. I have never waited long for an appointment although if I need to see my own GP it can be a problem as he does a lot of minor surgery himself. We can book online and I always order my repeat prescriptions online as well, the system is first class.

Getting blood tests or x rays is not a problem and results can be discussed over the phone.

We are also blessed with a totally fit for purpose newly built surgery that cost £5m.