Difficulty Getting GP Appointments

[Deleted User]

I live in Kent, and am registered with a large GP practice that also holds a Walk in Clinic.

I have arthritis, heart problems, back problems, asthma, diabetes and ASD.

I find it so difficult to get appointments to sort any of these things out. Just tried my practice's online appointments system. Find it so stressful just getting one appointment, you have to phone the surgery, find out when more appointments for a month away will be released and remember to phone at that exact time to get an appointment, god knows if you will be able to see a particular GP. No appointments available with any doctor for five weeks via the online system at the moment. I need appointments with the same GP really to try and get some consistency of care.

With two sons with ASD I am always being told you need to look after yourself to help you take care of your sons but I find it very difficult. I find the whole appointment thing very very stressful. You come out of an appointment with a GP, told to make another appointment, and you can't.., there are none for a month. I get nagged for using too much ventolin for my asthma but can't get appointments to get my steroid dosage increased.

As a consequence of all this, I rarely make appointments at all. Its just too stressful. And there's no doubt my health is suffering. There is the walk in clinic but its not really the place for discussing chronic conditions, and well, some of the GP's (locums). I have tried!

I am due to see a GP tomorrow. How do I ask for a way to get appointments with the same GP, set up some consistency of care.., and is there any point (is the NHS just too broken)? I find it quite hard to word things the right way so something gets done. I tend to feel like I am being a pain or asking for too much, but as said there is no doubt my health is going quite badly downhill so I need to get this need across somehow if I can.

Sicard

I sympathise with you. Nowadays, due to the NHS and GP surgeries being swamped and overwhelmed the whole process is unsatisfactory. Does you practise have an online booking procedure? If so it will tell you when, what time and with whom. You may have to wait a few weeks or so but it's a lot easier.

[Deleted User]

Thank you. Did say above that tried the online system, no appointments with any doctor for five weeks. Not the first time.

I tend to get quite shocked if there are any appointments with anyone at all. I need really to see the same GP.., not any doctor who may occasionally come up as having an appointment (it really is rare that this happens at all).

WestonDave

Obviously wouldn't know if its the same in your surgery, but ours with similar systems etc, allocates a small number of appointments that the GP can book themselves directly into the system so as to facilitate continuity of care where that is essential. Might be worth speaking to whoever you see about the issues you have faced getting seen by the same person more than once to see if they have anything similar they can help you with.

LannieDuck

I would be inclined to ask when they release their online appointments. See if they have a more usable system than the phone booking. For example, mine releases online appointments every day for the following week - perhaps you might have more luck if you logged on just after the practise opens?

Also, do they offer telephone appointments? I've found some places do those in addition to the standard appointments. If you only need to discuss dosages etc, it might be ok to do it by phone?

LannieDuck

WestonDave wrote: »

Obviously wouldn't know if its the same in your surgery, but ours with similar systems etc, allocates a small number of appointments that the GP can book themselves directly into the system so as to facilitate continuity of care where that is essential. Might be worth speaking to whoever you see about the issues you have faced getting seen by the same person more than once to see if they have anything similar they can help you with.

Good point - I've had doctors do that for me at my practice once or twice.

DomRavioli

OP, surely you should be seeing the Asthma nurse, not a GP for this? most asthma nurses are advanced practitioners who can prescribe - and their appoinmtnets are usually more available.

You won't be able to get the same GP unless you wait weeks. There is a massive shortage of GPs UK wide, so you take what you can get.

mcmanlyn

My practice is similar, online booked up weeks & weeks in advance. But they do hold back a lot of appointments for 'walk-ins' - these can only be booked by turning up at the practice when they open & you're pretty much guaranteed an appointment that morning.
So they open at 8:45, I usually turn up before 8:30 get in a queue & have an appointment that morning. Obviously not great when working, but not too bad if you really need an appointment. Maybe your practice does something like this too?

Ames

What time are you looking online? I find it's best to look first thing, at about the same time that the phone lines open. I sometimes look online while in the phone queue to try and make sure I can get an appointment.

Nicki

I'm glad to learn that this is not just my GP. My OH has been saying for about a year that we need to move to a different practice because it is impossible to get appointments at ours. I had said to him I thought it was a nationwide problem. Our doctors website actually says it has over 2000 requests every day for just 70 available appointments :eek:

PeacefulWaters

Our doctors website actually says it has over 2000 requests every day for just 70 available appointments

Please can you copy and paste exactly what it says. Because that's nonsense.