Doctors Appointments

Robin9

VENT -Rang my surgery this afternoon (4 in line, waited 20 mins) because I wanted a doctor (any doctor) to call me. No appointments available this afternoon
Can I make an appointment for tomorrow ? No - you need to ring at 0830 because due to COvid-19 we don't know what may happen overnight.!

No wonder people go to A&E only to be told  - see your doctor.

lincroft1710

You have just described what is probably happening in thousands of surgeries throughout the country

Robin9

I don't see their logic - why not make an appointment for tomorrow or three weeks time and then they have to cancel so be it. Now I will be clogging up their telephone lines

elsien

Robin9 said:

VENT -Rang my surgery this afternoon (4 in line, waited 20 mins) because I wanted a doctor (any doctor) to call me. No appointments available this afternoon
Can I make an appointment for tomorrow ? No - you need to ring at 0830 because due to COvid-19 we don't know what may happen overnight.!

No wonder people go to A&E only to be told  - see your doctor.

The phone at 8.30 for a same today appointment has been happening for years.
Nothing to do with covid and everything to do with the way GP surgeries have had to reorganise due to people wanting to be seen immediately for things that in many cases could wait a little longer. 
(Not aimed at you, btw but I've seen people demand emergency appointments for some quite frankly ridiculous reasons.)
Are you registered for online access because sometimes appointments are released on there as well. 

IvanOpinion

Very similar to our surgery.  I suspect that the future will be a web based appointment system using video calls.  You only go down to the surgery for specific treatments or if invited by your GP.

Robin9

Quite happy to wait a week or two so why can't I make a telephone appointment for two weeks time.  
So 0830 tomorrow - I'll join a queue of 20 and wait an hour to speak to a human.

JamoLew

Robin9 said:

I don't see their logic - why not make an appointment for tomorrow or three weeks time and then they have to cancel so be it. Now I will be clogging up their telephone lines

usually because people forget/can't be bothered to cancel 

Manxman_in_exile

Robin9 said:

Quite happy to wait a week or two so why can't I make a telephone appointment for two weeks time.  
So 0830 tomorrow - I'll join a queue of 20 and wait an hour to speak to a human.

I don't understand why some surgeries still* do this.  Supposedly it started when T. Bliar was PM and there was some concern that people were waiting ages to get appointments.  So the really daft system of only being able to ring up first thing to get an appointment on the day was introduced.  When Bliar was challenged about this stupidity in a pre-election interview he feigned complete ignorance and the system was meant to be quietly withdrawn.

At my surgery you can either get an appointment on the day or book one in advance.  It's been like that for years.

*I don't think it's anything to do with Covid - and yes, people forget to cancel appointments.

[Deleted User]

Awful. Chased blood tests for thyroid result Friday unusually the receptionist didn't want to blurt out result saying you need to 'see' the doctor so I agreed to what was a telephone appointment for today.  (Getting no NHS message to prove anything to my employer which I thought was suss....)
2pm comes today in a job I don't and never have had a lunch break from, surprise surprise no call from the GP I phone to be told it is an open ended appointment which means the doc can phone anytime they like..... I'm trying to work for Jesus c.
Can't see why they don't put the test results in writing which I've now suggested they do. Save all the wild bother. Hope it isn't the menopause yet! 

Torry_Quine

I called today and later in the afternoon got a call back from a nurse practitioner. Appointment for blood test tomorrow morning. 

marlot

Robin9 said:

VENT -Rang my surgery this afternoon (4 in line, waited 20 mins) because I wanted a doctor (any doctor) to call me. No appointments available this afternoon
Can I make an appointment for tomorrow ? No - you need to ring at 0830 because due to COvid-19 we don't know what may happen overnight.!

No wonder people go to A&E only to be told  - see your doctor.

This has been the norm around here for ages.
Pre-covid, the only way to see a doctor same day was to queue outside the surgery in time for them to open the doors at 08:15.  The phone lines opened at the same time, but the receptionists would handle the walk-ins forst.
Led to really ill, frail people standing in the cold and rain.
Inhumane.