Getting a GP appointment

Bendybops19

6 weeks is crazy, ring up the gp surgery and ask to speak to the practice manager, explain that it is a ridiculous wait and u really cant wait that long. Hopefully she/he will be able to help you out. Sometimes i had to ask patients to do it this way when they couldnt get an appointment.

nearlyrich

My doctor's practice have the book on the day system but they have subtely introduced online appointments where you can book upto 21 days in advance with the doctor or practice nurse of your choice.

They haven't sent out any info, they don't tell you if you are kicking off about the stupidity of the system, there are no notices up in the surgery . It's the best kept secret of the century BUT there was a minute article tucked away at the bottom of a page in the local paper a few months ago which I spotted. You can also order repeat prescriptions on the system and send messages to the doctor.

I had a recent spell of ill health which meant I was using the doctors fairly frequently and I was really impressed. I had to laugh though because Phase 2 of the system is a terminal in the surgery where you can book yourself in rather than queue at the one desk they ever open. I spotted it after queuing, it's out of the way and only visible once you sit down afterbooking in....I'll know next time. LOL.

pavlovs_dog

at my docs in uni, they hold open surgery in the morning, where you can drop in between 9-11.30am, and, with the exception of urgent cases, doctors will see as many patients as they can humanly get through on a first come first served basis. nurses are also available, and have been specially trained to deal with things like contraception etc, to help take the pressure off the doctors and ensure as many people get seen as possible.

the afternoon surgery is then for appointments (which, at times, i have known there to be a wait of between 1-2 weeks). However, if you feel you really cannot wait to see a doc, they tell you to come back at the end of the day, and they will squeeze you in, or failing that, make you a priority for the morning.

in all fairness to them, the really are the most accommodating surgery i have ever known.

Bogof_Babe

This situation was raised on PMQs a couple of months ago, and Tony Blair said he was unaware of it and promised to look into it right away.

I urge anyone still stuck with this ridiculous system (and it sounds like the majority of people must be) to write to their MP, or better still to TB at the HoC, reminding him of his promise to take this up as a matter of urgency and requesting a progress report.

It just isn't good enough - the tail wagging the dog once again. People could die waiting for an appointment, and I dread to think how the elderly and/or confused can possibly cope with it. :mad:

LondonDiva

Blame the government. I say it again Blame the government.

Most GPs I work with had the drop in surgeries or a mix & match & liked how it operated. :rolleyes::rolleyes:The Government says you need to see a GP within 48hrs. If a GP operates a drop in clinic, it can't be assessed & they are penalised. The upshot is that GPs have to move to a prebooking system, however there will always be greater demand for appts than there are spaces. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

Even if the GP sees a patient on average of every 5-7 mins(we have one dedicated GP who spaces them every :T10:T to the horro of other practices trying to convince him to squeeze more patients in!)~ With an hour for lunch, visits and time to make notes & order stuff, that's not that many given that even a single handed practice can be reponsible for a list of towards 10,000 people.

As you all know, there are only a limited amount of spaces a GP can offer in a day, especially if they have to take into account emmergencies and last minute cases. The best practices in my area offer a mixture of 3-4 ways- appts released 3 days in advance, 2 days in advance, the day before & on the day itself. To prevent people swamping them, they have to rigidly control the appts they release. Unfortunately, people do think that it gives them a right to scream abuse at staff trying to do their best to help. If you think you have a special case or you have been told by the hospital to have stiches etc removed on a particular day, explaining to the receptionist & then asking to speak to the Practice Manager in a calm respectful manner will go a long way.

(moving well off tangent - ) Another bugbear of mine is people missing GP appointments:mad: How many people who wouldn't dream of missing a dental appt because of the fine think it's ok not to turn up to the GP?

Back on track again - If you want to be able to drop in to see a GP the day you want, you can't see the GP within 48hrs. It's a wonderful quandry we all face & no amount of stamping our feet & saying we 'know our rights' is going to change the fact that there are only so many appts availiable in a day & 3x more people chasing the spaces available.

Just my 2'pennorth

Diva

WHA

LondonDiva wrote:

Another bugbear of mine is people missing GP appointments:mad: How many people who wouldn't dream of missing a dental appt because of the fine think it's ok not to turn up to the GP?

So they should find a way of dealing with this tiny minority who abuse the system. Our doctors have just started putting up their silly posters saying how many people have missed appointments (along with all their other silly posters). I worked it out to about 1 missed appointment out of every 50 (just 1 or 2 per day) - not that bad a problem! How can it be fair to punish the majority who would never do this?

Bendybops19

1 or 2 people missing appointments adds up to about 10 missed per week! That is alot of appointments that other people can have.

When i worked in a doctors surgery a huge amount of people wouldnt turn up, it caused real problems. But there are a lot of decent people that will ring up and explain they cant make it.

robnye

i didnt realise that my doctors had switched to the same sort of hybrid system,

where by you phone on the day to get an appointment with whoever (3 doctors - pot luck which appointment is available).
but you can also pre book appointments in advance with specific doctors.....

the system makes sense to me, i dont know what % is pre booked against available.
but i managed to get a 10:40 appointment on the same day.....

also the receptionist - albeit harrassed with phone calls, and people coming and going didnt come across as an ogre.......

elona

Our doctor's receptionists are great but still have to work around this 48 hour system!

Becles

My GP is still on the old system. I want to take my son to see the doctor as he keeps getting nosebleeds and I just want him checked out as a precaution.

I've just called to make an appointment to get my son checked out. I was told there were no appointments left for June and they haven't got the diaries on the computer for July yet.

I explained it's nothing urgent, but I would like him checked out sooner than July. The receptionist said she'll put him in as an emergency in this evenings surgery.

I'm pleased he is getting seen sooner than July, but just hope I haven't taken an emergency appointment off someone who really needs to be seen today.