Trying to book an appointment with doctor - not easy!
Discussion
wiggy001 said:
Nurse (to me): Ah Mr W, I had a lovely chat with your wife earlier today.
Me: Excuse me?
Nurse: Your wife. She's a lovely lady and your daughter is very cute. You must be so proud!
Me: Should you be discussing another patient with me...?
Its not another patient, its your wife and daughter ffs.Me: Excuse me?
Nurse: Your wife. She's a lovely lady and your daughter is very cute. You must be so proud!
Me: Should you be discussing another patient with me...?
Complain about the God s
te, but really.....Ours is really good. Online system where you can see all available appointments, plenty of doctors etc. My local one actually shut down a few years ago, so was moved to this current one. Local one has since reopened but no way I am moving back as they run a turn up and be seen system which seems to be utter ste!
te!I hear all these horror stories and it reminds me how it was twenty odd years ago. Ringing up and not being able to get an appointment for a week etc.
Must be very lucky, living out in a North Essex village the times I've needed to visit a doctor I've just walked in and been seen there and then.
Back in London, both me and my wife registered at a nearby GP and have never had any problems the odd times we've needed to make an appointment. In fact the waiting room always looks empty, the times I've been in there.
Must be very lucky, living out in a North Essex village the times I've needed to visit a doctor I've just walked in and been seen there and then.
Back in London, both me and my wife registered at a nearby GP and have never had any problems the odd times we've needed to make an appointment. In fact the waiting room always looks empty, the times I've been in there.
Edited by vixen1700 on Monday 17th September 16:05
I used to be at a practice similar to the OP.
Emergency appointments could be seen that day but you had to tell the receptionist what was wrong and she would judge you, or tell you to go to A and E.
You could queue for an appointment. The line started at 7:00am and by 9 there was a queue of people waiting, right around the building, in all weathers, young, old, infirm, babies. No way to run a doctors.
New surgery this year, you can normally be seen on the same you call, receptionist is nice, pleasant and doesnt ask you to explain your health condition. Doctors will call you if you just want some reassurance rather than take up your time and theirs.
There is a website that you can visit to see which doctors have good feedback,
https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/GP/LocationSearc...
Emergency appointments could be seen that day but you had to tell the receptionist what was wrong and she would judge you, or tell you to go to A and E.
You could queue for an appointment. The line started at 7:00am and by 9 there was a queue of people waiting, right around the building, in all weathers, young, old, infirm, babies. No way to run a doctors.
New surgery this year, you can normally be seen on the same you call, receptionist is nice, pleasant and doesnt ask you to explain your health condition. Doctors will call you if you just want some reassurance rather than take up your time and theirs.
There is a website that you can visit to see which doctors have good feedback,
https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/GP/LocationSearc...
Not overly impressed with the idea of telling the Doris on reception my problem so I won't.
Had an occasion to call sometime last year only to be told "...we can fit you in Thursday week..." (on Monday!!). I replied "... No, you don't understand this is urgent..." Whereupon a slot was found at their satellite surgery. Can't grumble really
Had an occasion to call sometime last year only to be told "...we can fit you in Thursday week..." (on Monday!!). I replied "... No, you don't understand this is urgent..." Whereupon a slot was found at their satellite surgery. Can't grumble really
mine has a decent system. the appointment book for the following week opens on a Friday, so worst case you get ill on a Monday, call up early on a Friday to get an appointment for the following Monday. They have nurse options for certain urgent things and I believe they will squeeze you in if you have a really urgent problem. They run bang on time too.
My prior GP was good but the appointments system was a joke. It could take weeks to see a GP. Also, it always ran late. This could me more understandable later in the day but it was the case early in the morning too. It must have been on purpose i.e. starting appts from 0800 but really only opening shop at 0830 to smooth out the impact of late arrivals. As you need to electronically check in you don't want to run the risk of testing the system and being flagged as late & a cancelled appointment.
People talk about putting charges in place for GP appointments however I don't believe it will have much impact as the no-shows and late arrivals will probably have charges waived.
My prior GP was good but the appointments system was a joke. It could take weeks to see a GP. Also, it always ran late. This could me more understandable later in the day but it was the case early in the morning too. It must have been on purpose i.e. starting appts from 0800 but really only opening shop at 0830 to smooth out the impact of late arrivals. As you need to electronically check in you don't want to run the risk of testing the system and being flagged as late & a cancelled appointment.
People talk about putting charges in place for GP appointments however I don't believe it will have much impact as the no-shows and late arrivals will probably have charges waived.
Not often that i feel the need to vent, but my experience is similar. To book an appointment you have to call at 8am, now who exactly isn't busy at 8am every morning??? When I finally got through (at 8:30) I was told there are fully booked. So I have to call the next day... and the next. At some point I will either have healed or be dead (depending on the severity of the illness).
My dad recently tries to book to have his ears syringed having treated them for the requisite 3 weeks. He got the same response but noticed the call had cost him £7. Rinse and repeat, thats a lot of cash for an OAP.
My dad recently tries to book to have his ears syringed having treated them for the requisite 3 weeks. He got the same response but noticed the call had cost him £7. Rinse and repeat, thats a lot of cash for an OAP.
irocfan said:
Not overly impressed with the idea of telling the Doris on reception my problem so I won't.
Had an occasion to call sometime last year only to be told "...we can fit you in Thursday week..." (on Monday!!). I replied "... No, you don't understand this is urgent..." Whereupon a slot was found at their satellite surgery. Can't grumble really
'Doris' on reception is probably carrying out a triage, just the same as when you phone the 111 out of hours service. They follow a flow chart (they call it a 'pathway') so that you can be seen by the most appropriate clinician. A nurse practitioner or practice nurse will be able to deal with minor ailments, freeing up GPs for more serious or complex medical conditions.Had an occasion to call sometime last year only to be told "...we can fit you in Thursday week..." (on Monday!!). I replied "... No, you don't understand this is urgent..." Whereupon a slot was found at their satellite surgery. Can't grumble really
That's how it works at my practice. I can book appointments on line, by phoning at 8am, by queueing at 8am or going in at 11am for a 'sit and wait'. Mine's a large, three surgery, practice with 20,000+ patients.
crofty1984 said:
If you don't mind me asking, how much does something like that cost and where about in the country are you?
Mine is about £90 per visit. As I say above, available at very short notice, and takes the issues seriously, as they understand that I’m not turning up just for a moan or a bit of an achey back.This is in the square mile in London.
Well I'm glad it isn't just me!
I was in a car crash in March. Nothing too serious, stitches in my head and cracked/bruised ribs. I'm a delivery driver so things are a bit tricky when you struggle to wipe your arse, let alone lift things! Needed my stitches out a few days after, so phoned up on Friday (crash was Tuesday) and got an appointment with the nurse to get them taken out. Got one for Monday...perfect just what I wanted. Asked when I was there if she can do a sick note...nope has to be the doctor. OK...pop to the desk and ask for an appointment 'we have one in three weeks time'. If not phone up on the day...
Got an appointment. Was there for minutes.
I was in a car crash in March. Nothing too serious, stitches in my head and cracked/bruised ribs. I'm a delivery driver so things are a bit tricky when you struggle to wipe your arse, let alone lift things! Needed my stitches out a few days after, so phoned up on Friday (crash was Tuesday) and got an appointment with the nurse to get them taken out. Got one for Monday...perfect just what I wanted. Asked when I was there if she can do a sick note...nope has to be the doctor. OK...pop to the desk and ask for an appointment 'we have one in three weeks time'. If not phone up on the day...
Got an appointment. Was there for minutes.
irocfan said:
Not overly impressed with the idea of telling the Doris on reception my problem so I won't.
I had that when I was pissing blood. I had dodgy kidneys when I was a kid, so was a little worried. Phoned up and she said I had to tell her what the problem was. Bit of a stand of before I said 'I'm pissing blood'...she got all flustered and found an appointment...crofty1984 said:
If you don't mind me asking, how much does something like that cost and where about in the country are you?
Sure thing. Its £60 for a consultation and a £65 for a years membership. Telephone Consultation/Prescription (Writing) and Referrals are all free. Clinic is in New Malden, South London. I am very happy with the service. I can get an appointment same day, normally within the hour or two.Edited by yellowtr on Monday 17th September 16:52
£40 in Manchester. although to be fair our local GP is very good.
ETA I think it's going to get harder with a load of GPs coming up to retirement age, not counting the ones that are off to sunnier climes because the pay here isn't great.
ETA I think it's going to get harder with a load of GPs coming up to retirement age, not counting the ones that are off to sunnier climes because the pay here isn't great.
Edited by Countdown on Monday 17th September 17:00
If your GP practice has a target wait time of less than 24 hours for doctor's appointments, then not accepting appointments for more than 24 hours out is perfectly logical. It will ensure that the important target for wait times is always met.
What we measure, and how it is measured, matters. Regardless of perverse incentives and outcomes.
What we measure, and how it is measured, matters. Regardless of perverse incentives and outcomes.
WindyCommon said:
If your GP practice has a target wait time of less than 24 hours for doctor's appointments, then not accepting appointments for more than 24 hours out is perfectly logical. It will ensure that the important target for wait times is always met.
What we measure, and how it is measured, matters. Regardless of perverse incentives and outcomes.
This is my understanding of what's at the root of the problem. Rubbish targets which aren't achievable without creating problems for the patient.What we measure, and how it is measured, matters. Regardless of perverse incentives and outcomes.
Same thing seems to happen when a referral to a specialist or consultant at the hospital is required. Clock starts counting down as soon as they book you an appointment, rather than from the date of the referral, so it takes them weeks to respond, then you are seen within a week. I was referred to an eye specialist by an over-cautious optician. Had to go via the GP. 3 months before I was accepted for an appointment, then they kept phoning me with appointments in the next day or two.
I thought the private appointments would be much more expensive. I take it they can still refer you to NHS services if needed? Or once in the private system do you remain in the private system?
My local NHS surgery is the same as many on here. Phone lines open 8.30 each day and you can redial well over a hundred times before you stop getting the engaged tone and get through to the receptionist, only to find out no appointments left for that day, and the only option is an appointment weeks away. You want next day you ring next day and repeat the fruitless cycle. You can also physically go there to make an appointment. Again, doors open at 8.30 and there's a queue formed by 8.15 and you can even stand there in the queue hedging your bets pressing redial on the phone constantly to see if gets answered before you hit the front of the queue. Thankfully they now offer an online booking system which beats both of the above and I'm informed by the receptionist that slots open at midnight on the day, so if you're not averse to a late night or early start, you can book in well before the phone lines open.
My local NHS surgery is the same as many on here. Phone lines open 8.30 each day and you can redial well over a hundred times before you stop getting the engaged tone and get through to the receptionist, only to find out no appointments left for that day, and the only option is an appointment weeks away. You want next day you ring next day and repeat the fruitless cycle. You can also physically go there to make an appointment. Again, doors open at 8.30 and there's a queue formed by 8.15 and you can even stand there in the queue hedging your bets pressing redial on the phone constantly to see if gets answered before you hit the front of the queue. Thankfully they now offer an online booking system which beats both of the above and I'm informed by the receptionist that slots open at midnight on the day, so if you're not averse to a late night or early start, you can book in well before the phone lines open.
Unfortunately its very obvious why access to a GP is getting harder, the NHS needs to be run into the ground so private healthcare becomes the only option. As some of you have already done this access can be instantly sorted by paying for it, problem solved for those who can afford it.
Unfortunately this americanised system of healthcare we are moving towards under this government we ultimately will leave us paying more overall for healthcare with worse outcomes.
There is clearly increased efficiency to be found in the NHS however what is happening instead is funding and investment in staff is being cut to the bone.
Undoubtedly the effects of the older population getting sicker, more dependent but living longer is going to be a massive financial headache but surely maintaining the health of the working population through a properly funded NHS is only going to help productivity levels.
Unfortunately this americanised system of healthcare we are moving towards under this government we ultimately will leave us paying more overall for healthcare with worse outcomes.
There is clearly increased efficiency to be found in the NHS however what is happening instead is funding and investment in staff is being cut to the bone.
Undoubtedly the effects of the older population getting sicker, more dependent but living longer is going to be a massive financial headache but surely maintaining the health of the working population through a properly funded NHS is only going to help productivity levels.
My surgery is a 3 week wait for an appointment. You get an appointment easier if you are elderly or a child , which I appreciate as we can get The Vikingettes in next day.
However, I do think early early morning and late evening appointments should be given to those who are working (and pay prescriptions) and the mid morning and afternoon appointments can be given to those who are retired, unemployed or NEET.
However, I do think early early morning and late evening appointments should be given to those who are working (and pay prescriptions) and the mid morning and afternoon appointments can be given to those who are retired, unemployed or NEET.
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