Queuing at the doctors
Discussion
I had to take my mother to the doctors today because she was unable to get herself up there.
The way it works at this particular surgery is that you go up in person and queue to get a same day appointment, or you can phone up and a doctor will do a call-back but there's no guarantee what time that will be.
So, up there for 8am and there's a line of people queuing out the door waiting to get appointments.
OK, bit of a queue, I expected that.
What I didn't expect was that when you make it as far as the door and into the doctors surgery there are about 40 seats in a waiting area.
All of them completely empty.
It's a doctors so most of the queue are elderly or mothers with babies and small children, and it's a doctors so nearly all of them are there, of course, because they're ill.
The more I think about it I'm confused how nobody seems to have ever thought of having a ticket system like at the supermarket deli, or just doing something to make use of the empty waiting area and avoid having sick 80 year olds stand in a queue for 20 minutes looking at rows of empty chairs.
Apparently it's like that every time.
Is this unique at this particular surgery?
I'm a bit conscious that any criticism of anything the NHS does is seen as "bashing" but this just seems so damned basic
The way it works at this particular surgery is that you go up in person and queue to get a same day appointment, or you can phone up and a doctor will do a call-back but there's no guarantee what time that will be.
So, up there for 8am and there's a line of people queuing out the door waiting to get appointments.
OK, bit of a queue, I expected that.
What I didn't expect was that when you make it as far as the door and into the doctors surgery there are about 40 seats in a waiting area.
All of them completely empty.
It's a doctors so most of the queue are elderly or mothers with babies and small children, and it's a doctors so nearly all of them are there, of course, because they're ill.
The more I think about it I'm confused how nobody seems to have ever thought of having a ticket system like at the supermarket deli, or just doing something to make use of the empty waiting area and avoid having sick 80 year olds stand in a queue for 20 minutes looking at rows of empty chairs.
Apparently it's like that every time.
Is this unique at this particular surgery?
I'm a bit conscious that any criticism of anything the NHS does is seen as "bashing" but this just seems so damned basic
I read an article in one of the weekend papers that said, effectively, that demand management like this is one if the main things that stops more people going the GP.
in other words, if you made it easier to get a GP appointment less of those of us with lives would think "f
k it" and just not try.
in other words, if you made it easier to get a GP appointment less of those of us with lives would think "f
k it" and just not try.bhstewie said:
hstewie said: I had to take my mother to the doctors today because she was unable to get herself up there.
The way it works at this particular surgery is that you go up in person and queue to get a same day appointment, or you can phone up and a doctor will do a call-back but there's no guarantee what time that will be.
So, up there for 8am and there's a line of people queuing out the door waiting to get appointments.
OK, bit of a queue, I expected that.
What I didn't expect was that when you make it as far as the door and into the doctors surgery there are about 40 seats in a waiting area.
All of them completely empty.
It's a doctors so most of the queue are elderly or mothers with babies and small children, and it's a doctors so nearly all of them are there, of course, because they're ill.
The more I think about it I'm confused how nobody seems to have ever thought of having a ticket system like at the supermarket deli, or just doing something to make use of the empty waiting area and avoid having sick 80 year olds stand in a queue for 20 minutes looking at rows of empty chairs.
Apparently it's like that every time.
Is this unique at this particular surgery?
I'm a bit conscious that any criticism of anything the NHS does is seen as "bashing" but this just seems so damned basic
you and your commonsense ideas!The way it works at this particular surgery is that you go up in person and queue to get a same day appointment, or you can phone up and a doctor will do a call-back but there's no guarantee what time that will be.
So, up there for 8am and there's a line of people queuing out the door waiting to get appointments.
OK, bit of a queue, I expected that.
What I didn't expect was that when you make it as far as the door and into the doctors surgery there are about 40 seats in a waiting area.
All of them completely empty.
It's a doctors so most of the queue are elderly or mothers with babies and small children, and it's a doctors so nearly all of them are there, of course, because they're ill.
The more I think about it I'm confused how nobody seems to have ever thought of having a ticket system like at the supermarket deli, or just doing something to make use of the empty waiting area and avoid having sick 80 year olds stand in a queue for 20 minutes looking at rows of empty chairs.
Apparently it's like that every time.
Is this unique at this particular surgery?
I'm a bit conscious that any criticism of anything the NHS does is seen as "bashing" but this just seems so damned basic
My previous doctors were the same, appointments for emergencies only, and you had to give all your symptoms to the receptionist for approval. If an ordinary consultation was to be given you had to queue from 7.00 outside the building, summer and winter and in all weathers. Over fifty people stood in line. On a cold and foggy November morning it looked like a scene from Schindlers List.
When people complained the answer given was that the doctors had over 10000 patients on their books but capacity for only 5000.
People simply stopped going to the doctors rather than wait in the freezing cold when they were already ill.
When people complained the answer given was that the doctors had over 10000 patients on their books but capacity for only 5000.
People simply stopped going to the doctors rather than wait in the freezing cold when they were already ill.
Edited by Robbo 27 on Thursday 12th July 17:46
My surgery's website has "Book An Appointment Online" in a big blue button on the front of their webpage. So you click on it, log in to Patient Access or whatever it's called and then click on 'book an appointment' again only to be told "Sorry, your surgery has no appointments available to book online".
Ours is pretty good. The automated phone system will book a 'regular' appointment but is likely to be a weeks wait or more. If your need is more urgent you press another key to wait for a receptionist who will book you in according to need - same day if genuinely urgent.
Annoying how much it seems to vary though.
Annoying how much it seems to vary though.
I know of two different young families who both had an infant with issues and couldn't get an appointment. Another person who was beaten down by receptionists as they objected to a doctor call-back in an open office about mental health issues.
I don't believe the NHS should exist - it isn't free, we pay for it's utter waste through taxation. No private service would survive offering such care, nor should these nonsensical, and eventually deadly, surgeries.
I don't believe the NHS should exist - it isn't free, we pay for it's utter waste through taxation. No private service would survive offering such care, nor should these nonsensical, and eventually deadly, surgeries.
That sounds really bad.
My GP doesn't really like to let people queue in person, you do it on the phone...takes 30 mins at worst.
The 'problem' seems to be that they need people with the right skills to triage patients, they've got 4 of them, so in winter, you have to wait, but it also weeds out the old ladies who really just want a chat about their waterworks or whatever.
So, if you're, sick, sick and need some meds - you sit in an endless "your call is important to us" queue and get a scheduled appointment the same day, once in a blue moon tomorrow.
If you want someone to look at a mole or something, 10 days to 2 weeks.
But, Gawd bless 'em - if you call up with a 6 month old with a fever it's "it's probably nothing, but pop down and we'll be waiting for you" and it was nothing, but I don't think I've ever been happier with a service before or since.
My GP doesn't really like to let people queue in person, you do it on the phone...takes 30 mins at worst.
The 'problem' seems to be that they need people with the right skills to triage patients, they've got 4 of them, so in winter, you have to wait, but it also weeds out the old ladies who really just want a chat about their waterworks or whatever.
So, if you're, sick, sick and need some meds - you sit in an endless "your call is important to us" queue and get a scheduled appointment the same day, once in a blue moon tomorrow.
If you want someone to look at a mole or something, 10 days to 2 weeks.
But, Gawd bless 'em - if you call up with a 6 month old with a fever it's "it's probably nothing, but pop down and we'll be waiting for you" and it was nothing, but I don't think I've ever been happier with a service before or since.
fakenews said:
I know of two different young families who both had an infant with issues and couldn't get an appointment. Another person who was beaten down by receptionists as they objected to a doctor call-back in an open office about mental health issues.
I don't believe the NHS should exist - it isn't free, we pay for it's utter waste through taxation. No private service would survive offering such care, nor should these nonsensical, and eventually deadly, surgeries.
GP surgeries are private, they're just NHS funded.I don't believe the NHS should exist - it isn't free, we pay for it's utter waste through taxation. No private service would survive offering such care, nor should these nonsensical, and eventually deadly, surgeries.
My GP Surgery is pretty hopeless (The docs are good.) You can phone and eventually get through to book, usually within a few days.
The rest of it is shambolic: You cannot request repeat prescriptions by phone or email, but you can fax them through, or, er, post them. So I've bought a fax machine. Joy!
Then you go to collect said prescription - they have a dispensary, but they will not dispense to me as 'I don't live close enough.' My next door neighbour, 10 metres away in the same road does. We're both a mile from the surgery.
So you turn up to collect your bit of paper, to find it's 'missing.' Where can it be? Are you sure you sent in the request? Has someone collected it? What's your name again? Sorry, we can't find it, can you come back tomorrow?'
Every !$£*-ing time. It's always been sent out to one of three local pharmacies. You just have to go to the surgery to find out which, after they have phoned round two of them to track it down, then drive away and find parking again.
It's a good job it's free. :-)
On the upside I wouldn't be here without the NHS so I support the local hospice, and put up with the infinite chaos at the dispensary.
The rest of it is shambolic: You cannot request repeat prescriptions by phone or email, but you can fax them through, or, er, post them. So I've bought a fax machine. Joy!
Then you go to collect said prescription - they have a dispensary, but they will not dispense to me as 'I don't live close enough.' My next door neighbour, 10 metres away in the same road does. We're both a mile from the surgery.
So you turn up to collect your bit of paper, to find it's 'missing.' Where can it be? Are you sure you sent in the request? Has someone collected it? What's your name again? Sorry, we can't find it, can you come back tomorrow?'
Every !$£*-ing time. It's always been sent out to one of three local pharmacies. You just have to go to the surgery to find out which, after they have phoned round two of them to track it down, then drive away and find parking again.
It's a good job it's free. :-)
On the upside I wouldn't be here without the NHS so I support the local hospice, and put up with the infinite chaos at the dispensary.
in fairness mine's not too bad. Phoned up a while ago with an urgent appointment needed to be met with "...we can fit you in next week..." (this was tuesday!) so I politely responded with "...no, I don't think you understand I need an urgent (and I even spoke in bold italic!) appointment..." and they did actually get me in at one of the sister surgeries.
Rick101 said:
How many hours/days do GP's actually work?
Honestly I didn't start the thread with anything like that in mind.But I'm still amazed that anyone who's working in a "care" industry would consider it acceptable to have a line of old sick people standing queueing next to rows of empty seats.
It was 15 degrees this morning, but it would have been he same system if it has been 5 degrees.
bhstewie said:
hstewie said: Honestly I didn't start the thread with anything like that in mind.
But I'm still amazed that anyone who's working in a "care" industry would consider it acceptable to have a line of old sick people standing queueing next to rows of empty seats.
It was 15 degrees this morning, but it would have been he same system if it has been 5 degrees.
Surely having a few of the more costly patients kick the bucket can only be good for the business? But I'm still amazed that anyone who's working in a "care" industry would consider it acceptable to have a line of old sick people standing queueing next to rows of empty seats.
It was 15 degrees this morning, but it would have been he same system if it has been 5 degrees.
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