Is it hard to get a doctor's appointment where you are? — Scope | Disability forum
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Is it hard to get a doctor's appointment where you are?

66Mustang
66Mustang Community member Posts: 13,368 Disability Gamechanger
edited August 2021 in Coffee lounge

Just wondering out of curiosity to see what it’s like for people in other areas, during Covid.

What is the procedure for getting an appointment at your doctor’s during the pandemic? Has it changed, is it harder etc.?

For me you have to phone up on the day you want your appointment and book a slot. 

Sounds easy and simple but easier said than done!

You have to call early to secure an appointment because they all get taken quickly. The lines open at 8:00am. This again sounds easy, just call them at 8am. However what happens at that time is all the lines become engaged. My parents phoned up to try to get an appointment for me today and they had to call over 400 times before getting through at 8:40am, by which time all of the day’s appointments were taken.

The doctor said I need to see them, nothing extremely urgent, just some issues with my blood test results and to explore support for mental health issues. I feel fortunate that that is all, as I am able to wait. However I am wondering what someone is supposed to do if they had a problem that required attention sooner? Go to A&E I guess?

I’m just wondering if you would consider this a poor system, or whether it is par for the course right now?

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Comments

  • Sandy_123
    Sandy_123 Scope Member Posts: 46,765 Disability Gamechanger
    @66Mustang for my gp I have to fill out a e consult on line, if you go on your drs website there you will find on line services, where you can book appointments and fill out a form why you need to see a gp for, then you get a call back and if they need to see you it will be an a face to face appointment. That's what my surgery does.
  • MarkM88
    MarkM88 Community member Posts: 3,127 Connected
    edited August 2021
    Same day appointments are hard to get I think in the majority of places. 

    If your GP has said they need to see you then they should be booking you in for an appointment at some point and not asking you to call on the day to check for appointments. 
  • janer1967
    janer1967 Community member Posts: 21,964 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi 

    My surgery is exactly the same procedure and if you get an appt it is a phone consultation where they decide if you need f2f 

    If you have read my thread about gp visit I have abnormal test result and waiting to discuss further with gp as they think it could be copd 

    I rang today got to try in morning fir someday call with doctor on or wait till Tues to try get one with my own gp 

    I understand the effects of the pandemic but lack of gp appt leads people to go to a&e just to get seen and this then puts pressure on them 
  • Cress
    Cress Community member Posts: 1,012 Pioneering
    At my practice they have e consult also.
    I can no longer book an advance appointment online as pre covid.
    But ringing up isn't too bad as at least they have a queuing system that tells you where you are in the queue, so you know whether it's worth holding.
    I tend to ask for phone appointments where possible as they're easier to get and I don't want to go out unless I absolutely have to.
  • leeCal
    leeCal Community member Posts: 7,550 Disability Gamechanger
    My local surgery is exactly like yours @66Mustang, a real pain to get an appointment, a complete lottery of sorts. ?

    “This is my simple religion. No need for temples. No need for complicated philosophy. Your own mind, your own heart is the temple. Your philosophy is simple kindness.” 
    ― Dalai Lama XIV

  • 66Mustang
    66Mustang Community member Posts: 13,368 Disability Gamechanger
    Thanks for all the responses.

    It's reassuring in a way to know I'm not the only one but sad that others are also struggling to get support.
  • woodbine
    woodbine Community member Posts: 11,521 Disability Gamechanger
    The biggest problem we have is getting through on the phone, pre covid they had 8 people manning the phones now they have 3, when you do get through it's not to difficult to get seen.
    2024 The year of the general election...the time for change is coming 💡

  • Jean Eveleigh
    Jean Eveleigh Scope Member Posts: 183 Pioneering
    it depends on why you need the appointment, we have to fill in an online request form and then someone in the surgery reads it and decides if you need a physical visit to surgery appointment or a telephone one and then texts you the appointment time and date which can be days, weeks or never depending on what the reader decides
  • Cressida
    Cressida Community member Posts: 1,014 Pioneering
    In my area we call the surgery in the morning and the info is triaged for a call-back from a GP. I am on anti-tnf drug regime so one benefit of that is always getting a call back or in normal times an appointment pretty quickly. 
  • Lisatho11987777
    Lisatho11987777 Scope Member Posts: 5,911 Disability Gamechanger
    My drs are only accepting emergency appointments and I waited 5 hrs for an ambulance for my mum for the dr to tell me she had suffered a tia and has recovered and thst there isn't alot they can do as she is 86 with dementia 
  • Anne_2021
    Anne_2021 Community member Posts: 22 Connected
    Morning all. If you want an appointment with your own doctor here it's best to phone a few days earlier and book a phone appointment. I don't understand why I can't have a face to face withhim? A few weeks ago I had a specialist face to face appointments, no problem at all. But you can only have a face to face with your doctor If it's an emergency. Really strange. 
  • Cress
    Cress Community member Posts: 1,012 Pioneering
    My practice won't give out any appointments in advance, you have to ring on the day...seems to be the same for most here...
  • Cher_Alumni
    Cher_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 5,741 Disability Gamechanger
    edited August 2021
    My GP practice is the same as most members too.  People have to ring at 8am and then are triaged based on need and doctor availability.  Sometimes I've been sat pressing redial for up to an hour which causes some concern about people 'falling through the gaps' where they are dealing with challenging impairments, have little support in-place and are less likely to push to be seen.  

    It's difficult as undoubtedly GP's have experienced increased pressure over the last 18 months (See this British Medical Journal article 'Patients have struggled to access general practice during the pandemic, Healthwatch reports' and British Medical Association 'Pressures in general practice').

    As such, I'd really encourage people who think they have an urgent medical problem, but are unsure what to do to use NHS 111.
    To get help from NHS 111, you can:
    • go to 111.nhs.uk (for people aged 5 and over only)
    • call 111
    NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
    If you’re Deaf and want to use the phone service, you can use the NHS 111 British Sign Language service available in your country:
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  • Dragonslayer
    Dragonslayer Community member Posts: 2,165 Pioneering
    My surgery does all the same things the others do that I have read about.
    I am having to wait four weeks for a phone appointment, but it's not something I could go to A&E about, or ring 111.
    and there is no way that all appointments can be done on the phone. I understand with covid they have to be careful, more careful than most, but with things becoming easier now, they should be able to see those that need to be seen surely.!
    I also have the feeling that doctors want to keep phone appointments only and do away with face-to-face appointments, for it is easier for them. I believe that Boris Johnson said that was not going to happen when they asked for it. 
    Whatever is happening in the world today? 
  • terryW
    terryW Community member Posts: 4 Listener
    I had annual blood tests done,arranged thru patient access app.then got a txt asking me to make an appointment to see doctor to discuss my results,obviously something shown up.& weeks later,still not managed to make an appointment.phone lines engaged.Reception staff if your lucky enough to get in the surgery to speak to one just tell you all appointments gone,go home and phone,It is an absolute disgrace that these people are still hiding behind covid,They dont want things to go back to normal.their waiting rooms would be full of patients again then!Iv had to change doctors and have the tests done again,hopefully this time I will get to speak to a doctor

  • OverlyAnxious
    OverlyAnxious Community member Posts: 2,586 Disability Gamechanger
    Our surgery uses the e-consult system as well.  Though I found it difficult to actually get it to accept.  Any potentially 'dangerous' symptoms and it stops and says you should seek urgent help instead...so I had to keep tweaking it.  It's very fixed and only allows certain conditions so I'm not sure if you can use it to ask for a follow up after tests.  Might be worth looking into though if that's any easier for you to access.

    Aside from that, the standard procedure of phoning in the morning is the same across most surgeries I think...people have been complaining about it long before Covid.
  • snailpace
    snailpace Community member Posts: 66 Courageous
    @66Mustang Hi, reading your post sounds like it was me writing it. At my GP’’s it is exactly the same as you described. Thankfully, I don’t have to go to see the go that much, I have more dealings with the hospital. I do however have to go for a blood pressure check every 3 months, which thankfully I usually get no problems. However, my mum and her husband have bad health problems. I speak to my mum every night and she is usually on the phone for half an hour saying everything that you said in your post. She thinks it is just our surgery but reading your post proves that it isn’t. Thank you for posting.
  • Luna51
    Luna51 Community member Posts: 283 Pioneering
    My surgery uses E-consult, and you ring in at 8am for same day appointments.
    (Not very helpful if you are commuting or simply unable to call at that time)

    My 23yr old daughter has been feeling really tired and generally quite unwell recently so she did an online E-Consult form, and was given a telephone appointment for 10 days time! So realistically, she won't be seen for about 3 weeks. Just not good enough really.

    I do wonder if surgeries will adopt these methods for good now...


  • Shastus
    Shastus Community member Posts: 65 Courageous
    I made an appointment online, got an email saying I had a phone appointment doctor called me on date a time stated told him I had banging headache in right temple I told him I’d had my bloods done few days before he said he would look at them and ring me back next day didn’t ring left it couple weeks thinking he must be busy then I called in surgery and made an appointment for another phone appointment which was 2 days off he didn’t ring that was a month ago I gave up still got banging headache been taking paracetamol and 30mg codeine which help a little but I guess I’ll just put up with it.
  • rubin16
    rubin16 Community member Posts: 348 Pioneering
    For my doctors surgery we use something called AskmyGP. And we put a message on there for the doctor who can respond. Then you either get a phone call from the doctor or a message back. I use it now and then and always get a phone call back from a doctor in a few hours.

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