Doctors appointments
Just out of curiosity how many of you find it easy to get an appointment with your gp and who is struggling?
Ours still only permit 15 slots in a day, a rush for the phones by 8.30am,more often than not you miss it. And they are ring backs,not full appointments with your gp face to face.No more phoning and booking a slot like in the "old days'.
Comments
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The surgery I'm with you have to fill in a form & I insist on having them send me a text message because i don't answer my phone unless the person is on my contact list which the doctors aren't.
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We have eConsult at our surgery and phone at 8.30 for urgent appt. I have multiple chronic conditions so I usually get an appt and fir non urgent that is at most a 4 week wait. That includes appts with my mental health nurse. I get lots of appointments because they only discuss one issue per appointment but my illnesses overlap so would be more efficient if they discussed multiple conditions at one appointment.
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eConsult form here too, wait for a call back in the coming days. If they want less traffic, it is certainly working with me; I haven't bothered them in over a year.
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I do E consult forms and so far I have had same day call backs and face to face appointments if needed.
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I don't really have a problem getting an appointment at my GP's. We use the ASKmyGP service, where we leave details of what the problem is, and then you're either given an appointment or they call you.
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Mine is quite good. They triage through e-consult and usually you hear back same day or next day. For urgent things you can phone and usually get through to see or speak to someone on the same day. It's a nurse led practice so for most things you see a nurse practitioner but they can prescribe and do most of the things a GP does. For anything more serious or long-term they do have GPs too.
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In Wales where I am everything can be booked through an app now or on the website, it's only a relatively recent development here, so no more 8am rush
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My Doctors are very good. You can use the app or be sent a link to complete triage form or wait to speak with the receptionist. You get a call back that day by a nurse or nurse practitioner. Appointment times are normally within 10 working days if not earlier. My ailments are dealt with by the hospital so I dont really see me GP often, and the nurse does my bloods every 12 weeks.
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am in Scotland and I have to say my GP is great we use askmy gp , sorry I feel for those who are struggling to get drs appointment
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We don't have an app or website to book yet at my GP. We have to ring at bang on 8am at to get an appointment the same day but very often we have to call 10+ times!!
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I'm very lucky & have a fantastic surgery, plus it works on GP lists, so I always get to see my own doc. I could book through the app but prefer to speak to a 'Patient Navigator' as receptionists are now called there. Never a long wait for them to answer, always friendly & I can easily get a call or F2F, same day or next.
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@kitsmum like me then,I've 14 chronic conditions and yes only one thing can be discussed at a time. I only wanted to get an asthma review appointment jiggled and was told,eventually, that the asthma nurse has no slots for the foreseeable future. 60 years I'm with that surgery, my mum almost 80. Such a change since Covid.
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If we are lucky enough to get to through to speak to the receptionist we have to tell her-him the problem and they prioritise,then they pass the info on to a gp. Then you get a ring back from the doctor, it could be same day or there after, if they need to see you then they'll ask you to attend at a certain time. The appointments for ring back go in a flash. Never get to see your own gp these days since that change. But we've a few new docs that are great. I need more appointments than I'll ever get,my last was18mths ago and that got me sent to the hospital.
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So sorry to hear your struggles with your GP surgery. Have you thought about the following options:
Making a complaint to the practice manager
Changing surgeries
Contacting your MP
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I count myself extremely lucky to be registered with a brilliant GP practice.
Reading reviews on the NHS website my GP practice has a low rating though but genuinely that has never been my experience.
The receptionists triage calls then determine if a call back should be made from a Doctor within the hour or before close of business and thus far i have always received a call back.
For me the sole issue i have found with my GP practice being its sometimes not easy to get through to them on the telephone particularly first thing in the morning but that's a small price to pay for an otherwise exemplary service.
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How different the treatment is from place to place. I have a list of chronic problems, some that need reviews. For those, I receive a text reminder to book an appt, one being asthma, they're on top of it more than me, a year goes so quickly, it feels like 3 months.
I don't mind giving the gist of what I'm wanting to speak to or see the doc for, it saves time, theirs & mine if they have some idea. As it was, I called Friday afternoon & was given an appoinment for this morning. In light of what it was, the receptionist felt it should be a F2F. Checked over by my GP & a cardio referral has gone off. She also asked how I was & if there was anything else, there was, 2 things, but be darned if I could remember, so she gave me a couple of minutes & suggested going through the alphabet, which I was actually doing 😆 Nope, nothing, so I asked for something for memory!! She said to message her when I remembered & of course, it came to me as I was halfway home. 🙄 As I said, I feel very lucky to have such a great surgery, even moreso when I read the long waits & lack of contact for too many folk.
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@kitsmum I tried for the first time in my life five years ago contacting my MP regarding a benefits problem,he never replied, they've had numerous complaints lodged to practice manager I've heard but nothing seems to change, we use to have ten gps, we've four now, the practice is close by ,I can't really go too far due to my health struggles or I'd definitely change practice.
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My Gps are fantastic. I call in the morning and get either a telephone consultation for that afternoon or if I'm needing a home visit, they're out the same day.
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My GP works on a triage basis and I've never had an issue getting an appointment when needed. We use an app to explain the issue and these are triaged by a GP and seen in order of priority/need.
If I'd like to see a specific GP it can be a 4-week wait (he's in high demand!) but if I'm happy with any GP I never have a problem getting seen same-day.
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