Yanto Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 The Mrs hasn't been feeling 100% for a few weeks, i finally persuaded her to go and see the doctor. Last Thursday she phoned only to be told there weren't any appointments left that day, she said it's ok i'll have another day. The answer was "we only do appointments on the day" so to get an appointment she will have to phone everyday until she get's lucky, on Friday she tried from 8:30am until finally getting through at 9:15 to be told "no appointments" on Friday left. I'm actually staggered and amazed that a practice can operate in this manner. What happens if it is something that actually requires attention but isn't an emergency, do we have to go to A&E in a hospital 15 miles away only to be told off for wasting A&E's time and should have seen our GP? What happens with the likes of me who work away 2/3 days most weeks, and when i'm not away my office is 56 miles from home and i feel crap or need to see a doctor for any reason that isn't an emergency, how do I get an appointment? Actually i'm more, much more than staggered and amazed I'm angry, yes I'm an angry man............... < that is me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valentinik Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 Our practice works in exactly the same way and we've had numerous "discussions" about this. Normally with me losing my temper. It does no good though. The only way i managed to get an appointment for that day was stating it was an emergency (it was) when i phoned at 2.30 in the afternoon. They hold appointments back for emergencies apparently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy (Sycho) Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 Our practice is simlar but you can book up to a week in advance, but that's usually fully booked! As said say it's a emergency they hold appointments back for that & will get you in the same day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Colonial Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 The alternative is to tell the GP receptionist that if you can't get in, you'll make an appointment at the Out of Hours Area at your local hospital. The cost of any trips you make to that or to A & E get charged to your GP surgery, which they're keen to avoid. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kit Car Electronics Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 Same here. But here's an odd thing that I hadn't heard of. My wife phoned 101 at the weekend about our daughter and asked for advice. 'See your GP' was the response. 'I can't get an appointment. We have no out of hours service. I'll go to A&E and wait there instead, shall I?' 'No, we'll call you back'. And, unbelievably, they did- with an appointment at the local hospital who have an out of hours service. The appointment was held on time, no queue, a perfectly pleasant experience. Very odd and very badly publicised service. So if you can't see a GP, maybe wait until they are closed and phone 101 instead... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pistonbroke Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 No probs with NHS up't north , just pick phone up and its " what time can you get here " ? Unless its for toothypegs and not urgent then you have to wait months Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyonspride Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 It sounds like conspiracy theory, but from what I can tell "they" are still planning to fully privatise the NHS (it already is partially), of course they've turned everyone's attention away from this, but by throttling the NHS now they can come around in a year or so time and tell us all that full privatisation would make everything better and of course being sick of the nonsense they might actually get enough of the public on side to make it happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrustyjust Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 Had this both ways. My mothers cancer treatment has been totally amazing. My mates heart issues, including a heart attack and a stroke at the age of 48 , is 2 1/2 years of no progress at all. Luckily he is alive and the stroke happened at the hospital, but they are clueless, with loosing his notes, forgetting his appointments and telling him he needs x done when it was done only a week earlier. Absolutely shocking. As for our doctors surgery. The council gave permission to build hundreds of houses next to it and not increase the stretch surgery. I recently asked for an appointment to see a doctor and was told I could see one in 2 weeks !! You are entitled to see one within 24 hrs , so left the wife to tell the receptionist how I needed to see a doctor and got in the next morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dombanks Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 Apart from having to wait for a physio appt at the hospital, which can't come soon enough as I can't walk after doing diy today, I can't really complain about my gp. Only took a week to get an apt about my leg being a bit goosed. Had a phone consultation for blood work quickly also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff oakley Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 The NHS is not broken but pretty damaged by various Government changes. The big issue at the moment is, without trying to make political gain, there has been too many people who have now been accepted on Dr's books. An extra 300k people a year has had a bad affect as anyone could understand. Add that to a record number of GP vacancies, record number of Doctors short and you have a perfect storm. Now, usually if your illness is an emergency, then they should see you same day once you get past the receptionists who now seem to see their job is to p*** people off. This will not be with your named GP and as Scott said, if they say no, demand a visit, that usually works. My GP practice is quite switched on, they do Email consultations, Phone and a triage by phone as well as normal appointments. Yes it is a delay for none urgent, but I have never not got seen when needed. If you are really unhappy, complain to the CCG for your area through the patient liaison group, or better still get your MP to do it. If everyone wrote to their MP on this there would be action. It is not just the GP's where there are problems. As you will all know, A&E is flat out, doing the work where patients turn up with minor ills that a chemist would sort, but once again the issue of immigrants cannot be ignored. My Daughter is a Junior Doctor and a family of 10, none English speakers presented at A&E. Once they had got a translator in, they were asked who is the patient, the answer was all of them!! None had anything that required A&E, but it cost a bundle for a translator as well as wasted time for all concerned. There is no doubt in my mind that the services we have at present are under threat. We will soon be asked to pay top ups for certain treatments, life saving will be free but things like bunnions will not as you will not die. Same with IVF, Sex Changes. It happened with eye sight and dentistry where we all pay something towards treatment that was totally free in the past. I would say Mrs Yanto needs to be more demanding and less accepting of shoddy service, we pay enough for it 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man On The Clapham Omnibus Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 It seems so variable with location. I broke a tooth on a Thursday and it was repaired the following Monday on the NHS. Our local GP surgery is very busy but courteous and helpful like Jeff's. The GP, a little bit bothered by a lesion on my hand for which she had prescribed steriod cream, telephoned me a fortnight later to ask if it had gone! My wife, who is long passed retirement age, is receiving extremely expensive drug regimes and scans for a recurrent condition. Not relevant to anyone on here judging from the tone of the posts, but It helps if you arm yourself with as much knowledge as you can and be as clear as you can about symptoms. Watch Channel Five's (I think it is C5) GP fly on the wall programme! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephenh Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 I have to say that our GPs practice is not bad at all, judging by the comments above. If you say it is urgent when you ring for an appointment you will get seen within 24 hours, usually the same day unless you are ringing late in the day. So far as non-urgent is concerned, you usually get an appointment within 2 or 3 days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noggin Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 My GP surgery only does appointments by the day but they do have emergency appointments. I've been having a few health issues recently and I can't always wait for a date or need an urgent prescription. So here's what I do. I ring the receptionist and tell her I don't know whether I actually need an appointment but I have a problem. The receptionist will ask what it is and I'll give a brief description. She then gets the doctor to call me at home and if I need a prescription it's beamed electronically to my local pharmacist. This saves me loads of time and effort getting to the doctor and it saves the doctors time. I can't really knock the NHS after having treatment for cancer which saved my life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonPeffers Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 If my asthma is worse and I phone for a doctor appointment I'm often told earliest appointment is 6 days away. Unable to wait 6 days I simply turn up at the surgery and tell them I will wait until there is a no show and then please slot me in there. We are constantly told that money is wasted by no shows so it seemed reasonable just to turn up and the result is I am seen fairly promptly and without a lengthy wait. UK spends about 9% of GDP on health whereas it is over 11% in France, Germany, Sweden and over 17% in USA . I think it is time for all politicians to be honest and admit some additional taxation or payment system is needed to fund the NHS. It's no wonder hospital A & E departments are swamped by those unable to see their doctor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pistonbroke Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 Ask yourself too how long those with private medical insurance have to wait , funny how they get to the front of the Q Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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