New Govt takes away our right to see a G.P within 48 hours

[Alex C.]

But it isn't an emergency!

 

An NHS walk in centre will still provide assistance.

[Titanic99]

Something that came in a few years ago. The GP won't let you make an appointment if they can't provide one withing 48 hours. Your whole thread is based on a foundationless house of cards.

 

The information on the NHS website seems to dispute this.

 

http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/doctors/Pages/GP-FAQs.aspx

[Anna Glypta]

The information on the NHS website seems to dispute this.

 

http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/doctors/Pages/GP-FAQs.aspx

 

But ringing my doctor's surgery confirms it. Perhaps you need to take a break from your rabid bleating and try and book an appointment to get yourself treated.

[Titanic99]

How about some perspective?

 

Before, come 8:40am, all the appointments for the day are booked up. Some by those who need to be seen, some by those who could wait a day, and some by those who could be seen in a week.

 

So under the current system, the receptionist will allocate them all appointments. Because she only has 2 days worth of appointments to play with, they go very quickly.

 

Get rid of the 48 hour target, and she can fit some of them in a few days later, freeing up more appointments for same-day cases. Then, when you ring at 8:50, there are actually appointments available.

 

Take a look at this for what tends to actually happen, rather than what 'should' happen. All targets encourage fiddling round the edges to increase adherance, rather than focusing on the actual quality of provision.

 

But the problem here isn't that targets are in place and that they are open to abuse/misinterpretation.

 

So surely rather than removing the target, you remove the ability to abuse it.

[Digsy]

Since when have you not been able to make a future appointment?

 

Since I signed up with this current Doctor's practice.

[Titanic99]

But ringing my doctor's surgery confirms it. Perhaps you need to take a break from your rabid bleating and try and book an appointment to get yourself treated.

 

But perhaps if your Doctor isn't providing something he/she should be you should complain about it, as opposed to accepting a poorer service.

[Anna Glypta]

But perhaps if your Doctor isn't providing something he/she should be you should complain about it, as opposed to accepting a poorer service.

 

So what you are saying is the Labour Government promised us something that didn't happen and you are upset that the current government is telling things straight.

[JFKvsNixon]

But the problem here isn't that targets are in place and that they are open to abuse/misinterpretation.

 

So surely rather than removing the target, you remove the ability to abuse it.

 

The problem was that the targets were unworkable, so GP practices had to find ways to work around the target.

[Titanic99]

So what you are saying is the Labour Government promised us something that didn't happen and you are upset that the current government is telling things straight.

 

Not at all!

 

I've never had problems booking appointments in the future and if I had have then I'd be following the relevant complaints procedure.

[Titanic99]

The problem was that the targets were unworkable, so GP practices had to find ways to work around the target.

 

In what ways were the targets unworkable.

 

I can accept thay they could be unachievable at times, but not sure about unworkable.