Why is it so hard to get a doctors appointment?

[Leah-Lacie]

Sorry to hear about your OH. I hope she recovers well. My doctors also operate this ring on the day system, useless if you weren't feeling ill at 8am, or, as I have a few times, you were ill all night and sleeping at 8am. I've taken to bypassing the doctor and ringing when I know they're shut, and getting an appointment at the GP collaborative at NGH normally within an hour or 2 of me calling.

The last time I'd had an ear infection, which was caused by an abcess in my gum but the doctor had failed to see that and given me ear drops that didn't work. I had a few appointments for more of the same drops (I was pregnant so they wouldn't give me anything oral) and it went on for months. Eventually, one Saturday night I got bad enough to call GP collab, was seen within an hour, and she went against guidelines and gave me antibiotic tablets, and drops that hadn't been officially tested on pregnant women but were super strength, and it cleared up in a few days. I then had to get a dentist appointment, which is a whole other struggle!

 

 

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[Rupert_Baehr]

When you say "a few years ago" do you in fact mean a decade or two?

 

No - it was in 2006 or 2007, AFAIR.

 

The programme was aired at an apposite time. Shortly before it was shown on TV, a practice about 10 miles away closed because NHS controls were requiring the 3 doctors who worked in it to work ridiculously excessive hours. (It was a geographically-large practice and the time spent doing 'house visits' was ading considerably to the working day. the practice closed and the NHS had great difficulty in getting other doctors to replace it. The closure had a knock-on effect; people were having to travel much further to see a doctor and the doctors they did see found that their workload was increasing rapidly.

[Rupert_Baehr]

I agree that a lot of it comes down to funding...BUT...What's wrong with the system they use in hospital A&E? You turn up, unannounced and wait your turn. You are assessed by someone with regard to the urgency of your 'problem' and seen by a professional in due course. Yes waiting around in A&E is a pain, and sometimes it can be hours of waiting, but you know that you will get seen and cared for.

 

Nothing wrong with it at all! (Apart from the fact that there aren't enough such facilities.)

 

A&E units are run by the NHS, staffed by NHS employees and operate from NHS-provided facilities.

 

Why doesn't the NHS set up more such facilities?

 

One town in which I used to live (not in the UK) had the usual collection of doctors' practices, a hospital and 2 or 3 24-hour a day walk-in facilities.

 

Those facilities weren't A&E units, they were there to provide walk-in surgeries for people who wanted to be seen very promptly and who weren't prepared to wait for an appointment to see their own GP.

 

All I ask, in my case was to see a doctor that day! But was fobbed off and told to ring in the morning. That's clearly not good enough!

 

I agree with you! - But why couldn't you get an appointment? Does that practice have too many patients?

 

If that practice can't provide an adequate service to patients, should there be an additional practice in the local area?

 

Why doesn't the NHS run General Practice surgeries?

[I1L2T3]

Sorry to hear about your other half Pete. Glad she's recovering.

 

IMO GP services have deteriorated in the last couple of years. We now have to wait sometimes 2-3 weeks for a non-urgent appointment. If we want an appointment for two family members at the same time then the staff get extremely shirty. Everything is too much trouble.Everything p*sses them off. I've no doubt the staff aren't enjoying the experience either, no doubt under huge pressure.

 

One thing has to stop and it's always amazed me it has ever allowed to continue is the medical triage perfromed by untrained recepionist staff over the phone when you call for an appointment.

[tinfoilhat]

Erm I can. I ring my doctors up, I mostly get an appointment that day, worst case next day. That will be with any doctor (no locums - well I've never seen one). Im asthmatic. If Im desperate to see a doctor, taking part in the telephonic equivalent of the Indy 500, and no doubt the stress that would inject, could, if I'm having an attack, kill me. It's the most determined who gets the appointment in this system ie the one trying with a landline and mobile who gets it and it's very very wrong.

[I1L2T3]

Erm I can. I ring my doctors up, I mostly get an appointment that day, worst case next day. That will be with any doctor (no locums - well I've never seen one). Im asthmatic. If Im desperate to see a doctor, taking part in the telephonic equivalent of the Indy 500, and no doubt the stress that would inject, could, if I'm having an attack, kill me. It's the most determined who gets the appointment in this system ie the one trying with a landline and mobile who gets it and it's very very wrong.

 

Sign up at the same surgery as my family and see how you get on.

[Daven]

Erm I can. I ring my doctors up, I mostly get an appointment that day, worst case next day. That will be with any doctor (no locums - well I've never seen one). Im asthmatic. If Im desperate to see a doctor, taking part in the telephonic equivalent of the Indy 500, and no doubt the stress that would inject, could, if I'm having an attack, kill me. It's the most determined who gets the appointment in this system ie the one trying with a landline and mobile who gets it and it's very very wrong.

 

Then you are very fortunate.

[PeteMorris]

 

Nothing wrong with it at all! (Apart from the fact that there aren't enough such facilities.)

 

A&E units are run by the NHS, staffed by NHS employees and operate from NHS-provided facilities.

 

Why doesn't the NHS set up more such facilities?

 

One town in which I used to live (not in the UK) had the usual collection of doctors' practices, a hospital and 2 or 3 24-hour a day walk-in facilities.

 

Those facilities weren't A&E units, they were there to provide walk-in surgeries for people who wanted to be seen very promptly and who weren't prepared to wait for an appointment to see their own GP.

 

 

 

I agree with you! - But why couldn't you get an appointment? Does that practice have too many patients?

 

If that practice can't provide an adequate service to patients, should there be an additional practice in the local area?

 

Why doesn't the NHS run General Practice surgeries?

 

The walk-in surgeries are great, for the service they offer, but as I said earlier, they are strictly for minor ailments. Clearly my need (at the time) was something more than minor.

 

I don't expect to have a doctor on call 24/7 waiting around just in case I should need them. But I do expect to ring my GP and get seen the same day for something described as 'chest pains'.

 

On another matter, someone else mentioned. "The Spanish Inquisition" when you do phone up, from an unqualified receptionist is also very off putting. That's assuming of course you have the patience, and stamina to keep dialing for an hour or more at a time!

[WeX]

what many people do not know is, the walk-in centres will charge your doctors surgery a fee and the A&E will charge them even more. If more people used these services than just allowing the waiting times for an appointment, surgery's would wise up and sort themselves out.

[Moosey]

Erm I can. I ring my doctors up, I mostly get an appointment that day, worst case next day. That will be with any doctor (no locums - well I've never seen one). Im asthmatic. If Im desperate to see a doctor, taking part in the telephonic equivalent of the Indy 500, and no doubt the stress that would inject, could, if I'm having an attack, kill me. It's the most determined who gets the appointment in this system ie the one trying with a landline and mobile who gets it and it's very very wrong.

 

You're very lucky.

 

When our midwife came to see our then week old daughter, and was concerned that she had swelling on her head, she phoned the surgery, to be told the next non-urgent appointment was three weeks away. Pressing the surgery, the midwife was told (bear in mind this is a community midwife who sees people at this surgery!) that we could call the next morning, and try to get an appointment, but they couldn't guarantee anything, despite the midwife's concerns - swelling heads in babies apparently isn't good.

 

The midwife left the room, asked to speak to someone else by name, and when she came back after a muffled, but clearly heated discussion, we miraculously had an appointment the same day.

 

I've had the same thing with chest pains - not urgent so try to get through at 8.30 (no chance) or wait around 3 weeks.

 

Whilst I recall, we were also left to wait two and a half hours in the waiting room with my daughter, who's chest infection was causing her to struggle breathing.

 

My surgery is Heeley Green and their service to me has been appalling, hence if there is ever now a problem, it will be the walk in centre, or it will be A&E. Decision made with feet.