What is it like getting a Doctors appointment for you ?

[nogoodnamesleft]

It's a phone queue,and you start at 08-00 and wait,sometimes it is better to ring 09-30 and hope,but Mrs P came up with a good idea.Press a button at their request and they ring you back.She got a late afternoon app same day,i wonder if they keep a few back just for that.

Obviously I've no idea about your practice and I've not seen my GP for over 2 yrs but mine used to be if you see a Nurse Practitioner" through the same day urgent condition and it's outside their remit they can make you a GP appointment same or next day. Same if you see a GP and they want a follow-up eg in a week they can make you an appointment.

So clearly practice holding back appointments so maybe later in the day some held back appointments not taken so calling eg early afternoon and they'll have some imminently available?

Guesswork but maybe gits what my practice was doing.

 

[postman]

I saw my gp today and showed him my eye swelling and the bit of blood seepage,he said Mr Mee make an appointment on Wednesday next week,when it has settled down,but i must finish my shopping with the wife.

 

[TrishE]

Ours has an app called patient access and it's easy to make an appointment with the doctor of your choice so I see my own doctor when I need to.

 

[Dave7]

I have been notified that I will have a phone chat with "someone" today...... anytime between 08.15 and 18.15 so keep my phone with me.......why have I paid into the system for 50 years

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I have been notified that I will have a phone chat with "someone" today...... anytime between 08.15 and 18.15 so keep my phone with me.......why have I paid into the system for 50 years

Thing about that is that I wonder how it works with people who work


If you work in an office and can take a phone call at any time then it is fine

but a lot of jobs don;t allow for that
Certainly there were times when I was teaching and I needed to talk to a doctor - I could be available anytime after 3:15 but before that I couldn't just answer the phone and talk about health things with nearly 30 14 year old kids in front of me!!!

It kinda assumes that you will take the whole day off - but not everything is like that

 

[Dave7]

Thing about that is that I wonder how it works with people who work


If you work in an office and can take a phone call at any time then it is fine

but a lot of jobs don;t allow for that
Certainly there were times when I was teaching and I needed to talk to a doctor - I could be available anytime after 3:15 but before that I couldn't just answer the phone and talk about health things with nearly 30 14 year old kids in front of me!!!

It kinda assumes that you will take the whole day off - but not everything is like that

That is a good point.

 

[presta]

Can you not vote with your feet and move practice?

No. I tried that once, long before the special measures episode, and I was told "We don't poach other doctors' patients".

Ours has an app called patient access and it's easy to make an appointment with the doctor of your choice

We used to be able to do that, but they stopped it when covid came along.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

No. I tried that once, long before the special measures episode, and I was told "We don't poach other doctors' patients".

We used to be able to do that, but they stopped it when covid came along.

Patient Access still works for our GP

But some GPs seem to have stopped using it

they are supposed to be moving over to the NHS App

I should also note that if you decided to try the NHS App to see if it is better
Then I found it to be a one way trip - once I got to a certain point Patient Access was blocked to me!!!

 

[presta]

Patient Access still works for our GP

But some GPs seem to have stopped using it

they are supposed to be moving over to the NHS App

I should also note that if you decided to try the NHS App to see if it is better
Then I found it to be a one way trip - once I got to a certain point Patient Access was blocked to me!!!

Ours wasn't Patient Access, it was systmonline, but the ability to book for yourself was the same. We still have to use systmonline for ordering prescriptions, but the appointment requesting system has changed multiple times.

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

Patient Access still works for our GP

But some GPs seem to have stopped using it

they are supposed to be moving over to the NHS App

I should also note that if you decided to try the NHS App to see if it is better
Then I found it to be a one way trip - once I got to a certain point Patient Access was blocked to me!!!

My GP used to use Patient Access and it was a nightmare. I had to have some dealings with the company and horrendous to deal with them (relating to privacy).

Fortunately GP abandoned them.

 

[icowden]

No. I tried that once, long before the special measures episode, and I was told "We don't poach other doctors' patients".

That's nonsense. You can apply to transfer to any practice. There's usually an online form. You fill it in, job done.

 

[dicko]

Getting a Dr’s appointment has just got much easier where we live. We can now book an appointment online.
I did three weeks ago and chose one that suited me for the day after tomorrow. Before this latest improvement we had to telephone and hope for the best.

 

[stephec]

Thought I'd see if there's any difference between the NHS, and Patient Access apps, when I try to book a face to face appointment they both tell me that the earliest available one is on 22/06, or I can have a telephone call on 10/06.

It's not like the good old days, I remember when doctors even did house visits.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Thought I'd see if there's any difference between the NHS, and Patient Access apps, when I try to book a face to face appointment they both tell me that the earliest available one is on 22/06, or I can have a telephone call on 10/06.

It's not like the good old days, I remember when doctors even did house visits.

I know I have said this before

but if you use the online consultation thing - eitehr by the GP website or whatever
then you can type in what you want
so you can describe your symptoms and worries and ask for a face to face appointment

I find that often gets a much earlier appointment if you have problems

 

[presta]

That's nonsense. You can apply to transfer to any practice. There's usually an online form. You fill it in, job done.

They were very obliging when they thought I was an offcomer, but then refused once they saw my address, and that I was already registered with another practice in town. When I checked with the Health Authority told me that they have a form for applying to change surgeries, but you can't choose which one, and have to accept whichever one they allocate you on a take it or leave it basis. The NHS website says whether surgeries are accepting new patients or not, so that presumably means practices have the freedom to decide not to accept new registrations if they consider they're 'full'. Given the endless complaints from GPs about being overworked, I can't see any of them exactly being ecstatic about taking on more work.

If people were completely free to pick whichever practice they choose, you could reasonably expect that almost the whole town would want to be with whichever one has the best rating, whilst the others are left with almost no punters at all. That's not a workable system, particularly for any resource that's both free at the point of use, and in short supply, which is doubtless why the HA told me you have to take what you're given. It would be no different to the whole audience insisting that they sit in the seat with the best view in the theatre.