Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => The Knowledge => Health & Fitness => Topic started by: andyoxon on 03 October, 2016, 02:25:07 pm
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I was wondering how long you generally wait for a 'routine' appointment with your GP? Our surgery has moved to a 'duty roster system', so the wait to see one's 'own' doctor seems to be about 3weeks! I could see any doctor (there's ~eight), but still have to wait 10days.
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3-4 weeks to see any doctor by appointment (rarely "your own") or phone on the morning for a same-day appointment with a GP free. Take a good book or other time-wasting object as the wait can be lengthy. The system is broken. London N1.
Not really surprising that people rock up to A&E.
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A week or two to see a specific doctor/nurse in term time. You can usually see someone within a day or so if it's urgent, but that does require war-dialling at 8am.
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At our GPs, phoning for appmt on the day puts you through a 'triage filter', to check urgency, I guess.
Even up until last year I don't remember waiting for more than a week, a few days at most, to see own GP.
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Even up until last year I don't remember waiting for more than a week, a few days at most, to see own GP.
That's my experience. Around 18 months ago the wait for an appointment jumped from 5-7 days to 3+ weeks. I remember distinctly ringing around that time and thought they were joking when they said the first free time available was in a month!
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Depends. 8 am appointment for a fasting blood test, maybe two of three days if no 8 am slot is available beforehand - we usually phone up a few days in advance. If I just want a time to turn up and see him during normal consulting hours it could be the same day if he's consulting, or the next day if he isn't. If we don't feel up to going out he'll do a house call.
I've only rarely had to see a locum - we've had the same doc since 1990 so we're quite chummy.
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I suspect people are taking it on the chin and waiting longer to see their 'own' GPs. I googled the GP I was given the earliest appmt with; they qualified this year, next earliest after this for 4 days later was with a locum. Not a problem particularly, but my 'own' doctor has at least 25 yrs experience, and I've been seeing them for 20yrs.
Any heard of the 'duty roster system'?
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Phone on the day, usually get through straight away to a receptionist and get a brief call back from the GP on phone duty within the hour to find out what you need. If you need to be seen, you're then offered a same day appointment with that GP. It is quite efficient. It's only possible to book appointments further in the future with the nurses or healthcare assistants. Prescription re-ordering is done online.
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I don't have 'my own' GP and can't remember the last time that was even an option.
Instead there is an infuriating session from 8am (when I could be doing something healthy like cycling to work) of constantly pressing redial until the automated woman telling me the line is engaged finally relents and puts me into the queue (anything up to 20 redials) and I get through a (by now) quite stressed receptionist who allocates me the first available slot with Dr whoever who has no knowledge of my existence or interest in my problem unless it can be prescribed with antibiotics and then the next poor victim is ushered through the door.
The only in advance appointments available are for nurse appointments such as blood tests.
As above the system is broken. I'm tempted to switch GPs but other colleagues tell me similar stories from other Ipswich GP surgeries.
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The trick to try is to
exaggerate emphasise your symptoms and ask to be squeezed in as a semi emergency. ;)
Normally at my practice it's 1 to 4 days to see any GP, or up to about 10 days for my preferred GP. They have duty doctors but no duty roster system.
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I could probably get a morning appointment within a day or two but partner doesn't 'do'' mornings. Fitting appointments with our own schedules can mean I would wait around a week.
I think.
I don't really know since I've not seen my GP since spring 2015.
We went for flu jabs on Saturday 1 October. He had been invited, I had not, but tagged along to get one anyhow.
We waited -2 minutes as David had not completed paperwork when they buzzed for him and nurse had to wait for us.
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The trick to try is to exaggerate emphasise your symptoms and ask to be squeezed in as a semi emergency. ;)
Normally at my practice it's 1 to 4 days to see any GP, or up to about 10 days for my preferred GP. They have duty doctors but no duty roster system.
Interesting one. Say for instance, by way of example, someone was wanting to get a mole checked out - which they'd just become aware of and concerned about. So it may be 'nothing to worry about', or worse case, may need excision the following day. Under the current system 'don't think it's urgent - want to have a mole checked out' = wait 2-3weeks. So I guess actually, given particular circumstances, the thing to do is ring at 8am, explain everything in some detail, 'voicing one's concern'.
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Normally the same day here and always same day for children.
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Last time I phoned they said 'how soon can you get here?'
I think they'd had a cancellation. Fortunately I could just get in the car and drive straight to the surgery. (I have ridden there but there is no where to park one's bike)
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Our surgery has a hybrid system, or systems, or something - which I hate, but understand that it works most of the time for most people.
1) You can try and get onto the website, or get them on the phone, at exactly 08:30 on the dot for an appointment tomorrow, or in exactly 8 days time for a named GP (if they have any appointments available)
2) You can ring up at (I think) exactly 09:00 for a 'come & sit in a queue but you don't know who you'll see. (I've never tried this, so I don't know how, or if, it works)
3) Mrs M has rung the surgery a couple of times when she's thought her DVT or cellulitis symptoms have recurred - she's been seen within the hour.
4) appointments for phlebotomy (blood tests) seem to be have to be made in person, and seem to be at random times in the distant future, unless the GP has said it's urgent, in which case the phlebotomist/practice nurse might condescend to see you within the next 4-5 days. I find the phlebotomy situation at my practice, both weird and highly unsatisfactory. I think they run separate clinics for INR / Glucose (A1c) monitoring.
5) There seem to be parallel universe appointments for practice nurses, midwives, travel clinics, ear candle practitioners (I made the last one up. I think)
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Phone on the day, at 8:30am. Expect to hear nothing but an engaged tone until at least 8:45am, and more than once I've got through then to be told all the appointments are gone.
Apparently there are appointments bookable in advance but I've never known any to be available. I'm not convinced they really exist.
As for seeing "my" GP... good luck with that. Mine only works Mondays for a start.
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Last Friday I phoned up at about 9 am & saw a doctor at 15.20. Dunno how long it'd have taken if I'd wanted to see a specific doctor. The previous week I'd phoned up about 8.30 on Wednesday & saw my usual doctor at lunchtime. This was for a sinus infection. The second appointment was because the first course of treatment hadn't completely got rid of it.
The phone line opens at 8.00.
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I made an on-line appointment on Sun 11 Sep for (the earliest date available) Mon 10 Oct.
[edit: I don't mind which one I see. They can all access my medical records and are equally qualified].
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I developed an infection on my shin and because I was due to go on tour in the next few days thought it best to let the Doc take a look. As I was walking to the Docs I passed the chemists. I popped into the chemists to hear what she thought. “You will need to see the Doc for some Antibiotics for that, mention that you’ve seen me and you might get in quicker”. I did this and the receptionist asked me to return in 1 hr to see the Doc. Result! or lucky timing.
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Seeing my actual GP? I've only tried once, and that was three-plus weeks in the future, so I've never actually seen my GP. They may or may not exist, I have no independently verifiable evidence. Seeing random GP, you can rock up at before 10.30am and wait. I don't see doctors very often, but that seems to have always worked, but of course it assumes that you have a couple of hours with nothing better to do than sit there and contemplate how many new diseases you're about to contract from your sniffly and coughing fellow attendees. You want wifi or useful shit to do a bit of work while you wait, that's a no. You can sit and be cooped up with hyperactive kids and people who appear to be suffering something that makes ebola seem psychosomatic trying not to breath or kill someone.
When I needed a referral for ultrasound, they were very quick though – next day at the private hospital up the road. Sadly let down by the fact they never followed up with the results and didn't seem to have any clue they'd even sent me. Fortunately, I'd called the consultant directly to find out I wasn't dying and was in fact suffering from a mere outbreak of wussiness. It wasn't entirely reassuring.
Our surgery in Lewisham used to operate the bloody useless call-at-8.30am system. That was absolutely useless. Try explaining that you, oh, might not be available to play phone roulette at 8.30am. Better luck getting past Cerberus carrying a big bag of bones.
I too suspect the reason people go straight to A&E is fairly obvious.
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Same day no probs if phone at 08:15 onwards. No more than a week if making a regular appointment.
Funnily enough, I was at the docs today (nhs health check thing) and I noticed a sign dated 2014 saying something like "If you miss 3 appointments in a row you will be booted off the list" and another dated last month saying something like "1037 missed appointments in August"
So there must be a real problem with people booking appointments and then not bothering to turn up...
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To be honest, if an appointment is several days in the future, then many people will have simply got better. And if they're getting worse, they'll roll up at A&E. No excuse for not cancelling the appointment, of course, but that's I'm sure what happens.
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If your female and a friend straight away - male no chance......
Me – can I make an appointment, I'm sorry there's none until next week, can you come back on Monday OK<goes off to read notice board>
Receptionist – Hello Ann what can I do for you, yes tomorrow will be fine.
Me – can I see the practice manger why....
Speaks to practice manger appointment in three days time.
Receptionist doesn't work there any more - yes :thumbsup:
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If your female and a friend straight away - male no chance......
Me – can I make an appointment, I'm sorry there's none until next week, can you come back on Monday OK<goes off to read notice board>
Receptionist – Hello Ann what can I do for you, yes tomorrow will be fine.
Me – can I see the practice manger why....
Speaks to practice manger appointment in three days time.
Receptionist doesn't work there any more - yes :thumbsup:
Well there could be any number of reasons, legitimate and not, why Ann got an appointment sooner than you did, but based on what you've described her being female and you being male probably isn't any of them.
Heaven forbid she might actually be in greater clinical need than you, and if she's on first name terms with the receptionists then that's probably the case. Or she could just be the receptionist's friend and you were right to complain, but that doesn't make it the sexism you're claiming it to be.
Or are you just assuming that she's being sexist because she's a woman? ::-)
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No wait at all the last few times but they were with the nurse or similar for dressings and stitches. In general you can phone but there's an online system they prefer you to use. It's only been introduced this year so I don't know how well it works. I don't remember having to wait much for a proper doctor either, but I don't go often enough to have "my" gp.
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If your female and a friend straight away - male no chance......
Me – can I make an appointment, I'm sorry there's none until next week, can you come back on Monday OK<goes off to read notice board>
Receptionist – Hello Ann what can I do for you, yes tomorrow will be fine.
Me – can I see the practice manger why....
Speaks to practice manger appointment in three days time.
Receptionist doesn't work there any more - yes :thumbsup:
Well there could be any number of reasons, legitimate and not, why Ann got an appointment sooner than you did, but based on what you've described her being female and you being male probably isn't any of them.
You don't even know she's a patient. She could be coming to deliver some toner, or calibrate the blood pressure monitors, or deliver PREVENT training or anything.
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Sister, Sprogs otp, started calling her gp surgery this morning around 08-30, not to make an appointment but to check questions on one already booked for tomorrow. she called, in sessions of redialrexialredialredialredial every 15 minutes, or so, and the line was totally engaged from the start right uo to 16-35hrs this afternoon. what do "Reception (Ha!)do all of their working (Hah) hours?
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Our surgery in Lewisham used to operate the bloody useless call-at-8.30am system. That was absolutely useless. Try explaining that you, oh, might not be available to play phone roulette at 8.30am. Better luck getting past Cerberus carrying a big bag of bones.
My gp, the wonderfully frank, forthright and endowed with a fine range of "Tell it like it is" descriptions , Dr Mechie, has been known to use his excellent descriptive skills on the recent ""£%RT$|6 appointment booking shambles. I often leave an appointment feeling happy and knowin' sum newe werds!
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Don't think I have a nominated GP, I think it's just down as the practice name.
In the last 2 years (and ~10 appointments between us) myself/wife/daughter have never failed to get an appointment the same day. Both surgeries (they're at one, I'm at another) are 20+ GPs with at least 8 on duty at any one time. Couldn't ask for a better service.
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A week or two to see a specific doctor/nurse in term time. You can usually see someone within a day or so if it's urgent, but that does require war-dialling at 8am.
I've walked in and booked a 'any GP' in the next 2-5 days usually and only waited more than a week at the start of term and exam season if I want to see Dr C who is popular with the students for being good with mental health.
I like that appointments can be booked in advance and on the day, I only use the on-the-day for when I need to be seen that day or at worst the next day which they sometimes slot you in for. Then again, maybe text relay is a suitable incentive to break a rule for me.
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I have no idea. I've never actually succeeded in getting an appointment with the practise, let alone 'my' GP. In fact, I'm not sure there is a 'my' GP. I was called in once for a check and accused of having extra-marital sex because my then-wife developed what could-have-been-but-wasn't an STD. The subsequent complaint and demand for a letter of apology (received) may have something to do with the fact that I've had no contact from or with them in the last six years!
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Have been with the same practice since leeches were used. Once it was easy to get a same day or next day appointment.
Now they have an on line system with a 3 week window. There it's unusual for many slots to be available in that period let alone if you are picky about which doctor. Each slot is 10 minutes. Last time I went, I was waiting about 15 minutes in an empty waiting area for 3 doctors and I never saw another person there!
i think if I went to see them face to face I could get an appointment much more easily.
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We can get appointments with "a" GP reasonably easily - 2-3 days. For "my" GP - who is a very popular guy - it can easily be 3 weeks. And he only works part time too, as he has outside commitments to British Judo, a London rugby club, and also lectures. And there are usually emergency appointments available during the day as well.
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One could be forgiven for thinking it's all a bit of an inconsistent mess. Making access to primary healthcare provision difficult is never a good idea.
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One could be forgiven for thinking it's all a bit of an inconsistent mess. Making access to primary healthcare provision difficult is never a good idea.
Agreed. And it's probably why A&E departments are misused.
I think there's a number of factors in play that have created the mess described above.
There's a perceived need to 'ration' primary care to the 'really ill', to prevent malingerers turning up at every surgery.
There's a definite need to manage workload across the week, and across the day.
There's a desire to make surgeries appear professional and business-like.
There's a need to justify expenditure on very expensive software.
When I was a lad, I can remember turning up at the GP (within 15 years of the NHS starting) and sitting in the waiting room on a first come, first served basis. I dare say the 'regulars' turned up, but I dare say they got turfed out fairly sharpish; I imagine Monday mornings were busiest, but if you were in a hurry, maybe you just didn't go on a Monday; there were no receptionists (as I recall), just a gruff voice shouting "next", and certainly no computers. It all seemed to work rather well.
If we look at Dentists, Opticians, and primary care in other places - there don't seem to be these inconsistencies, or delays in getting seen : so what is it about GPs?
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Could it be anything to do with the fact that GP practices are now effectively run as businesses? I know that if I ran that kind of business there would be a very strong urge to maximise the patient list (I. e. revenue) and deter patient appointments (I. e. costs).
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Could it be anything to do with the fact that GP practices are now effectively run as businesses? I know that if I ran that kind of business there would be a very strong urge to maximise the patient list (I. e. revenue) and deter patient appointments (I. e. costs).
Most GP surgeries are businesses, there are some (I suspect a minority by far) that are owned and run by the NHS, but most are owned and run by the partners who are contracted to the NHS. The partners are self employed doctors who own the building. In effect it's a franchise.
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My GP practice was set up as the local university's health centre, & has a dozen doctors (all but one part-time - 3 or 4 days) plus some sort-of-regular locums, six nurses (some part-time), a health care assistant, a phlebotomist, on-site physiotherapy from a visiting therapist, & a local health authority midwife attached. It's officially 'outstanding'.
Never any problem seeing a doctor or nurse in a hurry in my experience. There's one of each tasked with urgent patients each day. Seeing a particular doctor in a hurry is often impossible, though, because it may not be one of their working days.
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The last time I saw a GP was in Belgium. Mr Smith looked him up on t'internet and we turned up. I spent a while trying to work out what the buzzers on the outside of the building meant, and saw him within a minute. I handed over €10 for the 2 minutes of conversation.
Here, they insisted I see 'my' doctor for a medication review. That was a 4 week wait for a Saturday morning appointment, where I waited 20 minutes with no one else entering or leaving the surgery before I was seen. I could have seen her a week or so sooner, but not at a time I could have got to the surgery without taking time off work- which I suppose is my fault for not working in the same town I live in.
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No recent data. I have the benefit of an annual company medical where I can ask general health questions. They ask me who my GP is and I give the name of my original GP who has, I have discovered left the practice. However, we now have a system where we call up the practice and then they call you back at their convenience with an appointment. It's deterred my wife from seeking advice about a problem she should probably consult a GP on.
But IMHO this is what you can continue to expect from a publicly funded free-to-all health service and an ageing population. You have to cut corners everywhere to try to pretend that you can make ends meet. And if anyone suggests change the sacred cow of the NHS will be led out. I don't have an answer, but the status quo is unsustainable. When my generation (60s babies) get to our 80s, there'll be 60% more of the most expensive category of NHS Patients than there are now, and no money in the pot to pay for it.
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If I use the online booking system, I can usually find an appointment slot within 7 days. If I phone up, 2 weeks.
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If I use the online booking system, I can usually find an appointment slot within 7 days. If I phone up, 2 weeks.
Presumably that is before they answer? If anything like my lot.
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7-10 days
On the last couple of occasions my GP told me off for not coming to see them sooner. How? when that was the first appointment I could get?
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That's happened to me Oranj. Apparently it was my fault because I can't take a whole day off work for an appointment at 12 noon. The system is useless. My GP used to have a system where you could find appointments 2-3 days later, but now it's on the day for urgent or three weeks plus. Obviously this is better ::-) I used to value the appointments in 2 days time system as I CAN'T phone up at 8am if I am going to get to work on time, it's just when I am commuting. And if you wait till 9 the appointments are all gone, and anyway, I am in the wrong place!
There is NO mystery as to why people go straight to A&E. And don't get me started on the out of hours service.We are supposed to go to a large village 11 miles away with no public transport to it, and there are frequent stories in the press about people who have got taxis to this surgery on Sunday mornings or whenever (on the advice of 111) and found it to be closed. If I have to get a taxi to access out of hours healthcare it will be to A&E, not to a GP surgery that might not be open when it's meant to be!
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3 or 4 days to see a random GP. I don't mind - the last time I had a GP who was my "regular" GP he advised me to just avoid cycling because my ribs hurt! The phlebotomist on the other hand - 3 weeks for a random appointment in the middle of the day, longer if you want something early in the morning so you don't have to take half a day off work! Apparently at my parents practise you can get a ticket to go to the drop-in place in their local small hospital, and then you just wait in line and get one straight away. Given the JR is about 2 stones throw from my GP, that would be so much easier if they did it here...
Cheers
Duncan
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Rang our surgery for a non-urgent appointment on Monday 3rd October at 0830. Met a very keen trainee GP at 1000 to discuss a couple of moles on my back. Within a couple of minutes he offered a referral to the local hospital.
They rang next morning with an appointment for 3 days later, which they subsequently cancelled to Tuesday 11th. Arrived at hospital 15 minutes ahead of appointment time and was seen by consultant within 5 minutes. After a pat on the head and a reassurance I was on the way home.
Living in Norfolk has it's compensations..............
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Turned up at 8.45 for the open surgery. Very few sick people. Took 30 minutes. Maybe they all died off or went to A&E. Stereotypically grumpy receptionists.
Anyway, my wife is always complaining that they have no female doctors. So, I, well, just assumed.
Dr Watson (I had a Sherlock joke racked up and ready to go) turned out to be a lady. We used to have this annoying training guy on the mothership whose hackneyed catch-phrase was 'never assume, it might make an ass out of you and me'. I think someone ejected him out of the airlock.
I've nothing against women in general and I'm generally enthusiastic about dropping my trousers in front of them (my wife might say too enthusiastic, but hey, that's the erotic magic of the M&S lingerie department). But when it's a young and female GP and she's going to handling me in a professional capacity.
I bottled it. I'm so not a grown-up. My wife is displaying a lack of sympathy for my embarrassment for some reason.
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It is equally embarrassing to be a young female medic when John Thomas springs to life...
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I wasn't going to take that chance. That region is semi-autonomous and the natives generally revolting.
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That region is semi-erogenous and the natives generally revolting.
That's how I read it... :thumbsup:
(In one respect,) we are truly, truly blessed in Uttoxeter - I've never failed to get a same-day (or, if I try in the evening, next-day) appointment through our practice's online booking system.
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Oh and they have TV advertising in the waiting room. What were they advertising? Funeral cover and undertaking services.
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Found out that as part of this trial 'duty roster' system here, there are two triage GPs who spend the day ringing people back, who've indicated some urgency over their symptoms. The regular GP appmts, that one waits 10-20dys for are now 15min, instead of 10mins (as I believe they were); so one gets more time with the GP, but it cuts into the overall no of appmts. I guess the 'manager' allocates those GPs who are on urgent cases in a given week.
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Currently 3.5weeks to see first GP available for a 'non-urgent' appointment, here in Oxon. I know it's winter, but it seems to be getting worse. The 'local plan' for 1000's of extra homes in the Vale will not help either.
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The 'local plan' for 1000's of extra homes in the Vale will not help either.
That's often the issue. My mother's small rural town has almost doubled in population in the last 50 years with housing estates proliferating on every adjacent available field. The GP surgery is still in the same building with the same number of GP's (with a rapid turn-over rate) How the hell is that supposed to work!
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Not too bad here at the moment, I asked for an appointment one Friday for the next Friday and had no issues. However similar story of a practice that is fully utilised and with the prospect of another 1000 houses nearby. At least they've built the school first
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At least they've built the school first
In ~25 years it might create a new GP or two.
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Our problem isn't so much that it takes a long time to get an appointment, but that we appear to be running out of doctors.
This time last year there were three partners in the practice, one of whom was part time. We now have just the part-timer (although she may well be back full time at the moment), plus locums. I would have thought that, as far as it can be, this would have been a pretty good place to work. New buildings on the edge of a largish village. Compared to many places you wouldn't have thought they would have had problems filling vacancies, but no.
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Seems to vary between 1-1.5 weeks, although if I don't need 'my' doctor, I can usually see one within a couple of hours.
The system here in Canada is by no means perfect, but it's far better than anything I ever experienced in the UK.
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My surgery works on a Same Day Appointment System.
So you need to either queue up first thing in the morning, to hopefully get passed the Keeper Of The Appointments to be seen that day, or try phoning.
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A couple of days, since our surgery was taken over by another local practice the GPs and nurses alternate.
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Same day appointments at my surgery.
Pitch up 30 minutes before they open and there's a very good chance of being seen within 30 minutes of them opening.
I've not, and wouldn't want to, try this any later in the day.
Alternatively, appointments seem to run around 2 weeks ahead.
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The view from general practice can be a bit bleak at times, I work at a surgery with 10500 registered patients 7 GPs, 1 registrar, 2 nurse practitioners, 4 practice nurses and 2 health care assistants.
At present it's probably easier to recruit Unicorns than GP's. At least half of the GP training posts are unfilled and half the GP are the wrong side of 50.
Each month around 40 hours of appointments are misssed. People call to book a same day appointment and then dont turn up.
I've seen half dozen people this week with a cough who when asked when it started replied"this morning" in each case it was still this morning.
we see lots of self limiting viral illness which will get better in about 7 days, a surprsing number will demand to be seen again when it hasnt got better in 24 hours.
The Teachers in the local schools are convinced that every spot is scarlet fever and needs to be "checked out" it called scarlet fever for a reason and if a child isn't scarlet and hasn't got a fever.......Plus kids are often quite spotty creatures.
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The system here is that you can phone at 8am for a same day urgent appointment - nearly always with the practice Nurse; at 9:30 you can phone (waste of time) or go on their website (much better) to get a next day, or exactly 8 days time, appointment - this usually, but not always, allows a choice of time and GP. It's imperfect, but much better than other systems.
(There are rumours of slightly more favourable/easier booking routes for very sick/vulnerable patients, but I know no details)
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Two kinds of bookings here, consultations & appointments. Both are with your own doc.
Consultation = same day if you like, up to a week in the future at your choice. They give you an approximate time to go in, you go in then and probably wait. Costs me nothing, I'm on 100% 'cos T2/heart.
Appointment = you specify the time of day, they tell you when a day is available for that slot, you go in then and wait maybe 10 minutes. Costs about 10€, social security covers the rest.
Above is better in Alsace than in the rest of France.
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Ours does a morning open surgery which actually seems to work reasonably well, you turn up before 10.30 am and see whatever doctor is available. I don't go to the surgery often, but I've never had to wait longer than 45 minutes. The wait for an actual booked appointment typically seems to be in the weeks. They also do a call-back service where the doctor calls you which seems a good idea but I've not tried. My only gripe is that you never really see the same doctor and there's a lot of locums, quite a few of the GPs in residence seem to be part-time. For a while they had only the only female GP, and yes, she was part-time too. The receptionists are what you expect for a British GP surgery. Honestly, is there a special training course they take?
I'm always a bit shocked that the majority of the people in the waiting room seem to the mothers whose kid has a cold or sore throat (and talking to a few GPs, this does seem to be the bane of their existence).
Any system that relies on everyone calling first thing in the morning is mental.
But yes, there's a huge problem with GP recruitment and retention. I think this place is a bit lucky in that it's part of the greenbelt and that's restrained development and population growth.
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it's very good here in Great Shelford Cambridge .... phone at 9am, you will be given an appointment and you will see the GP on the same day
One thing I can say about the Rosie Hospital in Cambridge aswell, is that my daughter had a baby last week, amazing staff and amazing hospital.
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Weeks on end for an appointment for an actual problem. Within 48 hours because you've hit a particular birthday apparently. I guess there's a financial reason.
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Our GP is the best I've ever had clinically and administratively, we're very lucky. It is mostly a student practice and bar one locum and the creepy-ex-owner all the GPs have been competent and lovely. I have to have a few more GP appts than most people due to disability related health stuff.
Planned appt waits used to be 3-7 days and are more like 5-14 days but that's usually with a named GP and they aim for 75% appointments to be available that way.
They do an 8am phone-in for on the day appts which I've always been able to get through to and access.
I try and see one of the partners cos both know me but other GPs have always been fine. Practice nurses are great and the receptionists are super helpful and very friendly, they know I'm deaf and obv when ill am less good at understanding speech.
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We are quite fortunate here as I seem to be able to see a GP within an appropriate timeframe, and they have online booking which mostly works, allowing one to specify an individual GP or to choose whether to see a male or female.
I’ve watched a couple of episodes of “The Family Doctors” on iPlayer, about GP practices in and around Elgin in Moray - nearest Big Hospital is Aberdeen, I think. Many of the GPs seem to be within shouting distance of retirement and they cannot recruit. What was most striking though, was the impact of increased life expectancy and the poor general health of the population.
The average retirement age for UK GPs is firmly down in the 50s.
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My GP surgeryhas instituted a ( another) new system. Initially I was sceptical, but a couple of years in I have to say it works.
The proces starts by me phoning the surgery. OK, it can take a few attempts to get through, but there is an emergency option if the call is urgent.
An administrator then fixes a time that morning when a GP will ring and triage me. From this, I could be given an urgent consultation booking, one further ahead if it’s less urgent, or a n appointment with a Nurse Practitioner, or a Pharmacist, or another professional as indicated from the triage. It’s also possible to book specific appointments with, e.g. the Pharmacist. He is really useful as many appointments are to review medication.
The system seems to make best use of GP time, and ensures that I see the person who is best placed to treat me.
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I don't know!
I haven't seen my GP within the last two years.
We saw a nurse for 'flu vaccination in autumn 2016 but weren't called last autumn and I am LAZY!
My only medication is prescribed by a hospital which sees me for annual review.
I also see another neurologist more locally every year.
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My GP surgeryhas instituted a ( another) new system. Initially I was sceptical, but a couple of years in I have to say it works.
The proces starts by me phoning the surgery. OK, it can take a few attempts to get through, but there is an emergency option if the call is urgent.
An administrator then fixes a time that morning when a GP will ring and triage me. From this, I could be given an urgent consultation booking, one further ahead if it’s less urgent, or a n appointment with a Nurse Practitioner, or a Pharmacist, or another professional as indicated from the triage. It’s also possible to book specific appointments with, e.g. the Pharmacist. He is really useful as many appointments are to review medication.
The system seems to make best use of GP time, and ensures that I see the person who is best placed to treat me.
Same system here, but not as good, in that although you are promised a same day call back from the doc, they will not give a time. This means giving them your mobile number in order to not be trapped in the house all day. Leading to the danger of receiving the call while in the queue for the till in the local shop or somewhere equally inappropriate.