Booking GP appointment

anything I don't mind · 24 Oct 2011 at 17:09

I live next to a doctor and i called them up monday morning and wanted to book an appointment for friday afternoon. They said that there was no free appointment. So i said how about friday morning. To which she said you can not book appointments for the morning before the day, you have to book appointments for the morning on the day. So i said i would call up friday morning then and book an appointment.

Does this sound right ? Is this normal nhs gp practice, where you can not get an appointment?

hurfdurf · 24 Oct 2011 at 17:11

This is normal as far as I am aware

anything I don't mind · 24 Oct 2011 at 17:13

What a pathetic system, from my experience with GP. You call them up and tell them the time, they book the appointment. done.

NHS you phone them up and they do not want your business, you are seen as more work to them. They would rather have less appointments than more.

Reaper 392 · 24 Oct 2011 at 17:13

very normal. its to stop people from not showing up after getting better of their own accord

joxang · 24 Oct 2011 at 17:14

If the morning clinic is an 'emergency' one (as it is in some surgeries) then it's allocated for last minute emergency appointments. Though not aware of it being standard practice across all days of the week...

ash_scotland88 · 24 Oct 2011 at 17:14

Every practice is different. But they like to make it as confusing as possible to when you can book appointments.

cainer · 24 Oct 2011 at 17:15

this is how they operate at my local doctors

anything I don't mind · 24 Oct 2011 at 17:17

This is such a crazy system and wastes patients time. Now i have to call them up on friday morning and try book an appointment, guarantee i will waste at least 2 hours of my time when it should only take 10mins. But my time is worthless to them, i should be thankful that they even allow me in the door.

TechFunctions · 24 Oct 2011 at 17:19

Booking an appointment with my GP is a nightmare, As with you guys you can only book on the same day. Can never get an appointment at a good time and its an 0845 number which means I have a nice bill just to be told I cant have an appointment when I want.

anything I don't mind · 24 Oct 2011 at 17:21

They said unless it is an emergency....

yea i want to book an emergency appointment a week in advance... dose that make sense to anyone?

I am half tempted to just say it is an emergency and then book the appointment. But then someone who might actually have an emergency has to lose his slot.

I have never heard of a GP that does not allow you to book appointments.

I am expected to hang around all day until the doctors can fit me in ?

Ahleckz · 24 Oct 2011 at 17:22

Sounds very good to me, at least you're able to get appointments remotely close to the day you want by phoning early. My GP is booked weeks ahead, it's crazy.

Cosimo · 24 Oct 2011 at 17:22

In our practice they offer you the next available free appointment. It might be in a couple of days or it might be a week away. Knowing the receptionists does help a great deal.

anything I don't mind · 24 Oct 2011 at 17:23

What makes it even more crazy is that people fight for the nhs, it sucks!

[TW]Fox · 24 Oct 2011 at 17:23

groen said:
NHS you phone them up and they do not want your business, you are seen as more work to them.

You are not calling the NHS you are calling a private company - a GP surgery - serving NHS patients.

doofer · 24 Oct 2011 at 17:30

My Doctors Surgery is really smart, they use a system where only the fittest and most mentally strong are able to complete the task of booking an appointment and turning up on the day, it's like some Krypton Factor IQ/Physical challenge! The sick and the weak will never make it through, they have absolutely no chance. It's genius when you think about it!

shoes · 24 Oct 2011 at 17:36

groen said:
What makes it even more crazy is that people fight for the nhs, it sucks!

No it doesn't, you'd seriously miss it if it were gone. We're extremely lucky to live on an island where you could walk into any NHS hospital and get treatment relatively quickly without so much as a hint of a bill.

Most are fighting for a better NHS, which is good, there is always room for (lots of) improvement.

I live in Stafford, about 200 yards from the 'worst hospital in the UK' and yet every time I've been in there I've left feeling nothing but satisfied with the service received.

So far I've had a collapsed lung, split eyeball and a chipped elbow as well as numerous asthma attacks when I was younger.

Doctor's surgeries are a nightmare sometimes, especially at the start of the school year and the colder parts of winter, but you may be able to move to a different surgery, if practical.

anything I don't mind · 24 Oct 2011 at 17:59

haha @ doofer

hospitals and walk in clinic aside, i am just talking about nhs GP practices. They are pathetic. Like buying lottery tickets or booking a show through ticketmaster.

arknor · 24 Oct 2011 at 18:13

my local surgery is fine and its in the city centre more or less

IRLeetly · 24 Oct 2011 at 18:29

Same at my surgery, have to call on the morning unless its an emergency, but being scottish in merseyside, I have had a good few times, whilst their reciever is "covered" ...."ERE 'ELLEN! Kin ya take this caller e's foreign or sometheeng, Churz laaaasss...."

Dear god! I've been south of the border nearly 8 years now, and sound about as Glaswegian as Taggart in german.

MeatLoaf · 24 Oct 2011 at 19:04

groen said:
I live next to a doctor and i called them up monday morning and wanted to book an appointment for friday afternoon. They said that there was no free appointment. So i said how about friday morning. To which she said you can not book appointments for the morning before the day, you have to book appointments for the morning on the day. So i said i would call up friday morning then and book an appointment.

Does this sound right ? Is this normal nhs gp practice, where you can not get an appointment?

If you live next door why not call in and see if they are actually packed out?