Doctors appointments .

doc's used to be bad, then really good, then since COVID i've only called once but they've got bad again, according to the website it looks like it's down to only 2 docs.

nowt compared to the dentist though, i called at the biginning of the month and the first NHS appoints are in Aug!
 
Had to wait 2 months to see a specialist, and that was in the private system, not government healthcare. If I want to see my local GP, I can usually get an appointment on the same day or the one after.
 
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If it's urgent you can request an emergency call back from your GP if they don't have slots, you don't need to wait for a booked appointment.
 
I can remember the days when you just got on bus to doctors - walked in and sat at end of queue on a long bench that went all way round the room -everytime one was called in we all shuffled along one place untill you was head of queue.
Wife has been trying for weeks to get in but all you get is the Doc will ring you next week - you could be dead by then.
 
mickyflinn said:
So went to make an appointment at the doctor's and the earliest I can be seen is in 3 weeks time , is this normal ?

What's the longest You've waited for an appointment ?
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Nhs england has a big dataset on GP appointments, and time from booking to being seen.

digital.nhs.uk

Appointments in General Practice - NHS England Digital

We’re the national information and technology partner to the health and social care system using digital technology to transform the NHS and social care
digital.nhs.uk digital.nhs.uk
 
Mine doesn't even do appointments unless they are on the day. There's none of this advanced appointment booking that there used to be.
It's pretty much the reason why I haven't bothered even trying to get some stuff looked at.
 
7:58 Not open yet
7:59 Not open yet
8:00 You are number 15 in the queue

There were times when you got through at say 8:05 and they wouldn't have any appointments left. How?!

Never understood why everyone had to phone up at the same time just to attempt to get an appointment for that day. Luckily we can use the NHS app to book these days.

My surgery used to enable us to use the LIVI app which was really handy, but they have since canned it.
 
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The GP booking system is a broken inefficient disconnected mess. My GP is similar to others post covid - phone at 8am and pray to the gods you can get an appointment or otherwise try again next day. End up going to drop in centres for urgent but not serious assistance. I’ve dropped in twice now for an eye / ear infection my GP could have sorted in no time at all. Instead an afternoon off work sitting in an urgent care centre to be seen.

I don’t understand why it’s impossible to have some sort of basic national booking form online. Loads of big organisations have an online booking system it wouldn’t be hard and it would bring efficient in the system (I choose when and where to see a GP so no missed appointments) and massive cost savings.
 
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Two weeks here to see a GP.

I spent months trying to get my local practice to prescribe me a certain Asthma medication, in case of emergency, but they were adamant I shouldn't have it. In the end I booked a GP appointment with the local private health hospital, and the doctor there prescribed it no issue. So basically the GP practice wasted a bunch of appointments/time over nothing, easy to see why the service is in decline.
 
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My Wife's surgery has the 08:00 phone to get an emergency appointment but your only allowed to discuss 1 problem ? . My son has had a cough for couple months so they proscribed him a PPI incase it was acid reflux , he had a reaction to the PPI causing pain in his kidneys and his man parts queue me ringing for an on the day appointment.We got to see a doctor who said "I will deal with the PPI problem but not the cough your need to ring again for that" . I just shook my head said "so you want me to use another appoint and have both have time off to see another doctor and waste more time" . Her reply "you only get 10mins per consult and I cannot deal with both" :mad:
 
Shoza said:
The GP booking system is a broken inefficient disconnected mess. My GP is similar to others post covid - phone at 8am and pray to the gods you can get an appointment or otherwise try again next day. End up going to drop in centres for urgent but not serious assistance. I’ve dropped in twice now for an eye / ear infection my GP could have sorted in no time at all. Instead an afternoon off work sitting in an urgent care centre to be seen.

I don’t understand why it’s impossible to have some sort of basic national booking form online. Loads of big organisations have an online booking system it wouldn’t be hard and it would bring efficient in the system (I choose when and where to see a GP so no missed appointments) and massive cost savings.
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The slots aren’t being unused though so there isn’t really an efficiency to made at the other end. What you are wanting is a service that suits you better (which as an entirely reasonable want), unfortunately there aren’t the number of doctors or resource for that. Going to walk in centres for stuff like that is why they are there. In all honesty those sort of consults are a waste of a GPs skill set. Yea they can do it, but they should be used for other things. Walk in centres, minor illness nurses, pharmacy is where that should be going. It’s not popular but it’s the reality
 
Now living overseas, and easy to see a doc, overseas, but was discussing with local practitioner the other day who used to work in the UK, her opinion was that there has been a significant decline in UK medical care over the last 20 years, and is no longer a 'best in class' example, surpassed by most European nations for actual access and care.
 
Noxia said:
Mine doesn't even do appointments unless they are on the day. There's none of this advanced appointment booking that there used to be.
It's pretty much the reason why I haven't bothered even trying to get some stuff looked at.
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Go on the NHS website and book an appointment for tomorrow then, I don't see what could be easier.

Last time I was ill, it was around 10pm and opened the NHS and booked an appointment for the following morning at around 8am, got a phone call from the doctor who asked some questions then said can you come see me within the hour.
 
Can top it, surgery's website says you have to book online. When you go to the online booking option it is greyed out with a message that there are no appointments available.

Top drawer.
 
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