Getting GP appointment (not a medical thread!)

Ring up and ask for a nurse telephone call.

If they can deal with it, they will, or if they can't they will usually book you in for a same day appointment / call from the doctor.
 
Two weeks is the same kind of time my local GP takes. Just had to wait three months for a basic hearing test.

Luckily I have a GP at work and can see them immediately.
 
I fancy boys said:
If someone develops a lump which could potentially be serious, but then waits 6 weeks to get it seen then it may have already moved past the treatable stage. "If we'd caught it earlier...." etc. I know that if people are really worried then they may push harder, but some people just plain won't know or will not want to impose because its likely nothing and just wait the 6 weeks before they actually get treated.
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If you ring up and tell the receptionist its urgent, if so inclined tell them its a lump, you'll be seen the same day.
 
Out of interest does anyone know if nurses are covered by the doctor patient confidentiality thing?

Just noticed when Ive rung up in the past they've taken to asking whats wrong over the phone before offering an appointment.
 
Mynight said:
Out of interest does anyone know if nurses are covered by the doctor patient confidentiality thing?

Just noticed when Ive rung up in the past they've taken to asking whats wrong over the phone before offering an appointment.
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They are. Although they'll still tell their friends about you phoning up about the toilet brush you got stuck up your arse. They just won't name you :p
 
As long as I ring before 09.00am I am guaranteed an appointment before tea-time.
I have never ever not got in on the day I ring.
 
Mynight said:
Out of those 50 how many are "time wasters"?
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on the days when 50 I would reckon nearly 1/2. 30 appropriate urgent or routine things a day is normal and is relatively static, but the more extras on top of that then more likely they are time wasters, or things that really should have waited, or could have been dealt with by phone rather than face to face. It can hugely vary though. the busier you are for a period it makes it harder for people to get routines and then people will start to exaggerate and push for same day appointments. often they know its not needed that day but they don't feel they can wait more than 2 weeks, and sometimes they are right it shouldn't wait more than 2 weeks, however it equally shouldn't be seen the same day either
 
cheesyboy said:
They are. Although they'll still tell their friends about you phoning up about the toilet brush you got stuck up your arse. They just won't name you :p
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This, I had a dinner with some medics many years ago. It would seem that cases involving people wandering around naked in their kitchens, slipping on something and falling backwards onto their shopping basket where there happened to be a Cucumber/Parsnip/Whatever are remarkably common! :D
 
Mynight said:
Out of interest does anyone know if nurses are covered by the doctor patient confidentiality thing?

Just noticed when Ive rung up in the past they've taken to asking whats wrong over the phone before offering an appointment.
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Nurses certainly are (it's not actually doctor/patient but medical professional/patient I think), the receptionists/secretaries are probably also covered to a degree because they'll have access to various records and be doing things like typing up the letters to be sent a lot of the time.

I think all you need to say is a rough description, they are probably asking to try and work out which doctor you should see (or if a nurse would be better), and if it might be something that can wait for a less urgent appointment.
I don't think it's necessarily best practice for them to ask, but I can see why they might.
 
Mine seems brilliant, 3 to 5 days for most stuff or can call up at 8am and see if there's an opening for that very same day. Offer extended hours 2 times a week, just wish they had an online appointment system but then again fingers crossed I won't be back for a while anyway.
 
heeeed said:
on the days when 50 I would reckon nearly 1/2. 30 appropriate urgent or routine things a day is normal and is relatively static, but the more extras on top of that then more likely they are time wasters, or things that really should have waited, or could have been dealt with by phone rather than face to face. It can hugely vary though. the busier you are for a period it makes it harder for people to get routines and then people will start to exaggerate and push for same day appointments. often they know its not needed that day but they don't feel they can wait more than 2 weeks, and sometimes they are right it shouldn't wait more than 2 weeks, however it equally shouldn't be seen the same day either
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Guess without seeing said person you just can't tell.

Shame really as you wouldn't be nearly as stretched out if some people had a minute amount of common sense. Would be able to devote real time to those in need rather than the allotted 10 minutes.

Guess you can't really blacklist time wasters either :(.

Werewolf said:
Nurses certainly are (it's not actually doctor/patient but medical professional/patient I think), the receptionists/secretaries are probably also covered to a degree because they'll have access to various records and be doing things like typing up the letters to be sent a lot of the time.

I think all you need to say is a rough description, they are probably asking to try and work out which doctor you should see (or if a nurse would be better), and if it might be something that can wait for a less urgent appointment.
I don't think it's necessarily best practice for them to ask, but I can see why they might.
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Opps I meant receptionists. They refer to themselves as nurses at my GP yet I have never seen them with a patient.

Only reason I ask was the receptionist at mine is the girlfriend of a business associate. Dont want him knowing about the toilet brush incident :(.
 
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Wow, I feel grateful that if i go sick it's a cert i can see a GP the next day if i want to because the RAF square the medical care away for me.
 
Ours open the lines at 8:30 for a same day appointment in the morning, and again at 13:30 in the afternoon. As long as you call at that point you always get an appointment. They also have one doctor who deals with walk-ins and will also talk to you over the phone. It seems to work pretty well, certainly better than my GP 20 years ago where you would have to wait days for an appointment.
 
I can book my GP appointments online if it's something non-urgent. There's usually about a 10 day wait for this but includes appointments on Saturdays and Sundays. If it's urgent I just either call up at 8am when they open or just turn up and it's first-come first-served.

This is in a pretty densely populated area of Leeds with a lot of *gasp* immigrants. Maybe try a different GP if you can't get appointments.
 
Yeah i'm currently having to wait 2 weeks. But I guess calling in morning is probably better and I need to do that instead.

I'm trying to get in earlier, certain mental health problems are deteriorating rapidly.... and I really need to see GP about it.

YAY BROKEN BRAIN.

Probably why my posts on OCUK lately are getting progressively more ridiculous.

FishFluff said:
I can book my GP appointments online if it's something non-urgent. There's usually about a 10 day wait for this but includes appointments on Saturdays and Sundays. If it's urgent I just either call up at 8am when they open or just turn up and it's first-come first-served.

This is in a pretty densely populated area of Leeds with a lot of *gasp* immigrants. Maybe try a different GP if you can't get appointments.
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Leeds was always within a week for me. I've moved to Pontefract now and 2 weeks?

Ugh
 
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HSCIC have just released figures around number of people registered to each GP surgery. Might be worth having a look at those to see if any nearby look under subscribed perhaps?
 
if you're really ill and need to see someone that day then try your local walk in centre instead, granted you sometimes need to wait over an hour but if you're ill then so what

if you're in London and not so ill that you can't get to work but ill enough that you might need a prescription for something then try a private GP... tis easy to nip in at lunchtime and get seen within a few minutes at a few places
 
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