GP telephone appointments

Our GP offers telephone appointments which are a godsend as I work full time over twenty miles away. Whilst I’m sure they do their utmost to call at the allocated time they and their clerical staff are incredibly busy and occasionally things will slip - either they’ll call back the next day or I’ll call and ask for an update. It happens to me at work too - I’ll schedule calls at work, something crops up, and I have to email when I’m next able to and reschedule. The best laid plans etc.

I hope you manage to speak to them soon.

Practices vary no end Baggs. I worked in a deprived area and the demand for appts was huge.

That's possible, mumb, even though it was presumably the GP who wanted me to make the appointment in the first place and told the receptionist to call me. Whatever. It's still rude to just not communicate. A quick call, or even an email, from clerical staff would have been fine.

In the fourteen years we've been with this practice, I've only once had to request an urgent appointment (for my daughter, not me) but even so I can't remember an occasion when I haven't been able to get a face-to-face appointment the same day as I've called, even when I've said it wasn't urgent. Therefore I'm having trouble believing that all of a sudden the practice and the GPs (two) have started to have frantic timetables. This doesn't mean that they haven't but I think you will understand my dubiousness.

I really dislike the telephone system. How many of us can ensure privacy all day? My surgery now only does telephone appointments unless a GP decides (as a result of a telephone conversation) that you need an appointment, so you have to wait to speak to them, then take more time off for the appointment if necessary.

I understand that if you need a blood (or other) test then it makes sense for the doctor to have the results ahead of the appointment, but often that is not the case, and there seems to be no consideration of the fact that people have to go to work, or might be surrounded by family or others and not able to have a sensitive conversation.

Our GPs don't give a time either - you can book a call online, but they can happen at any time of day, so it is impossible to plan the day around a call.

You aren't guaranteed a call, either. You have ring the surgery at 8.00, and hope to get through. If you don't (and everyone is ringing in at that time) you have to try again the next day. 8.00 is when a lot of people are commuting to work, so people will often be late in and still not have an appointment or a consultation.

I know there are cuts, but there must be many people whose problems are made worse because of an inability to access the GP service. It's very frustrating, and (apart from the human aspect) must cost the NHS money to treat people whose illnesses have not been nipped in the bud.

From my days as a GP I remember having 85 patient contacts a day - some face to face appts and others telephone calls. It was frantic trying to get through the workload. Maybe the GP realised you were expecting an increase in dose of your tablet and felt communication wasn't necessary?

I think it's absolutely unacceptable.
I'd be really cross.

The silly thing is that I didn't feel any need for an appointment as I knew the GP would want to increase my dose and was fine with that.

I will consider for a while but I think I'll bring the matter up somehow somewhen because it's just tiresome and pesterifying, if you'll excuse my word-mongering. GP wants to do the right thing but then doesn't. Maybe the system just hasn't settled down yet after the change of staff.

Hey ho.

I think I have been lucky in comparison. I'm at a new practice so don't know what is usual there but on ringing for my blood test results around midday, the admin person said the GP needed to speak to me and would call between 1 and 3 pm. He called around 12.45.
This was after I had a blood test at another surgery on Monday which meant the bloods travelling to the hospital for testing, then the results going to the GP. By Tuesday I had a text saying to call for my results. I was impressed with the speed and efficiency.

sallywally, I accept what you say as perfectly possible. Indeed, I wondered if that was the case, even though I think it unlikely. But if so a member of the clerical staff could have let me know. It is not a big urban practice where people are run ragged. If there is time for someone to call and tell me to make an appointment then there is time for someone to call and apologise but tell me it's not possible for the GP to call.

When I made the appointment with the reception person I asked "what time?" She responded "She [the GP] does not give a time. That's the problem." The main GP of the practice was able to give a half-hour slot two years ago. I doubt things have changed that much meantime.

I do not fault the GP on medical care and mine case is not a major issue. I do fault the practice on communications and reasonable expectations of patients.

I'm not sure what you say is correct for this particular practice, mumb. If it is then patients should be told what the hours are.

I tried this but happened to be out walking the dog when she called. I had to say sorry but I can't discuss things - as I'm walking with neighbours and have no privacy here.

It is not the end of a GP day yet. They may well still ring.

im afraid this is the norm nowadays for many of us.
has happened several times round here. unremarkable, compared with pre-booked patient transport failing to take patient for hosp appt. which has also happened twice recently.
it is so draining trying to deal with anything to do with nhs.

I work for a GP surgery in admin. Not making excuses but possibly the GP was unable to make her/his calls for an urgent reason. I work in a tremendously busy urban practices and the doctors (and support staff!) are run ragged.

However this is unacceptable and I do think that, yes, you should flag this up as a complaint. It may be that a patient is in serious need of advice and needs to speak to a doctor. A well worded letter should do the trick. Hope you are ok. The sad thing is that all NHS staff care deeply for their patients, but sometimes are not given the resources to cope with demand.