Doctors appointment

I attended in person and requested an appointment on 21/12 my appointment is on 16/01 At least it's face to face so she will be able to examine the problem

I have just spoken to a GP, I did the eConsult exactly a month ago. It was about a change in prescription but other things have been dealt with much more quickly. If I was worried I would ring 111.

fidelity2
It's because of gp/ receptionist attitudes of * go to A&E" that my local hospital has a 50 hour wait in their department!

Cambsnan

I called 111 as I had concerns and they made be a GP appointment direct for that day. Who knew they could do that?

I think the Surgeries are holding back appointments for those people who ring 111 and are deemed to be urgent.

I phoned at 8am this morning and instead of the 2 minute preamble the voice immediately said that ‘due to Winter pressures’ there are no appointments available for today, however if urgent contact 111.
They must have a few blocked off for these people.

I called 111 as I had concerns and they made be a GP appointment direct for that day. Who knew they could do that?

It’s easier to get an audience with the Pope than get through tithe surgery.
You call at 8am, there are at least 2 minutes of stuff, basically telling you not to call unless you are dead. If you are, go to A&E or call 111.
If you survive the “advice” you are told you are #472 in the queue. By the time you reach #41, you are unceremoniously cut off.
It isn’t possible to book online.
If you go in person, you are told to telephone.
I’m so very glad that I am in good health 🙏🤞

If I need an appointment and it's not urgent I look online and check when the next appointment is available and book it myself. If my designated Dr is not available soon enough I can book with another dr in the practice. If I need an urgent appointment then a phone call can usually find one on the same day for me. If a Doctor is not available I can see one of the Nurse Practicioners, who will assess and ask the Doctor to see me anyway if necessary. I am lucky to have such a good Practice in my area.

My Gp has an online booking system for non- urgent appts, there are never ever any appts to book 😡 If it's something simple like a chest infection I usually ask for a Nurse Practitioner appt as I know they will refer to Gp if need be

My DD phoned our surgery on 30/12 at 11am and was told she could see a GP at 2pm. I know this was unusual, but as she’d been discharged from hospital the previous Saturday it was most welcome.

My surgery put up a notice every month stating how many people did not attend appointments they had been allocated. Average 50 per week. There may be some who had good reason not to attend but why don’t they cancel and give the rest of us a chance. If you use the GPs reminder service it’s easy to cancel. Not good to see when you are about to have BP measured!

111 arranged for me to walk past a 4 hour queue in a and e. Possible heart problem that in the end wasn't.

Yes definitely call 111 as they do a sort of 'triage' and if they 🤔 you need it (and a lot of the staff are very qualified) you will get a call from your GP. They will then call you and prescribe meds or arrange an in patient appointment. For me this works well as often in the past I didn't need to physically see anyone as it was a recurring problem - I just needed a prescription. I'd also like to do a big shout out to the NHS as I had a knee replacement last Friday - though chose a local private hospital for the procedure. The care was superlative and I waited only eight weeks from seeing my consultant to the actual op. There are some very big changes going on as my friend waited eight months last year for the same procedure. Just have to put in all the work to heal now!

A&E is overflowing with people what we need are more GP'S and more appointments available. If we can't get appointments we put more pressure on A&E, and after hours emergency doctors

we fill in an econsult online and the dr's triage that, if its something urgent they ring or text you with an apptment that day, if not they tell you or ring you as to what to do next. Its a very good system

My GP surgery is atrocious but we learn to live with it. I find it disgraceful that surgeries, mine included, are recommending that patients visit A&E when they are fully aware how over loaded they are and have been asking GP's not to refer.

Our Surgery is wonderful. Call in the morning, and you can generally see a nurse practitioner or GP the same day.

I must say that I do have some concerns about receptionists being allowed to ' triage' patients by phone. A very unsatisfactory state of affairs in my opinion.

Whenever we want to see the GP we fill in an econsult at 7.30am and they phone back within 48 hours, Depending on how serious the condition may be or how busy they are. that said, we usually see them the same day. I think they triage the econsults. I hadn’t contacted them for 2 years and was seen in 3 hours for something relatively minor.

Allira

Dickens

Allira Tue 07-Jan-25 22:32:33
FLUCLOXICILLIN

I'm allergic to that one, when I was given it my tongue, lips and mouth swelled rapidly and alarmingly, luckily I was in hospital at the time and they jammed a cannula back in quickly and gave me a drip to counteract it.

good grief, that is scary.

Thanks for the info - I'll just go with the flow.

Yes, about four nurses all came rushing in to take a look at me, as well as Sister who was looking after me. She said "I bet you never knew there were this many nurses in this hospital!"

... Anaphylactic shock?

Dickens

Allira Tue 07-Jan-25 22:32:33
FLUCLOXICILLIN

I'm allergic to that one, when I was given it my tongue, lips and mouth swelled rapidly and alarmingly, luckily I was in hospital at the time and they jammed a cannula back in quickly and gave me a drip to counteract it.

good grief, that is scary.

Thanks for the info - I'll just go with the flow.

Yes, about four nurses all came rushing in to take a look at me, as well as Sister who was looking after me. She said "I bet you never knew there were this many nurses in this hospital!"

Allira Tue 07-Jan-25 22:32:33
FLUCLOXICILLIN

I'm allergic to that one, when I was given it my tongue, lips and mouth swelled rapidly and alarmingly, luckily I was in hospital at the time and they jammed a cannula back in quickly and gave me a drip to counteract it.

good grief, that is scary.

Thanks for the info - I'll just go with the flow.

No wonder A&E is blocked up!

Nanato3

My surgery is useless. If you telephone at 8am you can never get through until roughly 9.30am
by which time all the appointments are gone for that day and they won't book in advance .
You have to be waiting outside the surgery at 7.30am to hopefully get an appointment, but if 3 or 4 people are in front of you there won't be any appointments left for that day . Then you have to ring 111 , It's a nightmare !
Plus they refer you to see a consultant and then they won't prescribe a back up medication that the consultant as prescribed ! It's a joke !

My surgery is useless. If you telephone at 8am you can never get through until roughly 9.30am by which time all the appointments are gone for that day and they won't book in advance .

We cannot book in advance either.

It seems many surgeries are now turning to this "on-the-day" system - presumably that means doctors will never be able to see people 'by appointment' because each day is taken up with the triaged patients - who might actually not need to be seen that day, but have no choice in the matter.

I do wonder if there would be fewer people turning up in A&E if they were able to actually book a future appointment?

I sympathise with your predicament. This 8am 'phone lottery' is awful.

I do wonder if appointments could be booked in advance whether there would be fewer people scrambling for the 8am lottery?

That 8-hour projected wait-time for the woman you mentioned might well have been longer, so it's good that her family could help - I hope she's now getting the treatment she needs.
Yes, I think she got the treatment she needed at Southmead Hospital.

FLUCLOXICILLIN

I'm allergic to that one, when I was given it my tongue, lips and mouth swelled rapidly and alarmingly, luckily I was in hospital at the time and they jammed a cannula back in quickly and gave me a drip to counteract it.
I know it's effective if you can take it.

My leg itches like you wouldn't believe and has done from the start. From what I can gather, this is not a typical symptom of Cellulitis. Did you have this symptom?
I've had it twice, both times in a different arm, as far as I remember it didn't itch.
My arm was hot and red and the red patch had a very defined edge. I probably had two courses of an antibiotic as it might not have been as effective as Flucloxacillin.

A friend had it not long ago in her leg, her ankle and foot were affected too and swelled up so much she couldn't get a shoe on. I think she had two courses of antibiotics.