Why standing in the rain?

Bags! If she had been the ill person and felt the need to see a doctor that day, do you really think queueing, standing, outside the surgery would be good? Put yourself in the place of a person feeling crap.

A quite famous author.

Who is Joanne Harris anyway?

Basides which, someone as well-educated and intelligent as Joanne Harris should not be saying anything to perpetuate the myth that GPs can do anything much about the common cold.

Yes, I gather her father had bronchitis. Bronchitis is not "a cold", which is what she said first in a misleading way.

Humph.

and breathe....

(that was to Soutra)

She says her father has a bronchial problem. The appointment was for either her or her mother to discuss it with the GP.

First tweet 0804, second tweet (appointment done and dusted) 0923. What on earth has she to complain about other than rain? (c/f the comment about "the state of the NHS"). I wonder if she has an umbrella and a raincoat if she really had to stand in the rain.

I'm not finding this story altogether believable.

And besides, a bit of standing in the rain (under a bloody umbrella if you've any sense) in late April would not be intrinsically harmful. Some people just like complaining. Unnecessary negativity pisses me off as well as pizzling me.

Just saying.

The NHS isn't going to function any better for people wasting doctors' time and clogging up appointments unnecessarily

I thought that too, jings, which is why I made the point above. Of course rich people who pay their taxes are as entitled to the services of the NHS as the rest of us. It was just a thought.

She is making a point about the state of the NHS.

Why go to the doctor with a cold? Lemsip, plenty of fluids, keep warm and indoors.

Many years ago my old GP surgery consisted of two elderly family doctors. There was no appointment system at all just opening hours of 2 hours in the morning and another 2 in the evening. Everyone who turned up to surgery was seen and queues would form outside about half an hour before opening.

My new surgery has this stupid system of booking only 2-3 days ahead with a few same day appointments for emergencies only. Its really hard to get through by telephone. I also hate having to tell the receptionist my problems/symptoms in order for her to access whether I need an "emergency same day" appointment.

As you said, thatbags, I am pizzled.
We always have to phone for an appointment and it is constantly engaged. I did not even think of standing outside and waiting to go in.

Why do I assume that very rich people use a private health system? A wrong assumption of course, but it would relieve the waiting time for the rest of us plebs.

The appointment was to discuss the father's problems. No idea why either of them had to stand outside in the rain, though...

And surely the mother's cold didn't develop so suddenly (while waiting in the rain) that she had to rush home before making the appointment?

If I develop any acute condition that requires relatively urgent treatment, I drive down to the surgery and queue. Each day one of our GPs is on duty to take all those that need urgent attention, but as AKA says, the answerphone is constantly engaged first thing and by mid-morning all the Duty doctor appointments are taken, so for a same day appointment, you need to be on the door step when the surgery opens.

I think she was waiting to get an appointment for husband who had the cold. Then mother got a cold, so daughter now waiting to get appointment for mother Bags

People were queuing outside our surgery but I have noticed recently that doctors are varying their surgery times. I have actually seen my doctor at 8am and, amazingly, on a Saturday - all good stuff.

To make a 'that day' appointment you have to telephone at 8 on the dot and just keep dialling until you hit the jackpot.

She could have used the word 'bronchitis' instead of 'cold'. Storytelling for effect.

The story continues. She does get an appointment, a prompt one too.

It looks from where I am like a return to just turning up at your GP's surgery and waiting in a queue to be seen. Not really an appointment system as such, just turn up and wait your turn.

Agreed about the oddness of tweeting it, but she is a storyteller and it's a story...

The phrasing was 'to get an appointment' ...

I understand it. Our GP surgery opens it's telephone system (an 0844 number!!) at 8.30 sharp. Before that you just get an answer machine.

From 8.30 the phone is constantly engaged, or you get put on hold (someone must get through!!) and you are lucky if there are any appointments left.

BUT if you turn up at 8.30 (or wait outside [in the rain] for it to open at 8.30) you can almost certainly book an appointment for that day. More and more people are doing this apparently.

So one of them has bronchitis (maybe), one got to the surgery before it opened, and she has probably passed her cold on to her daughter, who isn't quite bright enough to learn from her mother's mistake that there is a specific surgery opening time. Quite why she has turned that into a Tweet is beyond me!