WAITING Times for GP andNurse Appointments

It is very difficult to get through to my surgery telephone consults are all booked up by 8.30am.
I have been waiting for 8 weeks for a referral appointment after x-rays showed 4 x disc's collapsed onto the sciatic nerve,I just cannot get through to reception to find out if the request for an MRI scan has been sent to the hospital no one seems to be able to help at all,I try most morning from 8am with no luck at all.

I’ve found it’s easier to get through on the phone if I ring later in the day glammanana.

Glammanana, have you tried using the surgeries online contact system? I think they have to respond to your query within 48 hours.

Just been given 8th October for a GP phone appointment. Fortunately it's not urgent, I wanted to discuss the regular blood tests I have that got messed up last time. I have no confidence about the call. This situation is appalling, we are all sitting ducks unable to get basic care never mind anything more serious.

It’s because we need more GPs, but in fact through the Covid period we have actually lost GPs. We were told that the government were going to recruit more GPs, in actual fact there are fewer.

We must be lucky. DH and I have both requested telephone conversations in the past two months, me with a very bad back and I was called back for information and given an appointment the same day, DH called about severe stomach pain which we suspected was a gall bladder problem. He was asked to see our GP the same day and she was so concerned she gave him an appointment for the next day when she checked him over and arranged for him to be admitted to hospital straight away. Last week DH was concerned about side effects from statins and was asked to go to the surgery the same day to see a nurse for a blood test and urine check, he has a follow up appointment tomorrow. We have always been able to get an appointment very quickly and immediately if considered urgent.

Jillyjosie

Just been given 8th October for a GP phone appointment. Fortunately it's not urgent, I wanted to discuss the regular blood tests I have that got messed up last time. I have no confidence about the call. This situation is appalling, we are all sitting ducks unable to get basic care never mind anything more serious.

That is appalling, we have always been given them later the same day.

Bea65 I have the same problem all the time. I start phoning the line at about ten minutes to eight and their is a recording saying that the doctors is not open at the moment. I then telephone at one minute to eight and get the engaged tone. Once I get through at about 8.10 AM I have a message telling me that I am No 14 or 16 in the queue so keep on the line. When I finally get my turn at about 9am I usually get told all the appointments have gone. On occasions I have firmly told them I want a call back from the doctor as it is urgent and usually the doctor will call back at about midday.
The old way was much better phone them as early as possible and get an appointment sometimes they were busy but would fit you in if quite urgent. The system now is that the doctor has to phone you back and if she thinks she needs to see you tells you come to the surgery or else gives you advice on how to deal with your symptoms.

About as much use as a chocolate teapot if you ask me.

I had an email from our GPs saying that they were opening up two of their surgeries (The third one is staying closed because they are using it for Covid vaccinations) I haven't needed to see anyone so I don't know how well it's working. I did ring about a prescription review and had a call back the following day to discuss the meds.

My own GP retired during lock down and was back working after a month because they were so short of doctors. I had an appointment for an echocardiogram at the end of this month. The hospital rang me last Friday and said could I go in that day? Presumably they'd had a cancellation but it suited me!

What’s wrong with the doctor giving you advice on how to deal with your symptoms?

…I start phoning the line… sounds as if you phone regularly.

Maddyone are you referring to me and asking what is wrong with the doctor giving you advice to deal with symptons?
If you are then if you do not know my symptoms who are you to say? One of mine was when I had a fall as I have back problems and sciatica. I had been sent to A@E and had an x-ray and was given crutches. I was given a letter and told to see the doctor in two days to look at the swelling.
I phoned the line as people do and when I got through was told the doctor would call me back, when she did she said that as I had been to A@E and had no breakages then there was no need to see me. I told her the instructions from A@E
and she reluctantly said oh alright come in lucky I did because the swelling was worse and I needed an injection .

You also quote I start phoning the line saying it sounds like you phone regularly in fact you do not know anything about my medical history and anyway I phone only when need be,
but I was answering the original poster to agree that getting through to a doctor is getting ridiculous and as for appointments that is also the same.

Perhaps you never need to phone the G.P and are 100% healthy in that case lucky you.

No, but I am the mother of a GP and I know that lots of people demand to see a GP because they want to, not because they need to. I also know that a lot of GPs have been subjected to abuse from patients during the Covid period although I’m not suggesting that you have been abusive to your GP.

I am not 100% healthy as you suggest but I only ever consult a GP when absolutely necessary. After I was extremely ill in hospital with Covid I was discharged and needed the assistance of my GP who couldn’t have been kinder or more helpful, but they were aware of just how ill I’d been and responded accordingly.

Maddyone ; that is probably where the questions to me come from you have some little emotional attachment as you are the mother of a GP. That can only be a good thing and if son/daughter does not live too far from you then you can always rely on their professional care which I would find quite a comfort.

I never make unreasonable demands from my G.P only asking to be seen when all other avenues have been exhausted for example taking over the counter remedy and speaking to someone in the pharmacy who may tell me to call my GP.
I have never all my life been abusive to any GPs be it pre-Covid during Covid or now we are coming out of Covid. I would not like to see anyone abuse staff in my G.Ps, as they are there to help us even though the waits sometime can be rather long.

Lousy GP practice nearly killed DD last summer because given a telephone appointment only the GP forgot to order a vital test. She finally badgered them into it three months later and as soon as they got the result, they rang her in a panic saying she could have a fatal heart attack at any moment and to instantly go to pharmacy and collect medication.

I feel bad for all of you with bad experiences. In my small town it is much better; the doctors are now seeing patients in office. They are doing some calls and follow ups by phone.

I know in certain areas of our province it is almost impossible to even get accepted into a GP's patient list. Then people have to rely on walk-in clinics if they are available, or they end up in ER (emergency room) which frankly is a waste of health care dollars. But sometimes that is the only option.
We have a provincial phone in medical service that will link you to a registered nurse or pharmacist, but I do think it should be more widely advertised.

I do believe as our population ages the government should expand medical schooling and make funding available. Pay for part of their schooling, or forgive student loans if they work in an area that is short of medical staff, etc.

My GP seriously let me down with misdiagnosis, made me feel like a mentally ill hypochondriac, made my symptoms 10 times worse with the wrong treatment and missed a condition that put my life at risk.

Now I seem to get special treatment as long as it isn't to do with Graves as they don't know much about it.

Seeing a consultant at hospital also impossible so my treatment has been down to me sending them blood results and waiting for a replyfor medication changes to get my thyroid levelled off. Now I have a chance that it has all left me with osteoarthritis, heart issues and some cognitive issues like stuttering and getting my words muddled.

I would complain but I just haven't got it in me.

The surgery rang me today to make an appointment for my BP check, booked in for tomorrow morning! I think it will be with one of the nurses. I was so surprised as the last time they contacted me was for the Covid jabs. I didn’t think they would have started routine appointments again yet.

VioletSky empathise with you about not complaining as when we're already feeling vulnerable there's not much energy left to complain...It seems some are lucky with GP surgeries and others not...its only when you need the service you can feel desperate when not able to get thru or offerred a GP call back..

3nanny6 I’m sure you’re right that I have some emotional attachment because my daughter, my son in law, and one nephew are all GPs and all worked extremely hard during the Covid period. My son in law caught Covid because he worked in the Covid Hub, in addition to his normal GP hours. He was often there till midnight after a full day at his Practice. As I said in my post, I’m sure you were not abusive towards your GP, but you would truly be astounded by how much abuse many GPs took, and are still taking.

My daughter and son in law were fed up of the abuse and very long hours, and seeing in the media the constant complaining about GPs and they left to go to work for two years in New Zealand. And do you know what my daughter said to me after her first week working as a GP in New Zealand? She said ‘Mum the patients are so lovely here, they’re so happy that you’ve helped them.’ That sentence should tell us all how GPs are treated by many in the UK.

Bea did you get to see/speak to someone?

My own GP surgery has a very successful triage system in place even though the GPs are working under enormous strain - regularly until 10.30 or 11 o’clock at night. Part of the problem is due to a lack of staff at all levels. Last week our surgery had seven staff off at one time either awaiting COVID test results, or having tested positive for COVID; there is also a high turnover of reception staff, and exit interviews give one of the reasons for leaving as the abuse they get from patients. Doctors are also dealing with a high rate of RSV and other respiratory problems that are not usually this bad until December, and patients are now presenting with a backlog of non-COVID ailments.

Nationally we had a massive shortage of GPs pre-Covid. I'm certain more than the usual number have gone in the last 18 months through stress.
Locally here in 2019, our group were forced to take over the small practice of 2 GPs who retired and could not find replacements, and mine could not recruit to replace one of their own who left. That increased their responsibilities by about 45%.
Presumably these US firms taking over practices is also adding to it all.

I’m quite sure patients would be ‘happy’ here too maddy if they could be helped. As posters have stated on several threads re this issue, whilst some patients have received good service from their GP surgeries others have not and are suffering and in pain as a result. Yes the government should definitely be doing all it can to recruit doctors but when so many work part time, I believe over 60% then more and more have to be trained and then they go on to work part time and so on it goes. So what is the solution?

I phoned this morning at 9. Asked to see a doctor, told her what’s wrong; I’ll be seeing a doctor at 1.40 this afternoon.
Can’t knock that.

I actually prefer to have an initial telephone conversation but I know it doesn’t suit everybody.