Appointments again!

I think Streeting has been slippery about promising online appointments.

He told the public that “from October, you’ll be able to book your GP appointment online, as easily as ordering a takeaway.”
He said this would “end the 8 am scramble” and implied universal, instant digital booking access.

That language evokes a real-time, patient-facing booking system — you choose a time slot, confirm, and receive your appointment instantly. It’s what people recognise from airline or restaurant booking apps.

But the NHS contractual requirement (the legal reality) is far narrower: From 1 October 2025, GP practices must keep an online request form open during working hours. Patients can submit a request for an appointment or advice online. The practice then triages those requests and contacts the patient later — often by phone — to decide if and when they’ll be seen.

That’s not an online booking system; it’s a digital front door for making contact.

So far my local GP practice has not implemented it - one still has to phone and get a call back later in the day. There's no online form.

Streeting’s rhetoric oversold the reform. The underlying technology and triage systems aren’t standardised or funded for live scheduling. The 'reform' doesn’t increase appointment supply — it only changes how requests arrive.

Typical politician!

You are a lucky lady WelshPoppy - I am glad you are getting a good service.

My GP (group practice but almost always see my preferred GP) always leads the conversation on from what I originally attended for so 2 or 3 things are frequently discussed. She also checks on hubby (and vice versa when hubby attends) and how our dog is doing. She's fabulous.

Luckygirl3

I am always grateful for the NHS but it is hard not to be exasperated sometimes. My surgery is a 35 minute drive away down country lanes so every time I go that is 70 minutes driving.
Last Thursday I had a phone appointment with my GP. We discussed my heart meds and also statins. He made me an appointment for this coming Thursday to review it all. All good.
My cholesterol results have returned and the surgery just rang me to make me an appointment with a nurse to discuss these. I explained about my upcoming appointment with the GP and that this would be part of the conversation. Oh no ... it says you are coming to discuss your heart problem. I explained that it is all interconnected and would come up at my upcoming GP appointment. Oh no ... I could only discuss my heart ...... and must make an appointment with the nurse ....
Sigh
Eventually a compromise was reached when I agreed that I would make an appointment with the nurse if atatins weren't discussed.
How silly it all is .....

This was my original post.

Saw GP yesterday and discussed everything including cholesterol. IN the course of this he said that my blood results were fine.

Fast forward to today .... call from the surgery .... wait for it ....
The receptionist has been asked to ring me as some of my blood tests are abnormal and I need to make an appointment for another test. I explained that the GP I saw yesterday said they were fine, but she insisted that I must make an appointment - which I have done - earliest is over 2 weeks away. So that's another 70 minutes driving .......!

And secondly, she says, I have to make an appointment with the nurse to discuss my cholesterol results .... head in hands!! I eventually convinced her that yesterday's GP had discussed this with me and there was no need for an appointment. It took some doing, but I succeeded!

A lot of this would be solved by being able to see the same GP every time.

Was going to start a new thread, but this one would seem appropriate.
I am currently undergoing blood tests plus other lab tests also waiting for a scan. One of my (many) meds has already been reduced.
A couple of days ago I received a text message from the Practice pharmacist asking me to make a telephone appointment to discuss meds. I didn't respond then today I received another text message asking me to contact the practice to arrange my annual review!
I rang the practice to try to explain and the receptionist first said she saw no trace of the second message re the review. She said ''I'll just put a note on to say you don't want your review.''
I said NO that's not what I'm saying, tried to explain it would be doubling up .
I thought there were staff shortages, that would be 3 people doing what 1 person is already doing.
She somewhat dismissively said Yeah will do, no problem.(No problem must be the most overworked phrase in use nowadays!)
Can't help feeling that's not the end of it - have I gone against procedure, will I be on the naughty list?
I find it quite frightening that we are at the mercy of medical receptionists

That's awful, harrigran. You could involve PALS in something like that, as it is unnecessarily obstructive. If you ring the surgery (not always easy, I realise) they will give you the number, and it should be on display in the surgery and on their website if they have one. If you google PALS in your area (eg PALS Bristol) there will be a regional number too.

I had an appointment for a chronic illness review, it was at a time that I could not manage. Rang the surgery and asked them to rearrange the time but they said no and just cancelled the appointment. I was told to ring every week and book another appointment, I have spent ages on hold and eventually getting through only to be told the same thing.
On Monday I tried to explain that my DD was in the UK for 10 days to help me and could they please fit in the appointment then, I was told no and I would have to keep ringing up.
I have lost all faith in the NHS, they let me down when DH was dying four gears on I am still traumatised.

A couple of years ago I was being treated for unexplained breathlessness, and the consultant mentioned that he wondered if it could be an endocrine problem. I was also being treated for Graves and suggested he speak to my endocrinologist, but it seems the system wouldn't allow that. My GP had to wait for a letter from the pulmonologist then contact the endocrinologist with his interpretation of how the pulmonologist thought the endo guy could help. He (the GP) said himself that he wasn't an expert so would have to do his best to explain. How much simpler it would have been for the consultants to speak on the phone, but it was not to be.

OTOH, I do know people who save up ailments on an 'I'll just mention it next time I'm at the doctor's' basis. They seem to think that doing it that way will save the doctor time, when appointments are so rare these days that there just isn't time to let appointments overrun. The same people are likely to moan if they are kept waiting for their own appointments, too. It must be very difficult to find a system that works for everyone.

JdotJ

No one thinks things through anymore.
I waited 7 weeks for a Cardiology appt at our local hosp (not complaining about the time waited).
When I arrived I had BP/weight taken.
Saw Cardiologist who had read my GP letter and I just reiterated to him what had already been conveyed by letter.
He then said I needed an Echocardiogram which would be about a month's wait as it's done by a different dept.

No one can join the dots anymore and think 'ooh, let's do all the scans/diagnostics first when pt arrives and have all results ready for when seen by the Dr's, like a one stop shop.

After the Echo I'll probably then wait another 6+ weeks to see the Cardiologist again.
All at the same hosp.

You are lucky with those short waits. The wait for a cardiologist here near Bristol (which has a dense population) is nearly a year unless you're blue-lighted to hospital.

I couldn't get a diagnosis and ended up paying for a consultation with a cardio plus an echocardiogram in order to save my life. I couldn't afford it and had to dip into my meagre savings, but when I saw the cardio, she said I could have had a stroke within 3 months.

My GP gave me no treatment until I'd seen a cardio, so I was just left waiting. The NHS in my area is in a complete mess. Too many patients, not enough GPs and consultants, too many strikes, my doctors' practice has been "working to rule." Sometimes I get a text message saying they have had to completely close that day and to go to A&E.

Dh had an appointment with the Diabetic doctor yesterday. Last week the appointment was with the diabetic nurse who gave us a good half hour of advice and checks.
Before we went I said to Dh ‘what else will the doctor tell us?’ . I was correct as he just asked how things were and that was that. 5 minutes at the most. Waste of everyone’s time.

I know the NHS is a huge blessing. I worked in NHS settings for years and even then communication and coordination was a major problem.
When things go well it is a lifesaver. But when they don't it is the opposite.
I had the opposite experience yo loopylindy when I went to A&E with a heart attack ... I was sent home with a diagnosis of oesophogeal spasm. Two weeks later I was admitted to another hospital with the same symptoms, a proper diagnosis was made and a stent installed in my right coronary artery which was blocked to 94% in one place.

Much the same thing happened to me. I had two separate appointments a few weeks apart, for the same tests. Because one was for cardio and the other for HRT, they were done separately.

I was taken to hospital by ambulance at just gone midnight on a Saturday evening. I anticipated a long wait in the ambulance at the hospital but no(1) I was first in line. I was admitted and triaged in minutes, put in an ICU, treated and found a bed on a real ward the next day. After significant testing which has left me so bruised it looks like I've been in a car crash, it was determined I'd had a small heart attack.
I mention all of this to show that despite the gloom and doom about the NHS it still alive and kicking. Yes - staffing levels are poor and ALL the staff work so hard doing things that most of us wouldn't choose to do ourselves. I evidenced abuse to a HCA which went on for over 3 nights. The patient concerned threatened physical violence. That poor HCA was in tears most nights. The patient should have been in a specialist facility - but there is no availability.

I have not seen my own GP for years. When I actually do get an appointment, your a*$€ is hardly sat on a chair before you get the reminder it's only a 10 minute appointment. Yet in the supposed land of milk and honey where I come from where everything is like Nirvana. Mr Swinney is once more going to wave his magic wand and conjure up walk-in centres and all the GPs to go with it. I do hope he can arrange for a new roof for one of our local health centres, where on rainy days you have to be careful not to fall over the buckets they put out to catch the rain. Sorry for the sarcasm, I'm totally fed up with it all and feel sorry for the health professionals who are expected to work in those conditions and the patients who have to be treated in those conditions.

I suggest you make a habit of booking a double appointment.
If I want to speak to my GP there are always two or more things.
I book with the same GP - sometimes it's way in the future but at least it's booked in.

We have similar frustrations here in BC. A benefit (if one can find any) of the shutdowns during Covid is now the more common occurrence of phone appointments. It generally makes things a bit easier if it is to get results of tests and updated medications.

One silly thing here is the continued use of the fax machine between GP's and specialist or lab referrals. It's a bit archaic, and I've had to chase down faxes that weren't received between doctors. One bad example is DH was waiting for over two years to see a hip specialist in another city. When I called to check how far down on the list he was, they stated that because his arthritis has progressed he was no longer able to see that particular specialist, he needed another one, but they had faxed this result to his GP back in January. When I called it was in May. I followed up at the GP's office, and they never received the fax! In June we did find out that he is on another list now... but I got the name of the clinic just in case I need to follow up again. It's frustrating.

MadamP .... I am sorry you find yourself in this situation.

I am having an appointment with a GP concerning the chaotic repreat medications communications, and also concerning my DNR and ReSPECT status , and me seeing my notes to update the advance directive. All of these problems should for clerical staff not a GP.

I have a rare blood cancer - treatable but not curable. My local area had no haematology appts so I had to go to another area. No problem with that but I can’t have my 3 monthly blood tests done locally either as the 2 authorities can’t “speak” to each other so can’t share my results. I thought the clue was in the name National Health Service. I am very grateful to them all though.

I was told by my GP receptionist that they could only make an appointment to discuss one thing. Ridiculous

FAWK: Ridiculous one topic per appointment system. What if the symptoms are related? Unless you are able to tell the GP (which you are not - he will tell you and stop you), how can a diagnosis possibly be made? They are not doing their job.

It can't just be cardiology, surely? I had a cardio appt at the hospital today. Yippee, I thought - we shall get something sorted. Silly me. The cardiologist had no history of my heart problems and was unable to obtain any computer access of any previous/ambulatory incidents within the same Trust. As has been said, the NHS is totally incapable of joining up the dots.

They are definitely not joined up. My husband has terminal cancer with sadly not much time left. Recently he has been inundated with requests for diabetic screening, annual health check, retinal scanning and dietary appointments all of which are pointless at this stage. All these came from the same surgery.

The medical practice I use has the same system. If appointment is with GP then it is for one topic only. No good going in for, say, heart and happening to mention the big lump you discovered under your arm. Time allocation is critical apparently. Same with nursing staff though I do appreciate that they can have particular specialities and can't diagnose or treat outwith their remit.

I agree that staff are doing their best, but they are bound by the algorithms on the screen on front of them.
A problem shows up on a blood test result, computer says ring patient for appt with nurse, rings patient who says she already has an appt coming up with a GP to discuss this .. there follows 10 minute discussion about it because receptionist cannot deviate from the instruction on the screen.....

We are so lucky to have the NHS for all its faults. I attend my hospital under 4 different consultants who all check with each other before giving me new meds etc. it takes time but at least they doing their best for me.