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TessA
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TessA is offline
UK
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Posts: 21,857
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13-05-2017, 10:33 AM
1

Will this make it easier to see GP?

Our surgery had changed it's system.
Now we have to:
1. Phone the surgery
"All our doctors are qualified to help, but if you want a particular one please call on the day they are working."
2. The doctor calls you back
"When? Usually within the hour.
You can ask them to call at a time to suit you."
3. You are always seen if needed.
"When? There is no need to book in advance.
Nine out of ten patients choose a convenient time on the same day."

When you call the receptionist will ask for a few words about the problem...

I'm not happy with this, I just want to phone and make an appointment as usual.
Much of this system doesn't make sense.
If the doctors can call people back at any time convenient, how are they going to time appointments to suit?
Are they going to call patients in the middle of someone else's appointment and discuss stuff?
They're going to run patient surveys, oh dear!
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Longdogs
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SW England
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13-05-2017, 10:36 AM
2

Re: Will this make it easier to see GP?

Sounds like a typical NHS balls up to me.
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Aerolor
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13-05-2017, 12:57 PM
3

Re: Will this make it easier to see GP?

Your practice is not too bad if the doctor will call you back within the hour Tessa and at a time to suit you.
At our practice you need to make an appointment with a GP to call you - no choice of time or day, so you have to wait in all day for a call once having made the appointment - Currently there is a waiting list of a week before the doctor will be able to give you that telephone call.
We are not allowed to have appointments to actually see a doctor any more than two weeks in advance. Appointments are limited and it is the luck of the draw whether you get one of the appointments, as there I a short window of time before all the appointments for that two week period are gone and you have to wait until there is another window of opportunity. I was advised to come into the practice at 8.30 on the day the appointments were released to get one of those appointments, only to be told on the day that they were all gone and I could not make another one until more were released on another given date. At this point I lost my rag and wrote in as letter of complaint. No result, as they replied with all the wrong dates - and I gave up.
The system really is in crisis and I dread to think what it is like at the moment down there with all the computers down because of the cyber attack.
They really couldn't do worse if they tried.
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Longdogs
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SW England
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13-05-2017, 02:23 PM
4

Re: Will this make it easier to see GP?

I get the feeling that in order to reduce waiting times, the NHS bods make it as difficult as possible so that people don't bother, hence reducing the waiting times.
Nom
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Northumberland
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Posts: 14,118
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13-05-2017, 02:27 PM
5

Re: Will this make it easier to see GP?

Please old people, do your duty and pop your clogs. You are all costing the NHS, and Pension robots lodsa money.
TessA
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13-05-2017, 02:33 PM
6

Re: Will this make it easier to see GP?

Ours used to be pre-bookable appointments were available up to 5-6 weeks in advance, especially with my Gp who's very popular.
You could ring at 8 am and get a same day appointment if you managed to get through before they all went. Sometimes you could ring at a few seconds to 8 and get the answering machine, then when you tried again it would be constantly engaged and you'd be lucky to get your own Gp.
However, recently it's been quite easy to get through and get a same day appointment
On visiting both our village surgery and the one in a nearby town which our GPs share I was amazed at how few people were waiting.
It seems odd to change it!
Mind you I was telling people how good our bus service was not long ago, now it's dreadful, we've lost services to large towns like Frome and Bristol.
swimfeeders
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Shropshire
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13-05-2017, 04:35 PM
7

Re: Will this make it easier to see GP?

Hi

I do worry about people in towns and cities getting a GP appointment, it must be horrendous.

I live in a small village, receptionists and nurses are local, GPs less so now.

Ring up and they know you.

I am one of many who hate going to the Docs, it has to be really bad before I do.

They put you through to a Nurse, same day appointments are very easy to get.
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Silver Tabby
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God's own county!
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13-05-2017, 05:23 PM
8

Re: Will this make it easier to see GP?

How can any GP make an accurate diagnosis over the telephone - surely they need to see their patients? Are they hoping that we will all invest in videocams and start skying instead? That way they wouldn't even have to move from their beds!!
realspeed
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13-05-2017, 05:32 PM
9

Re: Will this make it easier to see GP?

Originally Posted by TessA ->
Our surgery had changed it's system.
Now we have to:
1. Phone the surgery
"All our doctors are qualified to help, but if you want a particular one please call on the day they are working."
2. The doctor calls you back
"When? Usually within the hour.
You can ask them to call at a time to suit you."
3. You are always seen if needed.
"When? There is no need to book in advance.
Nine out of ten patients choose a convenient time on the same day."

When you call the receptionist will ask for a few words about the problem...

I'm not happy with this, I just want to phone and make an appointment as usual.
Much of this system doesn't make sense.
If the doctors can call people back at any time convenient, how are they going to time appointments to suit?
Are they going to call patients in the middle of someone else's appointment and discuss stuff?
They're going to run patient surveys, oh dear!
How do you know when they are working if you don't ring first???
TessA
Official Poinker
TessA is offline
UK
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 21,857
TessA is female  TessA has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
13-05-2017, 06:32 PM
10

Re: Will this make it easier to see GP?

Ha! They're putting a list of who's on duty up in the surgery!
 
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