GP's being available

Yes, you are very lucky compared to some people, Quite often busy surgeries are booked a week or even 2 weeks ahead, and even if you're about to die you have to wait for the "emergency" slot at the end of surgery time.

I think I'm even luckier - I just turn up before 10:30 and wait to be seen. The drawbacks with this system are that sometimes you have to wait a very long time (though I've waited just as long in some places with an appointment), and that on occasions the GP is very busy. One Monday my GP saw 56 people at morning surgery! I doubt if he was giving as good a service at the end as he was at the beginning. (I went away and came back 2 days later).

Also, you can always see the GP you want to see - just turn up on the mornings he is in. The practice runs 2 surgeries, and if pushed you can see the doctors at either location, but the one furthest away doesn't have my paper notes. Afternoon/evening surgeries are appointment only, and reserved for people who work and school children.

You have to make an appointment to see the nurse unless you're an emergency (bad wounds, or suspected concussion etc). You can almost always get one within a week.

The surgeries also have visiting physiotherapists, podiatrists, dentists and opticians. Most of those are at the main surgery, not my local one, but it's only 9 miles away. I think I could possibly do it by public transport, but it would mean a lot of time to get there and get back - about 5 hours. As long as I still have a car I'm okay.

Both surgeries also dispense medications.

Viv 8)

I think it varies from area to area. I'm very fortunate in that I have a local surgery within walking distance staffed by up to two doctors, but this is also linked to a larger facility 15 minutes drive away in the town centre with many more GP's. I may have to wait a few days if I want to see a my own GP but can always get a routine appointment within a day or so if I am willing to see someone else, and an emergency appointment on the same day if necessary. I also have a major hospital 10 minutes drive away with an A+E and a walk in centre. As far as I am concerned this is how it should be, but I am well aware that many people are not as lucky.

My bunch are target obsessed so you have to basically know 2 days in advance that you will be sick... very difficult to get in on the same day... the receptionists try to push you first for a telephone appointment way later in the day before they'll put you up for a Nurse for proper triage.

It's far easier to go down to the local hospital's A&E department, which isn't doing much good for the A&E's targets but keeps things nice and cosy for the practice's targets.

I've never been able to see my own GP on short notice... it's always been quicker to take any slot that's free.

Where I am my GP surgery is extremly over subscribed. If you want a same day Doctor appointment you have to ring at 8.30 then they will get a Doctor to call you back at some point during the morning. The Doctor will then decide if they need to see you based on this phone call. I haven't seen a Doctor at my Surgery since this started in March/April. Before that I never saw the same Doctor more than twice. There are about 10 Doctors and maybe 6 or so nurses. But we are almost an hour from the local Hospital.

My Surgery has 6 Drs, you have a named Dr and that's who you see unless it's an emergency and your own is fully booked. Then you see the duty Dr.
You can book an on the day apt via phone or internet. Or book in advance. Same aplies for the nurses.

Our gp practise is often booked up weeks ahead for routine appointments but they do two sessions where they see emergency cases, one is held in the morning and the other held in the afternoon.....but they can be quite busy.

Its pot luck I guess depending on area and numbers of cases on GP lists - in my area of East London, I was told last week that the first routine appointment the surgery ( 4 doctors) could offer would be at the beginning of September. If I wanted anything sooner then I could try ringing at 8.30 every morning and see if there were "emergency" slots free. unfortunately, Ive never been able to even get thru on the phone before 10ish due to the sheer number of people ringing

Our doctors is not very good,

you can ring at 8.30 everyday but if you want to get in you have to say it's an emergency, i feel bad when it isnt but if I had a true emergency I'd go to A+E.

The main doc is aparantly AWOl and there are about 4 or 5 locums covering, leading to confusion and inefficiency - last appt I had no doctor turned up - poor receptionist was ringing round like a good un til she got someone to come in.

The don't release future appts until about thurs the week before when they know which docs will be where and when. Rarely do you see the same doc,

Rubbish really

Mary x

Until recently I could phone for an appt to see my GP and usually get one 3 days later but now I have found that I can only see my GP 10 days later and need to explain to a receptionist exactly what my reason for seeing the GP is. Doesn't exactly make me very happy but my GP is very nice and so I will stay with the practice.

iHs said:

Until recently I could phone for an appt to see my GP and usually get one 3 days later but now I have found that I can only see my GP 10 days later and need to explain to a receptionist exactly what my reason for seeing the GP is. Doesn't exactly make me very happy but my GP is very nice and so I will stay with the practice.

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Hi iHs,
you do not have to give the receptionist any information at all. Just tell her it's confidential. The receptionist is not medicaly qualified so has no business to know.

CarbsRok said:

iHs said:

Until recently I could phone for an appt to see my GP and usually get one 3 days later but now I have found that I can only see my GP 10 days later and need to explain to a receptionist exactly what my reason for seeing the GP is. Doesn't exactly make me very happy but my GP is very nice and so I will stay with the practice.

Click to expand...

Hi iHs,
you do not have to give the receptionist any information at all. Just tell her it's confidential. The receptionist is not medicaly qualified so has no business to know.

Click to expand...

Yes you are quite right.... and that is what I plan to do in the future..... However, my surgery is a one doctor band but we will see.... Luckily there is a walk in centre not too far from where I live so I could go there if it was really essential or go to A & E (which I'm sure the staff there will be only too happy to see me - I think not as they will not be very happy with the tactics that GPs are now using over who they see and when...

We are very lucky with our practise, we have 6 GP's, 4 practise nurses, 1 proper pukker diabetic nurse, 1 podiatrist, 2 midwifes and 2 district nurses, 2 dentists and a dispensing chemist all under the same roof.

There are also visting specialist's. Plus there is a procedure room for simple surgery.

You can normaly get a same day appointment if you are not fussed which GP you see

We have 5 GP's spread over 2 practices. The one I attend usually has 2-3 GP's working in the mornings. One GP holds a walk in , the others are appointments. If all appointments are taken we get to see the walk in GP.
If you can get there for 8 am , you will get put on the list for the walk in GP . If later there is a chance the walk in GPs list is full that morning , all patients then are shared between the othe GP's. So no one is turned away as long as we turn up by a set time.

We have evening appointments but they are appointments only but have not been turned away in an emergency.

The other practice has one GP on duty on walk in but we dont attend there as they prefer us to travel to our closest practice.

I think we are lucky with our surgery compared to a lot of my friends who have problems getting appointments.

my surgery has 8 doctors but only one diabetic specialist, who handles all the diabetic related appointments . unfortunately he only works 1/2 day each week, and will only take bookings two weeks in advance, issuing his availability each thursday. It's taken me 6 weeks to see him on occasions. He will only take a single 10min booking, which unless I manage an early slot means at least a 2 hr waite

paragliderpete said:

my surgery has 8 doctors but only one diabetic specialist, who handles all the diabetic related appointments . unfortunately he only works 1/2 day each week, and will only take bookings two weeks in advance, issuing his availability each thursday. It's taken me 6 weeks to see him on occasions. He will only take a single 10min booking, which unless I manage an early slot means at least a 2 hr waite

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Gosh that must be very frustrating for you . We have a diabetic specialist GP in our surgery that I find hard to book appoinments for sometimes (due to holidays ,training etc) but he does work full time. We can also see the other GPs but they are quite reluctent to 'touch' the diabetes side of our health too much but will do their best to help but always tell me to come back to see diabetes GP after 'x' amount of time.

Ourr previous doctor, who we saw for 35 years has retired. The practise, which is large. assigned us to another one. the "old" doctor told us which one to see and it wasn't the assigned one. So far, I've been able to see the recommended one. He even told me to come more often. He's interested in diabetes and completely supportive of the low carb approach and said that low HbA1cs if achieved by natural means are desirable. A good man!
I've never needed an appointment urgently, but I get to see the person I want. My daughter has 2 small children[ no diabetics] and belongs to the same practise. As is common with tinies, she's needed help in a hurry sometimes and has always got it. I suspect the "press button 1 etc". phone system would deter anyone not in real need!
Hana