Doctors Appointment

[Charlie_Bubble]

After about 4 hours of calling, I've finally got through to my doctors surgery to book an appointment. On Friday I had an endoscopy and they said I should pop along to my doctors this week to agree a way forward with my doctor....

I have got an appointment, the next available slot in fact... 11am on the 10th of December... Yes folks, the next available routine appointment with my doctor is 17 days away!! I guess I should be glad I got one this year!

[Halcyon]

Reminds me of when my Dad went for an appointment.
He was told by the receptionist: Waiting times between appointments have gone down dramatically. In fact it is no longer a month, but now only 5 weeks.

[Russ]

My local surgery is different to that - you phone up at 8.30am or 2pm and they tell you what's available for the rest of the day. I thought everywhere was going that way

[demented]

Originally Posted by Russ B

My local surgery is different to that - you phone up at 8.30am or 2pm and they tell you what's available for the rest of the day. I thought everywhere was going that way

When Tony Blair was oblivious to the quota system the figures were claimed to be 10% of surgeries. I was and always have been in surgeries that run the system since they were invented, as were friends. Likewise there are a small number of surgeries that use 0845 premium rate numbers to make a bit of dosh but all the surgeries I know that people attend use this system even though I know they are supposedly in the minority. The figures have probably gone up but are hard to come by as it is something that people don't like to talk about.

Under either system one is screwed over .

[Pia]

Russ i think most did. Mine did but changed back.

Well i think at the moment they release a certain amount of appointments bookable in advance, and reserve some for closer to the time.

I don't know that for fact, just seems to be the case.

Wouldn't be so bad if my GP didn't have about 25 holidays a year, and only work certain afternoons in the surgery etc

---------- Post added at 19:31 ---------- Previous post was at 19:29 ----------

Originally Posted by demented

Likewise there are a small number of surgeries that use 0845 premium rate numbers to make a bit of dosh but all the surgeries.

That's obscene!!

[Russ]

Originally Posted by demented

. Likewise there are a small number of surgeries that use 0845 premium rate numbers to make a bit of dosh but all the surgeries I know that people attend use this system even though I know they are supposedly in the minority.

Mine uses 0844.

[demented]

0844 isn't quite as bad, for some people. Anyway my point is everytime it comes up you get answers refusing to answer or saying well it does happen but it's only a small number of GPs that do it. There's this gem from last year in parliament

General Practitioners: Telephone Services

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of NHS GP surgeries in Leicester use premium rate phone lines for patient appointments; what guidance his Department provides to NHS GP surgeries on the use of premium rate phone lines for patient appointments; and if he will make a statement. [164132]

Mr. Bradshaw: The information requested is not held centrally.

East Midlands strategic health authority (SHA) reports that no general practice surgeries in Leicester use premium rate phone lines for patient appointments but that a number of surgeries do use 084 lo-call numbers.

The SHA reports that Leicester City primary care trust (PCT) is reviewing the use of 084 numbers as part of its improving access strategy. This review is taking place during November and the PCT should be in a position to report in December.

The provision of telephone services for patients and the public is a matter for the local national health service. The Department did however issue guidance in December of last year clearly setting out that patients should not be charged more than the equivalent of a local call.

19 Nov 2007 : Column 602W

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much his Department estimates GP surgeries receive in revenue from calls to 0844 revenue sharing numbers; [164453]

(2) how many GPs’ surgeries in each primary care trust area use 0844 revenue sharing telephone numbers; [164454]

(3) through what mechanism GP surgeries receive payment from calls to 0844 revenue sharing numbers. [164455]

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 15 November 2007]: We do not collect information centrally on the use of 084 telephone numbers.

The provision of telephone services for patients and the public is a matter for the local national health service. The Department did however issue guidance in December of last year clearly setting out that patients should not be charged more than the equivalent of a local call.

Source Hansard http://www.publications.parliament.u...71119w0031.htm

[Mick Fisher]

Originally Posted by Pia

Wouldn't be so bad if my GP didn't have about 25 holidays a year, and only work certain afternoons in the surgery etc

I can't say for certain about the holidays but when I tried unsuccessfully to book an appointment the receptionist remarked that the Doctor I needed to see only worked a couple of afternoons a week and did only 1 late night in 5.
I was told he is completely booked up until Dec 12th and they would not take dates after Dec 12th as that is the limit of their computerised booking system.
I said I would probably die before I get to see a Doctor but she would not be drawn merely answering that if I was still around then try phoning again after Dec 12th.
Our NHS is just the same as any other service that you have paid up front for - bloody useless.

[Pia]

Originally Posted by Mick Fisher

I said I would probably die before I get to see a Doctor but she would not be drawn merely answering that if I was still around then try phoning again after Dec 12th.

LOL!!! If she really said that it's a disgrace, but still quite funny, i had a vision when i read that of her being like the David Walliams character in Little Britain

[Osem]

Originally Posted by Charlie_Bubble

After about 4 hours of calling, I've finally got through to my doctors surgery to book an appointment. On Friday I had an endoscopy and they said I should pop along to my doctors this week to agree a way forward with my doctor....

I have got an appointment, the next available slot in fact... 11am on the 10th of December... Yes folks, the next available routine appointment with my doctor is 17 days away!! I guess I should be glad I got one this year!

....and to think we only had 24 hours to save the NHS in 1997!

[Mick Fisher]

Originally Posted by Pia

LOL!!! If she really said that it's a disgrace, but still quite funny, i had a vision when i read that of her being like the David Walliams character in Little Britain

Me too.

[Fatec]

Originally Posted by Russ B

My local surgery is different to that - you phone up at 8.30am or 2pm and they tell you what's available for the rest of the day. I thought everywhere was going that way

Yep, here it's 8:30am...for normal appointments of that day.

And 2pm is emergencies only.

Cant book appointments for a day later etc like some area's =/

Can be hell getting an appointment here...

[Charlie_Bubble]

This is the first time that I've had to wait so long. I had tried earlier in the day to phone up, but they only have one phone line in and have a number of menus/options being read out, so inevitably the system is then jammed for ages with everyone trying to go through it. In the past I have used a mobile that used to allow me to just redial automatically (Would only take 30 minutes of constant redialling some days), but that mobile died last week, so I'm down to pot luck now.

[lauzjp]

I find it easier to stand outside the doctors waiting for them to open / while on the phone trying to be first in the queue on the phone too (I have on a couple of occassions uttered 'could you open the door please, it's gone 9 )!

Also - my doctor's has 2 surgeries, and both can make appointments for the other. And I've still got the old phone number which still works