presta
Legendary Member
They put up armoured glass at ours shortly after it was taken over by Virgin.
NHS Appointments : Good News!
- Thread starter PK99
- Start date
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They put up armoured glass at ours shortly after it was taken over by Virgin.
Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
With decent IT and processes in place they could do the clinical need way of scheduling appointments. But wouldn't surprise me if some are pissing around with noddy Excel or Access databases or pen and paper.
Accy cyclist
Legendary Member
- Location
- The hills of Accrington
I'm allowed to ask for appointments after mid-day!
How is that so some may ask, when they have to phone and hope from about 8am till 8.30am. Well, every now and then the local medical group gets slagged off big style on the local Facebook gossip, trivial info, missing cats. takeaway recommendations etc page. Many posters say some really nasty things about some doctors and their receptionists. I always defend those doctors and receptionists, even if they maybe are a bit deserving of such comments! I especially defend those tyrannical receptionists some might say are indefensible. This results in them remembering my 'kind' comments, so If I want a doctor appointment which doesn't happen very often, I ask for a PM one and ask in person not over the phone in the afternoons, usually resulting in me being given one for either the following afternoon or an afternoon later in the week. Some might say that doctors and their receptionists aren't allowed to bear a grudge against any patients, no matter what that patient thinks or says about them. Technically that may be so, but I bet when one of those 'gobby' Facebook posters ask for an appointment the doctor or receptionist slagged off by that Facebook poster will think on looking at their name "Oh! It's that effing #@@t and put them to the back of the queue, whereas when I ask in person they'll think "Oh, it's that nice Mr @@@@ who always defends us, give him an afternoon appointment and don't keep him waiting either"!!
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fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
Shame the GP Survey reminder landed in my in-box this evening. Nil points !
Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
Was it a reminder that you still have a GP?
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
I dunno, he's retired !
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
Ah - that is actually an explanation that makes a certain amount of sense!
When my local health centre reception told me that I could not make an appointment at the counter they gave no reason as to why not.
Mind you, an abusive person would probably get just as abusive after being told "Sorry, you will have to phone for an appointment" as they would after being told "Sorry, you will have to wait 3 weeks to be seen"?
I have battled my way through several different apps to find one that lets me request appointments online. The appointment sections of some are not connected. Now, I fill in a little questionnaire explaining what is what, and at some point the health centre get back to me. A doctor triages these requests so the speed of reply is related to urgency.
BoldonLad
Not part of the Elite
- Location
- South Tyneside
Our GP Surgery is hopeless, no other word for it. Their telephone system is useless, with a queuing system which appears to work by always starting you as 5th in the queue, then, when you get to 2nd in the queue (typically about 15 minutes), it disconnects the call. It does not appear possible to get a "face to face" with a GP, without first going through the farce of a telephone appointment. The telephone appointments are booked in 3 hour "blocks", so, unless you wish to discuss your medical condition in public, you potentially have to wait by the phone, at home, for potentially 2hr:50min. They use two possible Apps (Patient Access and NHS App). It would appear that their reception staff have no training in either App, a common response when asking (say) "why does the App say prescription request refused by GP, when it has not been declined" is "I have no idea". I consider myself fortunate in that I am have a Laptop and Smart Phone, and, am reasonably competent at using both, how on earth the less fortunate Elderly or Vulnerable cope, I shudder to think. They even appear unable to administer and issue repeat prescriptions for long term medication.
rualexander
Legendary Member
We used to (for about a year or so) be able to request an appointment by doing an online form via the practice website but they scrapped that about two years ago.
No explanation as to why they scrapped it. Presume too time consuming for triage doctor. 🙄
Kingfisher101
Veteran
You should have gone straight to A and E regarding your pelvis as its for them to xray you. Its not for the G.P. The Physio should also have told you to go straight there. This is your fault not the G.Ps. But I hope you get better soon.
With dentists you have to pay now and its been like that for years. Most people I know are in the dentists plan.
- Location
- Glasgow
Incorrect: one should phone 111 to get directed to the right Xray location.
I would say minor injuries in @fossyant's case, but one needs to phone 111 first - here in Scotland
In Scotland the GP issues Xray requests for the patient to take to the nearest hospital that does walk in imaging services.
The GP does not need to see you face to face in order to issue an Xray request.
My GP practice is disastrous, they keep sending text messages that for some reason or other there are no appointments.
They are also quite rude, doctors and receptionists alike.
A couple of years ago, I asked for my first appointment in maybe 5 years, the GP didn't show!
Now that I have discovered that one can get antibiotics from the chemist - I am prone to chest infections, I get one every few years - I don't have a reason to see a GP.
Should I get really sick, I'll Google a remedy, it will be faster than trying to get an appointment
Chris S
Legendary Member
- Location
- Birmingham
But did you get an appointment with a doctor or a 'medical practioner'?
My practice also has several GP Registrars (trainee GPs). My only experience with one was not good but not from her overlooking but rather over caution. Started when having trouble swallowing. GP registrar checked and reported finding a lump on my liver. Full body CT scan and referral to cancer specialist and loads of blood tests.
Cancer consultant checked me and what GP registrar found was my liver not a lump on my liver. Tests all clear and negative but GP registrar wouldn't clear me and wanted to do more tests. Load more blood tests, urine tests, she even wanted to refer me to hospital different department but said they'd probably reject the referral as definitive CT scan was clear, etc. In the end I had to request a "2nd opinion" from a GP at the practice to ask the testing be stopped and that I be given the all clear (I wanted to head on cycle tour in EU and all clear needed for travel insurance).
I didn't complain, didn't raise anything negative about GP registrar as all GPs have to learn and having raised it with a full GP I'm sure it would be reviewed appropriately as part of her training. And she was entirely acting in my best interests. Better over cautions than overlooking warning signs.
But I still felt really guilty taking all that NHS resource when I had nothing wrong even though it was outside my control.
Ian
Cancer consultant checked me and what GP registrar found was my liver not a lump on my liver. Tests all clear and negative but GP registrar wouldn't clear me and wanted to do more tests. Load more blood tests, urine tests, she even wanted to refer me to hospital different department but said they'd probably reject the referral as definitive CT scan was clear, etc. In the end I had to request a "2nd opinion" from a GP at the practice to ask the testing be stopped and that I be given the all clear (I wanted to head on cycle tour in EU and all clear needed for travel insurance).
I didn't complain, didn't raise anything negative about GP registrar as all GPs have to learn and having raised it with a full GP I'm sure it would be reviewed appropriately as part of her training. And she was entirely acting in my best interests. Better over cautions than overlooking warning signs.
But I still felt really guilty taking all that NHS resource when I had nothing wrong even though it was outside my control.
Ian
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
I had already been in A&E six weeks earlier. They said no break, so suspecting it might be still broken, I spoke to the GP practice as advised by my physio as we have no walk in centres up round where I live. I ended up rocking up in A&E again because the receptionist basically said 'feck off'. A&E then did another xray, nothing seen. I'd also showed physio email suspecting a hip fracture. They then decided to CT scan (bear in mind I'd been walking up and down the hospital). Then the shoot hit the fan.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
I never rock up to A&E unless properly broken. Seen too many folk with minor cuts in there. Last time I went straight to resus and spent about 7 weeks in hospital. I went to the GP as I felt fine, suspected a hairline fracture - how the heck was I walking with one stick or up and down stairs, I didn't think A&E was needed at all. Took about 8 hours in A&E on my second visit to find out I was screwed. I'd been walking around the place.
I saw a GP just before covid hit, been coughing weeks etc etc, couldn't ride bike, so tired. Sent straight away from the practice to Xray. I'd assume this still applied. PS got Covid early !
I saw a GP just before covid hit, been coughing weeks etc etc, couldn't ride bike, so tired. Sent straight away from the practice to Xray. I'd assume this still applied. PS got Covid early !