Jason Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Ok.. reality has just slapped me in the face! I can't get actually get an appointment with my doctor. When I rang up a 3weeks ago to book an appointment I had a 3 week waiting time - which I was quite shocked at. Unfortunately the doctor was sick that day so my appointment was cancelled - I got a text message that morning. Ok, no problem.. it happens. Thought I'd go into the doctors this morning, with a big smile and a cheeky wink, to get another appointment, hoping I can get one earlier, and I'm told..... "You have to have a telephone consultation with the doctor first". WTF. Is this normal? Maybe she saw that I actually walked from my car, and concluded, along with me not ever seeing my doctor (saw the nurse when I registered), I wasn't really sick. To be fair, there was emergency appointments, but as it's not an emergency it's not fair for me to say it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knock out johnny Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Is this London? GP services are a shambles - I've ranted about this before Too many people, not enough GPs Emergencies are for A&E anything else should be GP - unfortunately A&E has become the walk-in GP centre of choice for many Like I said, utter shambles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted May 27, 2015 Author Share Posted May 27, 2015 No south coast... I can see why A&E is overwhelmed. I don't know what the doc can do over the phone to be honest... apart from say come in, but I'm not waiting weeks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
council dweller Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 You had a lucky escape..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccc Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Anything interesting ? Google can be your friend in all manner of ailments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turned Out Nice Again Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Yes, It's "emergency" phone-backs or wait a month for an appointment at our's. And don't even think about getting sick on Friday afternoon, unless you want to take a sleeping bag and a book (better make it 2 books) to A&E. Luckily, I have a pal who's medically qualified if I need an emergency script. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirGaz Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 I've not managed to see my GP in over 15 years, it used to be on a first come first served basis and even turning up 30 minutes before the so called opening time the gp was already fully booked for the day. Now you have to phone up and the last time I needed to make an appointment it was a three week wait and I could only see whichever 'student' doctor they had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccc Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Time to charge. 1-2 free visits a year and £10 thereafter. Time to provide a decent service for their huge cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turned Out Nice Again Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Time to provide a decent service for their huge cost. That's easily said, but what do you do about the legions of feckwits with untreatable conditions filling surgeries? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccc Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 That's easily said, but what do you do about the legions of feckwits with untreatable conditions filling surgeries? Can't blame many of them. We have posters and ad campaigns all over the place that help to heighten peoples worries. That and people who feel if they have a medical ailment - and pay a fortune in tax / NI - they shouldn't be treated like a timewaster for popping into their local GP a couple of times a year..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyberNat Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 I had to visit the doctors today. Phoned at 8am and got an appointment at 10:25am. That isn't all that unusual here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccc Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 You live in Thurso ^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Cat Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Huge cost? £75 per year per person registered. That is for an unlimited number of appointments. That's less than the TV license, less than what most people spend on their mobile phone. The cost of a single A&E attendance is £120 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyberNat Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 You live in Thurso ^ Kincardine, Fife. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTMark Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Emergencies are for A&E anything else should be GP - unfortunately A&E has become the walk-in GP centre of choice for many The NHS website actively directs you to A & E if you try to locate an NHS Walk-in-Centre in an area which doesn't have one. I suspect that's a poor search algorithm and not deliberate. Time to charge. 1-2 free visits a year and £10 thereafter. "If you can't offer the doctor a shilling, you shouldn't get ill" - a line from Christie's "The Sittaford Mystery" No south coast... I can see why A&E is overwhelmed. I don't know what the doc can do over the phone to be honest... apart from say come in, but I'm not waiting weeks again. As it happens I went to book an appointment with a private GP (prefer not to see an NHS one) - Bupa used to do this in Guildford. They don't any more. Used to do it in Farnham, not any more. After some searching I came across a private practice in Basingstoke. That's closing down. I also came across some other search results most of which were in the Southampton (Bupa have one there) and Portsmouth areas. Might be worth a Google for "Private GP Hampshire". I'm really quite surprised that there isn't at least one private GP practice within at least every ten miles or so. The opposite seems to be happening - they're closing. What gives. I'd have thought demand would be sky high. I can actually get an NHS appointment in a week, but tomorrow I'll have another look around. There has to be a private GP practice somewhere nearer to Farnham in the whole of Surrey and Hampshire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jemmy Button Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Welcome to the age of the immigrants... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Battenberg Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 We can register at our doctors to make appointments online. I've found this much better as I've been able to get in to see the same doctor. The phone service isn't nearly as useful and the receptionists are mainly rude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libspero Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Huge cost? £75 per year per person registered. That is for an unlimited number of appointments. That's less than the TV license, less than what most people spend on their mobile phone. The cost of a single A&E attendance is £120 Yep.. Pay peanuts, get monkeys. Wouldn't be a problem if we didn't have to wrestle our way past them every time we needed some medication. Less prescriptions, more over the counter drugs, minimum £5 doctors appointments to cut out the time wasters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turned Out Nice Again Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Yep.. Pay peanuts, get monkeys. Wouldn't be a problem if we didn't have to wrestle our way past them every time we needed some medication. Less prescriptions, more over the counter drugs, minimum £5 doctors appointments to cut out the time wasters. +1. One of the big problems with medicine in the UK is the presumption of idiocy on the part of the consumers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccc Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Huge cost? £75 per year per person registered. That is for an unlimited number of appointments. That's less than the TV license, less than what most people spend on their mobile phone. The cost of a single A&E attendance is £120 I don't understand what you mean ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karelian Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Time to charge. 1-2 free visits a year and £10 thereafter. That won't make any difference because like everything else the over 60s will be exempt and they are the biggest "consumers" of the NHS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccc Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 That won't make any difference because like everything else the over 60s will be exempt and they are the biggest "consumers" of the NHS. And those who don't work, and get whatever child tax credits or whatever, or are disabled. And every other benefit received known to man... Hence - the only people who will pay at source - are those who already are paying through taxation. Fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyguy Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Huge cost? £75 per year per person registered. That is for an unlimited number of appointments. That's less than the TV license, less than what most people spend on their mobile phone. The cost of a single A&E attendance is £120 Not close. The NHS takes about 30% of all taxes paid. I'll try and remember the source but the cost is in the region of £5k/head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccc Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Not close. The NHS takes about 30% of all taxes paid. I'll try and remember the source but the cost is in the region of £5k/head. That's what I was confused about ^ £75 per person per year for GP services ? Aye right then !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyguy Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Yep.. Pay peanuts, get monkeys. Wouldn't be a problem if we didn't have to wrestle our way past them every time we needed some medication. Less prescriptions, more over the counter drugs, minimum £5 doctors appointments to cut out the time wasters. UK GPs earn 100k/year. Minimum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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