Gp Appointment Allocation

[jd_1984]

If the system at your local GP surgery is the same as mine... i.e - You ring in from 8.30am and are allocated an appointment with the next available GP at the next available time slot. Does this system bother you at all?

I had to go to the doctors 4 times last year with the same issue. Each time a different doctor and each time different feedback and approach to treatment.

I would take more comfort seeing the same doctor if going back with the same symptoms. But it is simply not set up that way at our doctors and quite often when you sit talking to the doctor, everything he needs to know is in my medical history and you spend 80% of the consultation repeating yourself to a new doctor.

I have to say every doctor is great at our surgery and in the end we managed to get to the bottom of why I wasnt feeling too good. But I havent seen "my own GP" in years now, infact cant remember the last time that I saw the same doctor consecutively.......

Perhaps I am being naive in even thinking that if you saw the doctor that you saw last time he would even remember who you are..... But if he was the one who, for instance sent you for tests and said "come back and see us in a month" i would like to see HIM/HER in a month....

[sherrardk]

If you need to go back in a month, can't you set an appointment some time in advance to ensure you see the doctor that you wish to see?

[DaisyNonna]

Luckily I am always asked which doctor I would like to see

[AlwaysConfused]

Unless it is urgent, I'd have to wait about 2 1/2 weeks for an appointment. Wish I could afford to go private.

[baza]

ours does phone up on the day, but you can pre book a particular doctor in advance, it might be 2 or 3 weeks but you do get to see the one you want.

[Mamyalynne]

If on leaving the GP'e room they saw come back in a month, then I can make that appointment on the way out, seeing that same doctor again (barring illnesses etc) same day appointments are first come first served from 8am via telephone.
Routine/non urgent appointments can be booked online with a Doctor of your choice, subject to their availability.

[DaisyNonna]

Mine is NHS and if I need BP or Blood test can choose which nurse.

[China Doll]

You can phone at that time in the morning for an emergency appointment at my practice which means you'll see a doc but you don't have a choice in who you see. Otherwise I can make an appointment to see my own GP in a few weeks time if it's non urgent.

[EvianBaby]

They see so many people I wouldn't expect them to remember each persons history anyway.

[rockyracoon]

I just changed dr's surgery because of this, (and the fact that there is only ever locums), that way of doing appointments is okay if it's an emergency but not for something routine.

[Bbbananas]

That's the process at my surgery if you want an appointment the same day. But there should also be slots that can be booked in advance, if the problem isn't urgent or yiu do wish to see a specific doctor,

[jd_1984]

I was told if if I had been asked back for review, I cant guarantee the doctor that sent me for tests originally. My info was added to my history and any doctor is qualified and can discuss with me. Its pot luck on the morning you make the appointment. They offered me a phone appointment if it was to discuss results, but again no guarantee it would be the doctor that sent me for tests.

[Maydup]

The 8.30am system is enough to put me off going. But once in the system I think we can book an advance appointment with the same doctor. As your example, you have the test and book an appointment for next month now with the same doctor. No need to wait until the day and ring in the morning.

[marval]

At our doctors you have to phone up AT 8 o'clock and hope you get an appointment. I can't pre book in advance, I have to see the doctor I saw last time, but I can only ring up on the days she is there, and hope to get to see her.

[Sharingan]

Our Doctors are totally walk in. You turn up, get a disc number they tell you roughly what time they think you'll be in and you can clear off with it again until you're allocated time. If things are running early they'll give you a ring. You know which Dr you're going to get because ours work on certain days, so Thursday it's Dr A, Friday it's Dr B. You can't make appointments in advance, hence you can always see the Dr of your choice. It's a really good system.

[Traci66]

Ringing at 8.30 am would only work on two days of the week here as our surgery is open two mornings and two afternoons a week, I have only ever managed to get emergency appointments when the kids were little.

[boxtops]

It suits me fine - I don't think it matters who I see, if I need a doctor I need a doctor. Some of ours don't stay long enough for anyone to build up a relationship with them.

[sherrardk]

I like three of the four doctors at our surgery (the other is a hag). Our appointment problem is complicated by the fact that the village surgery is only open in the morning OR afternoon so sometimes you have to go to the main surgery in town.

[sunny-dave]

We have a triage system - you ring in & request a callback.

One of the duty GPs phones you back to discuss your problem and will make an appointment if you need to see a GP or a nurse - or arrange for a prescription to be ready for you to collect if necessary, or book tests or whatever. It takes a bit of getting used to, but I actually like it very much as a system.

It's very efficient and (once you learn the right time of day to ring in - ie not first thing on a Monday morning) very quick to get the callback.

Appointments are nearly always available the same day with 'a doctor' or you can wait a bit longer to see 'my doctor'.

[gness]

My surgery has the same system as Dave's. I was unsure to begin with but it works very well for me as I am retired. Not sure how it would be if I was working and not able to speak to the doctor when he was free to call me.

[woofgang]

Ours do a hybrid system. If you can wait, then you can choose who you see. Urgent requests are phone triaged by a doctor or nurse, they have a cover rota. The triage doc and nurse also do the majority the urgent appointments. The last time I needed to see the doc I had a lump in the roof of my mouth which wasn't going away. I spoke to a doc at 10.00 and was in there being seen at 10.40. If the doc says come back in a month then you can make an appointment to see the same doc and they also seem to have some sort of list or flag system of people who MUST be seen fast if they call.
I think it works pretty well by and large.