G P surgeries hiding appointments

[ballbag]

I've found the NHS to be amazing having had two near death experiences over the last decade myself. But the GP practice has been shite after the hospital stays. I blame the govt. Not the staff.

 

[Kirkstall Blue]

Because my daughter knows the GP I recently had a home visit from an old school doctor who is retiring soon I was referred by the GP to our local hospital “Urology” the appointment was cancelled.
They referred to a private hospital in Liverpool was seen by the head of Urology at our local hospital, who promptly referred me back to our General hospital.
A consultant there very nice man referred me to the latest thing what they call a “hot clinic” where I will see a nurse practitioner.
Finally sorted I can now ring the “hot clinic” on the urology ward anytime for an appointment :)
Thats not including a follow up appointment for 30th October just been cancelled

 

[cleavers]

Bizarre that it’s at random as to which practices use it.

I don’t use them often, fortunately, but generally I’ve found making an appointment for 10 days time fine with my doctors.

They do limit it to 3 a year via the app though to stop hypochondriacs from filling the diary.

If you go to the surgery to make an appointment, it'll be at least a month before you get one.

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

If you go to the surgery to make an appointment, it'll be at least a month before you get one.

Not sure I’ve tried since I was at school!

 

[SilverFox2]

I wonder if the NHS is too big an area of population to be efficient for all its customers?

Been in Spain now for 8 years so can remember how difficult getting through to a surgery could be even then.

Here our medical care is split into autonomous regions so eg Andalucia (where I live) is different (including funding) from say Murcia.

I have to say it operates well with our surgery having zero admin staff and all computer work (computer fully integrated with pharmacy and hospital) done by the doc or nurse.
There is a main Admin in our local City has 3 or 4 people to deal with changes of address, new applications and card mixups or complaints etc..

If hospital referral the doctor finds a slot and books it there and then. If no slots the hospital texts us with an appointment.

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

I wonder if the NHS is too big an area of population to be efficient for all its customers?

Been in Spain now for 8 years so can remember how difficult getting through to a surgery could be even then.

Here our medical care is split into autonomous regions so eg Andalucia (where I live) is different (including funding) from say Murcia.

I have to say it operates well with our surgery having zero admin staff and all computer work (computer fully integrated with pharmacy and hospital) done by the doc or nurse.
There is a main Admin in our local City has 3 or 4 people to deal with changes of address, new applications and card mixups or complaints etc..

If hospital referral the doctor finds a slot and books it there and then. If no slots the hospital texts us with an appointment.

The NHS is broken down into smaller regional trusts. The issue is the computer system is archaic.

I went for a follow up appointment to having bowel surgery and the consultant I saw didn’t know I had had an operation. It was the same hospital too.

I then had a scan to make sure everything was healing as it should and it took 18 months to get a follow up appointment from that.

The admin side here is dreadful at the moment.

 

[SilverFox2]

The NHS is broken down into smaller regional trusts. The issue is the computer system is archaic.

I went for a follow up appointment to having bowel surgery and the consultant I saw didn’t know I had had an operation. It was the same hospital too.

I then had a scan to make sure everything was healing as it should and it took 18 months to get a follow up appointment from that.

The admin side here is dreadful at the moment.

Recently my wife saw our doc re hip problems. He booked her xray for an appointment 3 days later. She was seen and xrayed within 10 mins of arrival then got her results via telephone from her doctor 2 days later.
Conversely I had to wait 8 months for my cataract operation. They apologized blaming other regions poaching their local hospital trained surgeons.
I have to say our computer system is very good and efficient with for example 6 monthly blood tests taken only on Wednesdays but comprehensive results available for printoff on that week's Friday.

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

Recently my wife saw our doc re hip problems. He booked her xray for an appointment 3 days later. She was seen and xrayed within 10 mins of arrival then got her results via telephone from her doctor 2 days later.
Conversely I had to wait 8 months for my cataract operation. They apologized blaming other regions poaching their local hospital trained surgeons.
I have to say our computer system is very good and efficient with for example 6 monthly blood tests taken only on Wednesdays but comprehensive results available for printoff on that week's Friday.

To be fair, I got a copy of my scan results that had been sent to my doctor, so I had seen that there wasn’t anything too untoward on them, so I didn’t chase my follow up appointment too hard.

Following this appointment, I got a colonoscopy done within 2 weeks for further checks.

It seems to be a bit of the luck of the draw involved in how quickly things happen. It’ll be to lower the overall median waiting list times in time for the next election.

 

[blue b4 the moon]

The NHS is broken down into smaller regional trusts. The issue is the computer system is archaic.

I went for a follow up appointment to having bowel surgery and the consultant I saw didn’t know I had had an operation. It was the same hospital too.

I then had a scan to make sure everything was healing as it should and it took 18 months to get a follow up appointment from that.

The admin side here is dreadful at the moment.

Having left your surgery just shy of 18 months ago, I know how slow/poor the service is. It got to the point I just didn't bother and suffered with whatever I had rather than wait forever, see a Dr/phone appt, chase up my results, not get a call back from the Dr etc etc.

Since moving to the Wyre coast I've only (apart from covid/flu vacs & a general health check when signing up) had to contact my new surgery once. Nearly fell off the chair, phone answered before I swallowed my mouthful of tea & told come into the surgery in 15 mins, I live a 5 min walk away.

Once inside there were two patents and myself, I was seen both by the Dr and a partner for a second opinion and out in 20 mins after feeling like a person and no medical books looked through or boxes ticked to refer me somewhere else. Now that experience & turnaround maybe could have been a fluke, training a new Dr, lucky call which filled a cancelled appointment but was chalk & cheese compared to Royton.

 

[I'm With Stupid]

The NHS is broken down into smaller regional trusts. The issue is the computer system is archaic.

I went for a follow up appointment to having bowel surgery and the consultant I saw didn’t know I had had an operation. It was the same hospital too.

I then had a scan to make sure everything was healing as it should and it took 18 months to get a follow up appointment from that.

The admin side here is dreadful at the moment.

Maybe those pesky middle managers and bureaucrats that everyone always wants firing did something after all.