(Untitled)

[vampire_kitten]

I hate my doctors.

The uni is currently bugging me to get a new sick note - my last one ran out on 1st March.
I tried for days to call (kept hitting receptionists lunch break) then gave up on the phone to go in. Was told that there were no bookable appointments and I have to call up on 8:30 in the morning on the day I want an appointment.
Today,

Comments

[footnotetoplato]

That is quite incredibly rubbish on their part.

I'm really sorry you have to put up with that.

[vampire_kitten]

I know. I'd be tempted to make a fuss and force them to sort it out, but experience trying that with this practise is that it takes and lot of energy and doesn't get you much better service.

[anotherusedpage]

Ohgod love I'm so sorry they're still being shit.

*hugs*

[vampire_kitten]

It's so frustrating that they are a source of additional massive stress, rather than a supportive service.

[delta_mike]

*warmhug*

Do you have a local person good at phone-talking / morning starts that you can delegate appointment-acquisition to?

[vampire_kitten]

Nope. Everyone else in the house have left for work by the time the surgery is open.

I'm going to try Rhys forcing me up/ going in person on Monday. I've got nothing on all day, so I can just sit there until they can squeeze me in if there are no appointments left.

[brightlywoven]

This is incredibly shit, and a problem in many places.

(explanation not justification below, which doesn't make this any less shit).
________________________
One of the reasons for it is the practices are penalised if they do not have a certain number of 'on the day' appointments (because patient surveys show that's what patients want). The proportion is so high that the remaining ones get booked out a long time in advance. This means that all the remaining ones go in this *stupid* lottery, and you have the choice between saying 'yes I can wait x weeks' or saying 'it's an emergency I must be seen today'.
So this is the NHS delivering what people demand, at the expense of what can actually be delivered.

[vampire_kitten]

Also reinforcing - with no advance appointments available, patients are told you need an appointment in two weeks, call up that morning and get one then. They then don't get an appointment leading for them to call for more on the day appointments so they can get one.

[brightlywoven]

Precisely. It's gob-smackingly stupid. I read these GPs in forums complaining about things they thought were 'not urgent' coming in for on the day appointments, and it's so facepalmingly frustrating. grrr. (Your practice does sound to be doing it even worse by not letting you book TWO WEEKS in advance.)

[vampire_kitten]

At one point, just before Christmas, you couldn't get appointment for <5 weeks notice other than on the day. And then they would ask "is it an emergency? could this wait until a later date?!"