Doctors appointments

NotTooOld - it is absolutely wrong in principle that a receptionist should ask why you wish to see the doctor. Totally unacceptable.

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Some people do waste GP's time by presenting with multiple problems and wanting to discuss them as ad nauseam.

If I have more than one thing to see our doctor about, I say so as I sit down. He's never said 'hard luck, you can only mention one'. It makes sense as the complaints may have a root cause.

When we phone our surgery for an appointment the receptionist always asks what the problem is. DH and I have learned to overstate our case just so we don't get fobbed off with the nurse. On the other hand, if it is something we know the nurse can deal with (that's not much in the case of our particular nurse) we ask for a nurse's appointment.

My previous GP had a notice in the waiting room advising patients that at each appointment only one issue would be dealt with. Luckily my present practice has no such restriction, though they do say that appointments will be for just 10 minutes which is 'more honoured in the breach than the observance'.

There are signs in our GP's waiting room stating that appointments are 10 mins duration. I have made a double appointment on a couple of occasions but they are so busy you have to wait about 10 days for them to fit this in.
Surgery starts at 8.30 am

I'd heard about only presenting the Dr. with one problem per visit in the UK.
I went to ours this morning at 9.30 and there were 10 people before me
Got out at 11.30 . I said to him - I've come with 2 problems, is that OK? and he laughed. He's very kind, but I can hardly hear a word he says, he has a very quiet voice (though I'm deaf.)
Got to go back tomorrow for an injection so will try to get there by 8.30.

Our surgery experimented with walk in clinics in the mornings but apparently they were a victim of their own success.
I had a persistent cough recently and went into the surgery as I was passing to make an appointment. All she could offer me was one in three weeks time?? She suggested that I went to our walk in centre or rang in the morning for an emergency appointment. I said it was not really an emergency and would a cough get past the triage? " Just say it's something private when they ask you what's wrong," she said "you will get past the triage that way!!" How bizarre.
There is a facility for online appointments but these are sparse as I suspect people book them up in advance and then cancel if they don't need them.
I went and bought some stronger cough medicine and didn't bother the doctor.
It's no wonder people get really ill and end up in A&E.

Author It also rather begs the question that you're supposed to know whether your symptoms are/are not linked. You could have several symptoms, which together indicate a specific problem, but if you only mention one or two they may not lead to a correct diagnosis. Many patients would be unsure of which symptoms are relevant and 'worth' mentioning.

I think you make a double appointment. They are approved of at our surgery.

In checking the date for my review on my repeat prescription the other day, I came across a rather disturbing new note at the top. It stated that you should remember that you only have 10 minutes maximum for any appointment and not to bring a list of complaints as you can only be seen for a single complaint. So what happens when you have a chronic earache and them find aa painless lump in your breast? Are you supposed to self diagnose as to which is the more important? I found this missive extremely disturbing and it spoke volumes of how the NHS has turned into Big Brother, deciding in advance how our health should be managed.

Probably something to do with their quotas...

With all the talk about the difficulty in getting appointments we were a bit surprised to get a phone call from our surgery today. They just wanted to know how DH is as he hasn't been in for a while! Actually he avoids the place like the plague if he can and does most thingd through the hospital consultant.

Note: should have said my practice is in Northern Ireland.

At my go practice we can make our appointments on line with doctors or practice nurse. Alternatively we also have a walk in 3 mornings each week. (With a long wait).

Though apparently there were two others in town that closed down a few years ago. So they have been culled.

This one's still open. In fact, I've just checked their website, and they give details of another clinic nearby that has a walk in service from 0800h to 1800h on weekends and Bank Holidays only.

I thought there was talk of closing the walk in clinics down?

Most seem to in our area, TriciaF. I can't say when ours is now as I'm lucky enough to need the doctor rarely. It used to be Saturday and Tuesday mornings. I remember once hobbling in on a Saturday when I injured my foot while I was helping at a charity stall down the road from the surgery. TBH though, I can think of better things to be doing than hanging around collecting other people's germs for a couple of hours! There are also walk in only clinics - we have one in our nearest town that's open till 1830h Monday to Friday. And of course pharmacies offer an advice service for minor ailments - some are open till midnight. I've found them very useful.

That sounds like my old job Tricia. Open for an hour each morning with a no appointment system and people used to turn up and have a jolly good natter with everyone. It changed to appointments only for a while and then a year or so ago closed down completely. We'd had a surgery in the village for over 70 years but were told it was no longer cost effective and patients had to travel to the main surgery 6 or so miles away . I'd imagine that some rural surgeries still do the same; there was one a few miles away that used to open at the crack of dawn for all of the local farmers.

Do any UK doctors have sessions where you just turn up and wait?
Our's does (France) and I find that the best way. I go in the morning and the waiting room fills up with mostly "oldies" (sorry!) like me in various stages of decrepitude. People live to a good age here.
Our doctor is very patient, I think he specialises with older people.
He has a receptionist but she's only there for an hour each morning.

But whatever was meant by the recorded message, it was capable of different interpretations. That is unacceptable and is why a complaint should be made and the message clarified

I get where louisamay is coming from.
I will tell my story again. I had been seen by a doctor who said that the wart thing on my face would have to be paid for privately if I wanted it removed. And I was to come back again to find out prices and times etc. After 3 months, I decided to go down this route.
If I had had to speak to a receptionist first, maybe I would have been seen by a nurse at some point, and got an appointment for removal at some point? Or even had it removed by a nurse?

Instead what happened was that I was seen by a second doctor, who was so concerned that I might have localised secondary cancer, that I was urged to follow up my consultant appointment, if the apointment had not come though in 3 working days.
I was seen by a consultant and had it removed, all within two weeks of the second doctor's appointment. The sample was sent to the lab, and all was ok.

A patient often has trouble telling a doctor symptoms, let alone a receptionist. And a patient and receptionist cannot diagnose well as regards urgency. Even doctors themselves can get that wrong on occasion.

It is not the receptionist who decides who the patient sees it is the Doctors and Nurses. If the patient says they have a sore throat then that is something the minor illness nusrse can deal with. If the patient says they have a bad pain in their stomach then they may well see the Doctor.

But it is the receptionist you are talking to - in my experience they don't then turn to someone who is medically qualified to get guidance about who to make the appointment with. They make the appointment. So surely it is they who are making that judgement call?

I agree with Maggiemaybe. It's not a case of delaying treatment. More likely to be.....if it is really urgent we'll try and squeeze you in sooner. Or perhaps a few appointments are held over daily for urgent appointments.