The 8am rush for a GP appointment

[mc2fool]

it's on your GP's systems (and there are a variety of those), not the NHS's. .

That presumably accounts for the variability of experience in what's available and what isn't. Thus if Patient Access and the others are set up to be able to access all possible options, there will be some which aren't available.

That may be part of it, but as I went on to say, what's available is also determined by your GP practice's policies. E.g. some folks up-thread have talked of using Patient Access to send a message to their GP, but my practice has decided not to allow that, and if I click on Messages in PA I get, "Sorry, your practice does not offer this service", and a similar message if I try it in the NHS app. And in general for your medical record PA says:

"Please note, your GP practice manages your online access to your medical record and some information may have been restricted from view by your GP practice. You have a legal right to access the information in your record. If you think that there is information missing or you need more information, please contact your GP practice."

The thing I know is missing from my online record -- 'cos they used to be there but were withdrawn a decade or so ago -- is the doctor's notes from a consultation. I suspect they had too much grief from patients reading them and getting upset when they didn't like what their GP had noted ...

[tjh290633]

I use SystmOnline for repeat prescriptions. It says that you have to allow extra time if a review is needed. There is an added complication because of Lloyd's Pharmacy way of making up prescriptions in Ruislip, which means that ideally you need to apply 6 or 7 days in advance to be safe.

If I need a consultation I use eConsult which guarantees a response by the end of the working day. That may be a call to give you a face to face appointment the same or the following day or a phone conversation with a GP or a practice nurse, as appropriate.

I have never used Livi, which is the fallback system in our practice.

TJH

[XFool]

All this NHS IT integration seems to have a way to go.

My GP keeps on sending text messages to my mobile with a URL link, reminding me to get my Spring COVID vaccine. Meanwhile, following a similar message from the NHS earlier in the year I already had my vaccine on 16 May, which is shown in my medical records.

[Alaric]

I read recently that this practice of making everyone call at 8am to get an appointment was to end..

Wasn't that a self inflicted problem going back as far as Tony Blair?

It's in the nature of many medical procedures that you have to come back "later" to see how well or badly it performed. Logically then you want to be able to book appointments for some future date. For some insane reason possibly related to a target for waiting times, some practices or hospitals removed the facility to book ahead, leading to a scrum to book when appointment slots were released.

[jaizan]

I read recently that this practice of making everyone call at 8am to get an appointment was to end. Not at my surgery it hasn't.

Phone at 8:00 am ?

What luxury ! My local GP sees the first 16 people who queue up outside the surgery. So there they are, queueing from 7:45 am or earlier, OUTSIDE in all weathers.

The GP is supposed to show up at 8:30 am, but despite having a 500 hp car, he was 15 minutes late on my last visit. I gather this is common.

He sees the first 16 people and the rest are told to naff off.

The GPs work at 2 surgeries, both of which get poor review scores of about 1.8 on Google maps. A few years ago, I got the timetables for both surgeries and the doctors spend 16 hours facing patients in the surgery per week.

What's wrong with GPs facing patients in the surgery for 37~40 hours per week, as a normal professional would ?

I think there's some gaming of the system as well. Rather than just e-mail test results to you, with a recommendation for a follow up appointment or not, they use another appointment for the result.

This resembles something from the Soviet Union, which was also fond of state controlled monopolies, where the consumer has no choice.

[Lootman]

What's wrong with GPs facing patients in the surgery for 37~40 hours per week, as a normal professional would ?

This resembles something from the Soviet Union, which was also fond of state controlled monopolies, where the consumer has no choice.

There is a large NHS GP practice near me (22 GPs plus supporting staff). Most of them work part-time and take weeks at a time off during school holidays. More than 50% are women with kids and many of the others are foreign.

If you visited there 6 times you would probably see 6 different GPs and half of them would be locums.

I also have a private GP who will see me next day and works 40 hours a week. You do have a choice, if you pay.

[servodude]

What's wrong with GPs facing patients in the surgery for 37~40 hours per week, as a normal professional would ?

Telling self employed people what hours they should keep probably wouldn't go down to well outside of communist areas?

[Dod101]

WE have a repeat prescription service on a dedicated telephone number.

As for an 8 am queue; that simply does not exist with us. We need to call before 10 am and after a brief triage, I have been put on a list for a doc to call me back some time that day. If he sees the need he will call me to an appointment at the surgery later that day.

I find they are very good. In fact I had a test for a UTI and the doc called me on my mobile at 6.15 on Friday evening to tell that I did indeed have one. The next day being Saturday he would put a prescription through the door of the chemist so that I could pick up the prescription on the Saturday morning. Sure enough, I had the prescription with me by 10 am the following day.

Semi rural north of the central belt in Scotland.

Dod

[XFool]

I read recently that this practice of making everyone call at 8am to get an appointment was to end. Not at my surgery it hasn't.

Phone at 8:00 am ?

What luxury ! My local GP sees the first 16 people who queue up outside the surgery. So there they are, queueing from 7:45 am or earlier, OUTSIDE in all weathers.

The GP is supposed to show up at 8:30 am, but despite having a 500 hp car, he was 15 minutes late on my last visit. I gather this is common.

He sees the first 16 people and the rest are told to naff off.

The GPs work at 2 surgeries, both of which get poor review scores of about 1.8 on Google maps. A few years ago, I got the timetables for both surgeries and the doctors spend 16 hours facing patients in the surgery per week.

What's wrong with GPs facing patients in the surgery for 37~40 hours per week, as a normal professional would ?

I think there's some gaming of the system as well. Rather than just e-mail test results to you, with a recommendation for a follow up appointment or not, they use another appointment for the result.

Privacy? Normal email is not a secure medium.

This resembles something from the Soviet Union, which was also fond of state controlled monopolies, where the consumer has no choice.

Certainly sounds very old fashioned! A bit like it used to be at my GP's clinic about five or ten years ago. They have gone electronic since then. I neither visit my surgery or phone for an appointment - if I did they would likely tell me to go away. It is handled via the online triage system (OK you still may have to get in early in the day). Appointments are then made or arranged via text message, with a surgery appointment if deemed necessary. Results of tests can usually be seen via medical records on line. Regular prescriptions reordered by myself online, sent electronically to chemist by GP and picked up by me.

Currently, an issue seems to be the very divergent approach adopted by differing GP practices.