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Report transcript in: Accessing GP services during the pandemic: Booking Appointments
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Accessing GP services during the pandemic: Booking Appointments
Please Report the Errrors?
right. There we go.
So
what's your experience of accessing GP services? Been like during the pandemic.
Um, so I've used the,
um I've been in touch with my GP three times since the start of the pandemic.
Um,
and it's been a bit mixed.
To be honest, the once I've been able to, like, get in, it's been fine.
Um, but the first time I tried to get in contact with them,
I actually looked at my like, my phone records afterwards.
And I called them 86 times before. Yeah, before someone picked up.
Um And I don't know whether that's just, like, local to my GP.
Because my GP does same day appointments.
Um, so you ring up when they open at eight.
And if you get through great, and if you don't, you have to try again tomorrow.
Um, but that's always been like that. Not
not just in,
um, not just in the pandemic,
but I think it's been heightened because obviously people aren't going in
everyone's calling. People aren't going in to make an appointment.
Everyone is on the phone.
Um,
yeah. So that was That was a bit of a nightmare.
I did manage to get through and get and luckily get an appointment for the same day,
Um, in the end.
But the the
second I I think I learned from the first time to the 2nd and 3rd time I rang them.
I literally rang them on on the dot At eight o'clock.
Like I I I I press I've learned to press like the phone,
but, like, 10 seconds Wait. So by the time it gets through and talking like,
um, so I'm I'm actually the 2nd and 3rd time I managed to get through, like,
straight away.
Um,
and it's it It's been all right. So the way that it works is that
you kind of tell the receptionist like why you need to
speak to someone and then a GP will ring you back,
um, and then assess you over the phone to see whether they need to see you in person.
But all
I suppose the first time we just spoke over the phone and he treated me over the phone.
The doctor,
um, the 2nd and 3rd time they were they were like, Right, OK, can can you come in?
So it I actually think it's quite a good way to do it because it's like it,
almost like streams,
like streamlines the service so people aren't going in unnecessarily.
And it's not like wasting anyone's time because you can do it.
You can speak to a doctor while you're at home
or while you're in the middle of doing other things
and only go in if you actually really need to. So I I
I I don't know whether that's just like my experience, but then at least,
um
like, yeah, you're not wasting anyone's time And,
like the GP can see, probably see more people because he's not having to do,
um,
like, wait with the people and stuff in between.
Yeah, that's what I thought it was like It was, like, more streamlined like
every this.
It just seems like more like a better use of time when you can do it over the phone.
Yeah, and like I said, they've been really good,
like the time that I rang them and they were like, Right, OK, we can just
deal with this over the phone like I can, like, leave your prescription,
the pharmacy. You can pick it up like they did it.
And then the times when they were like right, we want we want you to come in so we can
see you
like there was no, like, I didn't have to beg anyone to see me or like,
I still felt like I was getting, like, a decent
like service and that they were listening to what my concerns were and
dealt
with it appropriately.
And how did you find it? Like fitting appointments and things around work?
Because I've I've struggled in the past, like when
the doctors have ring rang me back and I've been, like, behind a till at work like,
Yeah, well, one time he did ring me and I was at work, and I missed the phone call,
and I was like, Oh, my gosh, like, I've like, I've lost my appointment,
but he left me a voice mail.
Um, the doctor and he was like, I'll try you again.
Um,
and he literally rang me back, like, half an hour later, like he's not.
I was like, Oh, this is gonna be like now I'm gonna wait until this afternoon.
He rang me again half an hour later and made sure
that my phone was on, so I heard him, so I could just, like, excuse myself.
So, yeah,
that's good.
That's fine.
So do you think like there's been a massive difference
with trying to get hold of GPS and doctors appointments
in the pandemic compared to like out of the pandemic?
Um,
I actually don't think
it's been
like a massive difference if I'm great, like I if I'm honest.
Like I said at the start, my GP has always been same day appointments,
and if I'm completely honest,
it's always been a bit of a nightmare to get hold of them because of that reason,
um,
so it hasn't been too
too different.
Um,
it's obviously
not
ideal in that sense that it does, like
if you're not in front of the queue like they
obviously only have a certain amount of appointments every day.
So
one of the first, however many people that the that
the receptionist answers the phone to, then you have to wait until
like the afternoon for the next lot of appointments to come out or the next day.
Um,
but it's it's not like I've had to wait any time like weeks
and weeks and I've been trying for weeks to get hold of anyone,
and no one's answering the phone.
That's not been the case at all I've been. I've managed to speak to someone
like each time that I've rang on the day that I've rang the first time. So,
no, I don't think it's been too different
because I think if if they if it was
something where you could book something in advance like
it would, it would be a bit of a pain, wouldn't it, like waiting
two weeks for an appointment? If it's something
that you
like
And also, how do you know that you're gonna,
like, need a GP? I think that opens a lot of like,
um,
can of worms, isn't it? But,
uh,
I I'll just book an appointment, like, just in case or whatever,
but at least they let you ring them if you need them
like it's a it's a really necessary thing. It's not just like a
something that you might be worried about.
It's like something that you really do want looking at.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. And I'm I'm not a person.
Like I said, I rang them three times in the last
two years. I'm not a person that,
like rings them for
no reason. I ring them if I like.
If I am worried about something, I do want to talk to someone about something so
well, yeah. Thank you for for sharing your experience.
No, thank you for asking me.
It's OK.
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