One thing sure to make me rant is bl**dy doctor’s receptionists and crazy rules about when you can or can’t book appointments.
THIS IS WHY MOTHER’s DON’T BOTHER WITH SMEAR TESTS AND SORTING OUT THEIR HEALTH.
‘Please make sure to only discuss one problem at a time with the doctor’ they say. But Oh no, you couldn’t possibly book two appointments if you inconveniently have two things wrong with you.
Because of the whole school run thing, we happen to be a touch busy as everyone else is queueing up outside so when I get to phone: ‘Sorry all the appointments have gone for today’.
‘You CAN book 48hrs in advance’; which is of course always when I’m working. No I couldn’t possibly book 72hrs in advance. And all the appointments for a week in advance have gone.
I want to take my son in to check something, but it’s not urgent enough to keep him off school and I don’t want to make a big deal of it. I’ve tried two days running and still can’t get a bloody appointment.
Last time I went for my back the doctor gave me pain killers, but forgot to put any kind of description as to what to do afterwards, so I have to try and book another appointment, which I’ve been lucky enough to get. But of course I can’t talk about anything else at that appointment, I’ll have to phone tomorrow morning for another appointment. Which I wont get because I’ll be too late, and the 48hr one will be when I’m working. Argggh.
One day someone will die because they miss something serious because they couldn’t book a bl**dy appointment.
Is it so unreasonable to JUST WANT TO SEE A DOCTOR?
I’ve paid my dues. I hardly ever go. I don’t take up much time. I just need a couple of little appointments for me and one for my son.
Last time I saw the doctor he even commented that he hadn’t seen me for a long time. But whenever I mention how difficult it is to book, they just look powerless; who on earth is running their practice, the receptionist/practice manager or the doctor.
All I can say is Bl**dy ridiculous rules and where the h*ll is the common sense?
I know; it is so complicated these days just trying to get an appointment. The worst system I experienced was about a year ago when our surgery decided that you had to ring after 8.30 am to get an appointment (we couldn’t book in advance, we had to call on the day). The problem was it clashed with the school run so by the time I was back and making that phone call, there were no flippin appointments left!! I’m not sure what system they are running at the moment; I try not to go. And as for combining different health worries in one appointment, don’t get me started on that one. I’ve now learnt to ask for a double appointment, particularly for my kids. Deb
Arrgh @deb that’s exactly where I am – 8.30 on the school run! You can’t even get an appointment if you call in nowadays – you need to be standing outside! And we aren’t allowed to book a double appointment – infuriating!!
Do you go to my doctors? When I was pregnant with Fifi I fell really seriously ill with a flu cold thing. I couldn’t get an appointment, I did try. I then decided that it might be better to leave it rather than infect people with my cold as the receptionist had said there was nothing the doctor would do anyhow. In the end I had to make an emergency appointment because I felt so bad. I left the doctors in an ambulance and spent three days in hospital. The doctor told me off for not coming sooner! Now I just make an emergency appointment, is it me or do the majority of people at the doctors when you go appear to have nothing wrong with them anyhow??? Sign…
@claire Oh not that’s awful – so glad that you were OK. Yep I do wonder sometimes – I think that they should do more phone appointments, because I bet a lot of them could be dealt with more quickly.
I completely agree with you. I find bursting into tears works really well and booking double appointments!
LoL @Anya I used that ‘bursting into tears’ option a lot when I was pregnant – have tried with the receptionists, but they are tough man and nothing sways them! Wish I could book a double appointment – might just refuse to leave next time I get in there!
I think it is easy to rationalise if you genuinely believe doctors receptionists are actually agents of Satan – then you can understand why they are like they are!
@northernmum that is a brilliant tip and I will make sure to remember it ;o)
I think you all need to remember that it isn’t the receptionist who decides how many appointments a doctor will have each day ….. that’s the doctors choice and when a receptionist comes into work n the diary message put on it for that day says …. NO EXTRAS OR SQUEEZE INS WHATSOEVER TODAY …… it is not the receptionist being awkward when they say they can not fit you in….. it’s the doctors orders …. and they are our bosses …. take it up with them NOT THE RECEPTIONIST FOLLOWING THEIR BOSSES ORDERS!!!!!
Hi Sam
I appreciate that may be the situation in your practice, and therefore this may seem unfair. However, it was very clear from what the Dr said in my practice that it was not in their hands – maybe it’s the practice manager or Dr’s higher up setting the rules. It wasn’t the lack of fitting me in, it was the way the rules work which make it difficult to book in advance – there are some situations which don’t need to be fitted in today, but it would be great to make an appointment that week – that’s what I was talking about. Maybe when you read this you assumed I was doing the general complaint about not being able to get an appointment on the day, however if you read it again, especially this sentence, you’ll see that this was not the case …
“You CAN book 48hrs in advance’; which is of course always when I’m working. No I couldn’t possibly book 72hrs in advance. And all the appointments for a week in advance have gone”
I wrote this a long time ago and was clear it was a rant – I don’t often rant, but I am human and was at the time very stressed – as you’ll see from later posts I was diagnosed with a potentially terminal illness.