NHS queues? Not in our surgery!
The modern purpose built health centre is about 500 yards from our house. The repeat prescriptions and appointments can be booked on line. Medicines collected from in house pharmacy. Only down side we have found, is if its urgent attention you need you have to sit on phone at 9 am and keep trying to get through for that day.
Does it work? I'd booked appointments for us both on line last week. Monday at 9.00 I left the house on my bike. I logged in on the auto system screen as the only person in the waiting room, and was seen promptly for annual medicine review. Husband left house at 9.05 and walked down the lane. I met him in reception where he was one of 3 people in there, discussed leaving him my bike while I walked back as he looked a bit "sweaty". He was called in early as I had been so quick and he was "registered" us being present.
I walked home and was sitting taking off my shoes at 9.25 when he appeared with a prescription in his hand. All done and dusted.
So there we were at 9.30 having completed our major task of the day wondering what to do next. Also wondering if our NHS experience was unusual as every news broadcast is so full of doom and gloom about appointments!
Brilliant service, our NHS is wonderful, despite the problems mostly due to lack of funds.
ReplyDeleteThe surgery where we used to live and where youngest still lives and the surgery where son lives have changed over to the triage system where you cant book in advance but have to phone and get triaged to see the doctor or nurse on the same day or just speak to someone. It is supposed to stop missed appointments. I hope my surgery doesn't change to this but I expect they will sometime
ReplyDeleteDon't fancy that at all. cost of calls alone! Forgot to say our surgery also texts you when an appointment is made and texts when order repeat prescriptions are ready to collect!
DeleteThat's unheard of where I live. I had an appointment last week at 8.45. I had to book in advance as it wasn't 'urgent' and the soonest I could be seen was in 3 weeks time. I saw the doctor at 9.05, so she was already running 20 minutes late, despite only starting 15 minutes before my appointment time.We were discussing GP surgeries at the allotment on Monday, and it is the same story at many surgeries across the area.
ReplyDeleteWe have the same excellent service from our GP practice so your NHS experience in my experience is not unusual, we receive reminders by text for appointments Apart from a couple of years, I have been with them since my teens, not only the doctors, but also the nursing and other ancillary staff are most pleasant and helpful, “how can we sort this out” seems to be a mantra. In this district we have an excellent walk in centre and two good local hospitals, neither of which are in our borough. One is accessible by train, the other requires a bus journey, parking is dire at both.
ReplyDeleteHusband has used both local hospitals with his recent heart issues, and since being home spoke to our doctor twice and had a same day appointment to check issue. Our NHS is wonderful, even at full stretch and under pressure, and the hospital staff are brilliant
ReplyDeleteLike you I'm lucky enough to have a surgery very near. They are always busy, but very efficient, same with our local hospital.
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