The Healthcare Group have released an information leaflet highlighting changes to their appointment system. Here's an extract:
"What is changing? From Monday 5th November, an patient wishing to make an appointment to see a doctor will be asked to speak to the doctor first. The receptionist will ask you to give a very brief explanation as to the reason for the appointment, and will take a telephone contact number that the doctor can reach you on. The doctor will then call you back within the hour."
9 comments:
I can see a few problems with this system, but I suppose we will have to wait and see how it pans out.Anything will be better that the current system where regularly there are "no available appointments" even a week in advance when I have tried to see any Doc in a non emergency situation.
We will explain our illness or affliction to the receptionist!
Where has the GP Practice gone?Where has private contact with the doctor gone? This will be even worse rationing of appointments and rough, inaccurate diagnosis over the phone. Could we have a page on the Gurn for urgent appointments and a page in the Nairnshire for non urgent appointments? Then every reader could give a diagnosis and vote on hoe necessary an appointment is.This will make us all stop smoking and drinking, eat 5 a day, take exercise, diet to stick insect size because it will be best to look after oneself than rely on NHS for treatment or care. All about cost, not care.
Definitely less care, especially for some people who might find it difficult to explain their illness over the phone.
Surely people don t phone for an appointment if they don t need one, I cann t think of anything worse than sitting in that place for one minute longer than necessary . A lot of the time people go for one ailment and its something underlying that they didn t notice that's wrong with them.
Nothing can take the place of speaking face to face with your doctor especially if you're able to see him / her twice in a row.
Sounds like Doctors are becoming receptionists and receptionists are becoming Doctors
Why on earth should we have to inform the receptionist of anything other than we need to make an appointment.
I have never seen a practice with so many doctors and so few appointments, just what are the doctors in there doing all day?
That's a lot of information in the leaflet anon. Let's see how it goes shall we?
If the doctors are so hard pushed to provide appointments then where on earth are they going to find the time to call every patient back. Nairn may be small but there are still thousands of patients.
If we dont like this system - as I certainly wont be talking to a receptionist about my care - then what choice do we have? Since the merger this is the ONLY GP practice available without travelling tp another town. A doctor on the end of a telephone can only make a decision with the information you give them. You might miss information which a proper medical examination would discover or you might not see a symptom as important which is and then mistakes are made and lives are put at risk. Telephone doctors put a close family member of mine at risk because such information was missed and I can see major problems with a move to this kind of care.
I think our MPs should be looking into this and doing something about it. NHG is already too big and too impersonal and we have no choice.
I have not seen this anything on this so far, but as I am going to an appointment at the clinic in the morning I will be looking for one.
I have to admit I do not have problem with talking to a doctor over the phone,in the past when I have the doctor ask me to go to the clinic anyway. At least they know I am coming and won't miss an appointment which happens a lot.
I do not like the idea of telling a receptionist or anyother unqualified person working at the clinic any information at all.
i just tried to make an appointment for 7 days time,and was told bt receptionist that cant be done,and to phone on the day,,what crap,,if i do that,i,ll be told i cant see the doctor i want,i,ll be complaining in writing to health board about this stupid practice
Post a Comment