I have to say, my doctor’s surgery is very good and always have been.
I think it varies from area to area for the service you get. That is all wrong as it should be the same across the board.
If l have trouble getting an appointment that l think l genuinely warrant, as l would never have rung them in the first place. l start to get very emotional, l start to cry and say, l am scared that l am going to die.
I have to say, they then do their best and work something out for me.
I am sure some of you know that I was diagnosed with a simple throat infection via a phone consultation because I could not get a face to face appointment.
Fortunately I have/had access to my ENT consultant who did agree to see me, long story short I have a recurrence of throat cancer.
Sorry to hear that Mr Fraggle…I hope all goes well for you 
So sorry MrFrag
Makes you wonder how many other serious illness have been missed like this.
This is shocking, and I am so sorry. There are many stories like this and it breaks my heart to see families have to face such devastating diagnoses due to GP incompetence. There should be repercussions, frankly.
Hugs MrFraggle xxx
The problem in my area of Eastleigh is, that so many houses are being built, that loads of extra people are being added to the Surgery’s list, so the odds of being seen are diminished. I try and phone up for an appointment at exactly 8am when the surgery opens, but always seem to get the dreaded engaged signal. To go in person is fraught with danger, you have to lock horns with the dreaded Stasi at the desk!
Hey folks not looking for sympathy it is what it is but unfortunately it is not just the GP’s that we are having trouble seeing as hospitals are not much better my treatment has not started and has been delayed twice now. When I was last at the cancer centre last September I was the only one waiting which compared to my first cancer was quite astonishing as it was always very busy. So where have all the cancer patients gone?
So sorry to hear that Mr. F.
If patients could sue them for seriously wrong diagnosis, they might get their act together a bit better.
Good idea. Persuade them that you’re psychologically unhinged. It works wonders!
Plenty here that this would be a breeze. 
I managed to get a doctor’s appointment yesterday at 5:10 PM. I had to have a phone consultation on Monday, obviously, to see if I was worth a face to face visit.
I asked Marge (who has kept in touch with medical matters since her retirement) why we are all having such problems seeing our GPs.
She informed me that GP surgeries are now understaffed due to doctors either retiring or leaving to work elsewhere or even in non-medical jobs.
The reason appears to be that due to all the restrictions imposed due to Covid, they were dissatisfied with having to deal with patients over the telephone and would have preferred face-to-face consultations.
This seems to throw things right back in the laps of the government and civil service who have mishandled and/or overreacted to the Covid threat.
they were dissatisfied with having to deal with patients over the telephone and would have preferred face-to-face consultations.
If that were the case, JBR, then how come they haven’t welcomed the end of restrictions then?
How come they are still only doing phone calls as much as ever, instead of seeing patients?
It could be either or both of the above.
The Government want them to do face to face consultations. Also worth clicking on the link the red writing ‘the government’s plan’ to see what they are being offered:
JBR, My motto is… If everything else fails, cry!
It works every time! 
Exactly! I think that it wouldn’t take too much difficulty to successfully point most of our troubles fairly and squarely at the government’s door.
I suspect that they are happy for telephone consultations because it requires fewer doctors and therefore costs them less. They conveniently forget that the vast bureaucracy of the NHS is costing them so much simply so that people like civil servants can shuffle papers about.
This country and its government needs a right good kick up its arse.
And so it should. I feel for you anyway, Angel.
JBR, Really? Never worry about me… l’m a toughie/occasional part-time actress… when push comes to shove!!
