You can book a GP appointment either online or by telephoning the practice. Many surgeries also offer an online advice service which can be accessed via their websites.
At the beginning of Covid-19, a national decision was taken by the Department of Health (now called DHSC), to adopt what we call a ‘total triage system’ for GP appointments. Many practices have continued this. There are many benefits as some things can be dealt with over the telephone and if a face to face appointment is needed it can be arranged at the patient’s convenience and with the appropriate Health Care Professional.
The receptionists (who are highly trained) will ask the nature of your problem. This is standard practice, and not meant to be nosy or intrusive. This gives us an idea of whether you will need a longer appointment, what type of appointment – ie ‘real’ face-to-face, F2F) or virtual (phone or video) – and with who. A doctor may not be the best person to deal with the problem.
Once the appointment is booked, the receptionist will confirm your telephone number. It is not the decision of the receptionist at this point, whether the doctor (or other professional) sees you F2F!
We understand that many members of the public do not like these new systems. Many practices were operating this way prior to COVID but it has become more widespread. They are new to many of us too, and we are getting used to them. They are likely to stay in the long term. So we will all have get used to them.
