As far as I am aware, we have to ring our surgery at 08.30 to book an appointment for the same day. Or turn up and wait at the door ... turning up at 8.00 means there will probably be half a dozen before you and the doors don't open officially until 08.30. I had to repeatedly ring from work one morning this week, starting at around 08.30 - the line was engaged and after redialling about a hundred times I finally got through and was able to make an appointment to be seen in the late afternoon. I'm lucky, I work flexi hours and could get away. On days when I can't do that I have to weigh up just how ill I am and whether I am ill enough to skip work, and in that case, am I well enough to stand, maybe in the rain, for half an hour outside the doctor's surgery where there is no shelter. The situation is not good for anyone with minor ills or who is working.