Gosh

[lovingboth]

People are just tackling Tony Blair on the issue of GPs only giving appointments 48 hours in advance.

Clearly the one we were trying to get an appointment at for someone a few weeks ago is not the only one doing this...

Comments

[uran.livejournal.com]

A politician in Australia recently found himself with a few health problems and had to deal with the hospital system for a few weeks. He came out enraged, determined to sort out the system. I believe he failed miserably :)
But it's funny that they only take action when things happen to them personally a lot of the time. Here they are, meant to be representing the people but just not giving a hoot that everyone else deals with this stuff daily. Waiting for the pollie to go through the same crap can take years.

[uran.livejournal.com]

And you're lucky to get to see your GP within 24 hours! Here, I can wait up to three working days for an appointment.

[nitoda]

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.