How do I switch GP's?

I realize that you are supposed to go within your catchment area, but, technically, our catchment doesn't have a surgery, so I am already going to the 'wrong' surgery. 

I arrived quite pregnant last year, once we figured out where to register, we were promptly able to.  I didn't see a doctor until my 8 weeks post pregnancy check-up (mid-wives before that) and, I just don't like her.  Nor do I like the Pediatrician at the practice. 

Actually, the problem may just be me not adjusting well to the different system.  You can't make an appointment ahead of time, must call up on the day, which means you basically have to plan nothing else on the day because you don't know when the appointment will be, and the process of making the appointment can take up until about 9:30 a.m, so there's the morning shot.  I'm not currently working, but when I go back to work, that won't be convenient at all.   All this is great if you wake up feeling ill: wonderful to be seen the day of.  But it's off putting for dealing with non-critical issues becuase you have plan ahead to have a day with no plans! 

Once you have an appointment, it's only a 10 minute appointment.  God help you if you'd like to discuss more than one issue.  Or, have a history to explain becuase they don't know you. 

And then, when I have gotten in there, I just feel like they don't know what to think of someone who has looked up the situation in advance and has an opinion about their care.  The surgery is on a council estate that is on the other side of our hill, and, not to sound snobby, but I seem to be the only person ever in the waiting room who is neither a teen age mother or an OAP.   

I guess this is a rant.  Sorry.

Karen

do you have a GP Surgery in mind that you want to go too?

You have to live in a surgery's catchment area. Even if you live on a brand new development, the Primary Care Trust has an obligation to work with surgeries in the area to draw their practice maps in such a way that every person in the area has a surgery. Google your local PCT and ring them to ask. They will have practice maps to refer to.

In some cases you will only be covered by one surgery and if you don't like that surgery you have to appeal to the Practice Manager at the surgery you wish to register with to take you. It's at their discression and usually they won't unless you have a really compelling reason (e.g. the surgery you are with is at the top of a hill and has a flight of stairs at the entry and you are disabled. Or your spouse or children are registered there and you wish to have your whole family in the same surgery).

Appointment times aren't going to vary from surgery to surgery. 10 mins is about par for the course and if you can't cover what you need to cover in that time, you should make another appointment or make an appeal to see the GP outside of surgery hours if you have a rare condition or something that requires a lot of time to discuss. For routine questions you could always make an appointment to see the practice nurse as they sometimes will have greater flexibility with time slots.

Many surgeries who have the new "phone on the day" system (not uncommon, by the way) will hold back a certain percentage of appointments for pre-booking. If there's a good reason for needing to book in advance, they should accomondate you - but bear in mind that a lot of surgeries are full to the gills and so you may not be able to dictate an exact time and date and you may need to book a week or so in advance.
 
Yours might be full of pregnant people and OAPs because they're the ones who need regular care. Mine is largely full of older people too, but if you're only there now and again and only in the waiting room for 15 mins or so, who cares?

LuckyCuz: no, I don't know how to go about finding another surgery
AnneR:  I know there is a catchment area requirement, but like I said, we are already off that rule.  It took two days and many calls to the PCT to figure out where we were supposed to go because the surgery we should have, is empty.  (Brand new 2 years ago evidently, but empty due to budget issues.)

The whole question has become moot because our estate agency says the owner of our house does not want to renew the lease, so we are house hunting again. 

thanks for the advice
 

In case the same question comes up in future for anyone, you can look at www.nhs.uk and put in your post code (tick GPs) - it will tell you all surgeries within a certain radius of your home. Just keep in mind that just because a surgery is nearest you, you still might not be in their catchment area, so you'll still need to ring either the surgery itself or the PCT to be sure you can register there.

If you want to switch surgeries because you're unhappy with the one you attend, you may need to appeal to the Practice Manager and explain why so that they can make a considered decision.

If you still have no luck there are means of allocating people to a surgery but usually that only happens when someone is de-registered and has nowhere to go for treatment....

You DO NOT have to see a GP within your "catchment area".  In fact, there is no such think as a catchment area anymore.  You are free to see whatever GP you like-- that is the point of this new forward-thinking NHS.

No matter what a surgery receptionist will tell you, you are well within your rights to see whatever GP you want.  Simply go and register with them.  THey will then send the necessary paperwork off to your PCT whereupon you will probably be re-issued a new NHS card with your new GP on it.

Also, the reason you can not book ahead to see a GP (and this really pisses me off) is because GPs are required by the Healthcare Commission to see all patients within 48 hours of requesting an appointment.  So lets say today is Monday and you want to see Dr Smith on Thursday, the surgery actually won't let you make an appointment that day, because then they would be seeing a patient beyond 48 hours-- so they work around the rule by not accepting appointment requests more than 2 days in advance.

Mind you, all GPs are also required to keep a certain number of appointment slots free for "emergency appointments" on the day.  You usually have to phone quite early that morning to get one of those appointments-- you also might not necessarily see your GP (in the cases of a large surgery) but rather you'll see one of the other GPs.

Confused?  Annoyed?  I am too.

-aml

You DO NOT have to see a GP within your "catchment area".  In fact, there is no such think as a catchment area anymore.  You are free to see whatever GP you like-- that is the point of this new forward-thinking NHS.

http://www.bma.org.uk/ap.nsf/Content/registernhssurgery
http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleId=1088
http://www.nhs24.com/content/default.asp?page=s6_1&articleID=1088&catID=68


Not according to the BMA or NHS sites. Do you have a link to that information?

Also, the reason you can not book ahead to see a GP (and this really pisses me off) is because GPs are required by the Healthcare Commission to see all patients within 48 hours of requesting an appointment. 

They are only required to do that UNLESS the patient wants an appointment further ahead than that. I know I have made appointments a week or more in advance recently.

You DO NOT have to see a GP within your "catchment area".  In fact, there is no such think as a catchment area anymore.  You are free to see whatever GP you like-- that is the point of this new forward-thinking NHS.

I work for a Primary Care Trust. We're the ones who hold the GP's contracts. Choice does NOT apply to your GP. It applies to consultant led or hospital based care. Nothing else. Of course that may change but as of now I can assure you that every GP practice has a catchment area and it is down to the discression of the practice to take someone who doesn't live in it. I deal with this every day. I PROMISE this is the case. The reasoning is house visits - the practice sets the distance that is reasonable for them to travel should they need to see you at home. Depending on the density of the area and the number of GPs at the practice, some catchments are quite big. Some are very, very small.

whereupon you will probably be re-issued a new NHS card with your new GP on it.

New NHS cards for the most part are only issued on demand now.

so they work around the rule by not accepting appointment requests more than 2 days in advance.

Down to the individual surgery. If you specifically request an appointment 2 weeks in advance some will still do it. Not all, but some. Most don't keep appointments open more than 2 weeks ahead though.