Waiting for Godot. (Phoning the local health centre.)

[Borchester]

Did you ask them why you couldn't book online?
Did you ask them why they are not doing proper consultations and referrals to hospitals of dropped?
Did you ask them why at a time of crisis they have reduced their service to patients?
Did you ask them why they are not carrying out Covid19 swabs at local surgeries, (or outside), when people are having to drive 40 miles to get tested?

No, thought not. They can keep their flu jabs.

I don't know if I have had the Sino Snots or what, but I have spent most of the year coughing and farting from something or other and have found the best cure has been to get out in the open and potter very, very slowly.

The local surgery rang up last week and offered me the jab and for most of the reasons given by Barry, politely declined.

[johnofgwent]

You seem to be in a dead spot for medical services. We're well covered — even though London has fewer GPs per 100,000 than many** other parts of the country. We've had our flu jabs. Local practice is still open 08.00 to 19.30 Mon to Fri and 10.00 to 16.00 on Sun. Online and telephone bookings and consultations are easy and, for those who can't get to the surgery, local pharmacies can do checks and injections.
Haven't heard of any problems with those wanting Covid tests...

** note, many not most, though that could be true.

Regrettably wales is a little less provided for. 

I admit that at the start of this pox I was quite surprised with the rapid response from my GP's out of hours service when I contracted cellulitis, and the GP surgery was coping well with its much reduced workload.

Other services are not so well though. My friend only just managed to get a stent fitted after a heart attack, and it was only pure luck that he managed to persuade his GP that something was clearly not right with his breathing. The welsh NHS have a habit of not sending ambulances except to pick up the dead, as i have reported before. I have an abscess in a wisdom tooth that is a bloody nuisance and there seems no way to get treatment for it. And my eldest has been told to get a covid test by the school after developing one hell of a sore throat / loss of voice (no, I donlt know why, apart from the school being over cautious about its workforce) but has been told (yesterday) to travel to england to get one as none are available in wales. She has no means of transport.

[patman post]

Did you ask them why you couldn't book online?
Did you ask them why they are not doing proper consultations and referrals to hospitals of dropped?
Did you ask them why at a time of crisis they have reduced their service to patients?
Did you ask them why they are not carrying out Covid19 swabs at local surgeries, (or outside), when people are having to drive 40 miles to get tested?

No, thought not. They can keep their flu jabs.

You seem to be in a dead spot for medical services. We're well covered — even though London has fewer GPs per 100,000 than many** other parts of the country. We've had our flu jabs. Local practice is still open 08.00 to 19.30 Mon to Fri and 10.00 to 16.00 on Sun. Online and telephone bookings and consultations are easy and, for those who can't get to the surgery, local pharmacies can do checks and injections.
Haven't heard of any problems with those wanting Covid tests...

** note, many not most, though that could be true.

[papasmurf]

No, thought not. They can keep their flu jabs.

Don't make assumptions.
I have had my usual being ordered into the medical centre for check ups.
My wife phoned for an appointment yesterday and got to see a doctor this morning.
The only reason I had to phone for an appointment for a flu jab is I don't do texting, my ancient mobile phone is rarely switched on, the vast majority of people got texted about it.

[cromwell]

Did you ask them why you couldn't book online?
Did you ask them why they are not doing proper consultations and referrals to hospitals of dropped?
Did you ask them why at a time of crisis they have reduced their service to patients?
Did you ask them why they are not carrying out Covid19 swabs at local surgeries, (or outside), when people are having to drive 40 miles to get tested?

No, thought not. They can keep their flu jabs.

Well since I don't want to get the flu have had mine.

[Barry]

Did you ask them why you couldn't book online?
Did you ask them why they are not doing proper consultations and referrals to hospitals of dropped?
Did you ask them why at a time of crisis they have reduced their service to patients?
Did you ask them why they are not carrying out Covid19 swabs at local surgeries, (or outside), when people are having to drive 40 miles to get tested?

No, thought not. They can keep their flu jabs.

[papasmurf]

I have been checking the local health centre website every morning to see when the influenza inoculations are available.
Checked this morning, whoopee, they are now available. But no facility to book on line.
So I phone the surgery after getting through 10 minutes of spoken information before getting to the multiple choice of button pressing, yippee, I get to the music and you are ninth in the queue. Time passes and I finally get to speak to a human.
As my appointment is for 09.15 hours I must be one of only a few to to book an appointment yet.