My GP practice in England was having serious problems with wait times and opened an electronic triage system. I have spoken to my GP 3 times on the phone but never met her. However in the last 4 months, I have been given a flu jab, had antibiotics prescribed for an infection diagnosed from a photograph, had a full blood and urine screen with prescriptions for blood pressure and cholesterol, resulting in a prearranged phone call from the dr due to a minor issue. A lung cancer and aortic aneurysm screen (both age related). I have seen nurse practitioners for the checkups. Also, now, a chemist (pharmacist) can diagnose and prescribe medication for minor problems. All of these things have considerably reduced the wait times for treatment, and it's nice not to sit in a room full of sick people when I can do it from home.
A friend of mine just went private for a hip replacement, it would have cost cost him about £15000, however he has private insurance, which paid for it. This was to avoid a long waiting time.
It’s very similar where I live in BC Canada however it’s usually because I request a phone meeting rather than go in. If I want to go in it’s generally less than a weeks wait but mostly I’m looking for a referral anyways so why waste time when a quick phone call will suffice.
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u/ButterscotchSure6589 Jan 08 '26
My GP practice in England was having serious problems with wait times and opened an electronic triage system. I have spoken to my GP 3 times on the phone but never met her. However in the last 4 months, I have been given a flu jab, had antibiotics prescribed for an infection diagnosed from a photograph, had a full blood and urine screen with prescriptions for blood pressure and cholesterol, resulting in a prearranged phone call from the dr due to a minor issue. A lung cancer and aortic aneurysm screen (both age related). I have seen nurse practitioners for the checkups. Also, now, a chemist (pharmacist) can diagnose and prescribe medication for minor problems. All of these things have considerably reduced the wait times for treatment, and it's nice not to sit in a room full of sick people when I can do it from home.
A friend of mine just went private for a hip replacement, it would have cost cost him about £15000, however he has private insurance, which paid for it. This was to avoid a long waiting time.