Published on 12, July, 2020
A few days ago, though my GP surgery officially only has the '8 o'clock phone lottery' method of getting an appointment, I sent an email to my GP surgery describing my worsening bowel problems (in great detail). Yesterday, the surgery phoned me offering an appointment next week. I strikes me that, once you have informed a surgery of a medical condition, that they have to respond. Because otherwise, if a patient developed a serious, or life-threatening, illness, they would be open to NHS disciplinary procedures, or to being sued for negligence. It may be worth others trying a similar approach; if it is generally applicable, it will make access to medical care much easier for autistics.
I am extraordinarily lucky, my GP has an ‘e-consult’ facility whereby you can basically tell them about a medical problem without having to ring and ask for an appointment. They always respond within 2 days with instructions/ referrals and so on. I loathe talking on the phone so this facility is great, and means I can access help far quicker than asking for a telephone appointment, which for a routine matter would be at least 2-3 weeks wait.