Getting a doctors appointment

If you work in a mental health organisation or firm - maybe it might be worth checking with HR to find out if there is an Occupational Health Team available as a service to employees.

They might be able to professionally contact / correspond with your GP Practice to help advocate on your behalf about the distress around your experiences lately - as it interrupts both your driving and performance in the workplace.

I think from your description it is urgent. Keep pushing for an appointment or go to the minor injuries centre. You could call 111 for advice. They have the power to force your GP to give you an appointment.

God bless you, I understand the sleep problem getting worse. I actually dread going to bed at night, it feels like I procrastinate in every way not to have to go. A battle.  

The DVLA already know! Have known for years. As soon as I feel tired, I stop, get a drink, rest, then carry on. I will never put anyone else at risk!

GeekyTim said:

I'm below minimum wage.

There's some good advice here:

ACAS - National Minimum Wage - If your employer pays less

I hope that my previous reply was of some help.

Having wrestled with the moral dilemma (ie regarding not wanting to upset you or be metaphorically "shot as the messenger" vs being concerned for your wellbeing), I feel that I should also flag the Government's instructions and warning, in case you're not aware of them. I learned about these requirements when I was diagnosed with OSAS and started on CPAP therapy.

So, with apologies, here it is:

"Excessive sleepiness and driving

Excessive sleepiness means that you have had difficulty concentrating and have found yourself falling asleep - for example while at work, watching television or when driving.

You must tell DVLA if you have:

- confirmed moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS), with excessive sleepiness
- either narcolepsy or cataplexy, or both
- any other sleep condition that has caused excessive sleepiness for at least 3 months - including suspected or confirmed mild OSAS

You must not drive until you’re free from excessive sleepiness or until your symptoms are under control and you’re strictly following any necessary treatment.

You can be fined up to £1,000 if you do not tell DVLA about a medical condition that affects your driving. You may be prosecuted if you’re involved in an accident as a result.

Ask your doctor if you’re not sure if your excessive sleepiness will affect your driving."

GOV.UK - https://www.gov.uk/excessive-sleepiness-and-driving

To reiterate what I said in my previous reply, I really do feel that your issue is urgent, and I hope that you can get help with it soon. x

If you are being paid less than the minimum wage per hour, then you can report it to the minimum wage enforcement team at the tax office and they will investigate, interview and if needed prosecute the company involved.

GeekyTim said:

It's not 'urgent' so I don't feel that I cann call first thing in the morning to get an emergency appointment.

Falling asleep while driving can have horrendous consequences (for you and/or others), so it seems like an urgent issue to me, and I'd encourage you not to delay in seeking help.

I would definitely call them, if that's the only viable option in view of the other issues with accessing their appointment request system. 

GeekyTim said:

They also have a notice on the site that they can no longer accept appointment requests because they are at their limit.

This is usually shown after a practice has hit its daily limit for online form submissions. For example, our surgery's website makes the form available at 8am each day. It can often only be a matter of a few minutes (eg less than 10) before they've reached capacity for handling the incoming requests and the form is removed, with a similar message then being displayed for the other 23 hours and 50 minutes of the day(!).

If it's already set up for this type of system, it might be worth checking at what time your GP's website starts accepting requests and setting an alarm to get yours submitted as soon as they open. You could also draft your message beforehand, so that you can copy and paste it into the form and save time typing. 

GeekyTim said:

I have sleep apnoea, but I use a CPAP

Perhaps there's also another option. Would I be right in thinking that, because you're using a CPAP machine, you're already under the care of an NHS sleep clinic? If so, perhaps you could talk to them (urgently) about your concerns and ask whether they can help with this new sleep-related issue directly, or whether you do still need to go via your GP (eg for initial investigations).

Just for example, besides dealing with sleep apnoea (which I also have, so also use a CPAP), my own sleep clinic also deals with issues including narcolepsy, circadian rhythm disorder, and periodic limb movement disorder (the final one is my latest, additional diagnosis, following an inpatient sleep study).

GeekyTim said:

the NHS app is no longer allowing me to log in (no text messages to confirm login)

You can contact them for help with that here:

NHS - Contact NHS login support

I sleep at night, getting between 7 and 8 hours. I have sleep apnoea, but I use a CPAP, which reduces my waking to between 2 and 3 times per hour (non-apnoea is 6 times per hour). However, I believe I have the same issues as my sister, who takes Modafinil to stay awake.

The anxiety is not getting an appointment, and my work. After learning I was autistic, my previous boss harassed me out of work. I decided to change from a well-paid IT job to work in mental health; I've got over 50 years of experience with mental health and 30+ years in IT! But even when I get good sleep, I spend all day needing to sleep more.

I cannot afford private, I'm afraid. I'm below minimum wage.  This tiredness has only got worse within the past couple of months, a while after starting work again.

GeekyTim said:

I've always had a sleep issue, but it is getting a lot worse.

Can you elaborate please? Do you mean you don't sleep overnight resulting in being tired the next day?

If this is the case have you considered medicating to sleep better to get you out of the worst of the current rut? I sometimes use antihistymine if I need a solid 8 hours but there are stronger options out there.

Have you considered seeing a therapist to get to the bottom of what is causing the anxiety and seeing if you can process it with their help? This helped me tremendously when I was in a difficult spot. You do need to make sure the therapist understands autism very well as most conventional processes don't work well for us.

GeekyTim said:

the NHS app is no longer allowing me to log in (no text messages to confirm login)

Have you tried it from a different device / different web browser etc?

GeekyTim said:

The NHS is totally broken.

This is why I'm advocating taking more control over your situation. It may be worth going to a private doctor and paying just to get things dealt with to take that stress off you plate. I suspect there may be more going on but if you can get out of the hole you are in now it should help you think more clearly and hopefully work through whatever is at the root of your issues.

Good luck