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How to get a GP appointment

4 min readUK only

Call when the lines open, usually 8am, or request an appointment online through your surgery's website or the NHS App if it offers that. For some problems a pharmacist can help the same day. Or ask your simp to make the call and book it for you, sharing only the details you allow for that call.

Feeling very unwell? Call 999 in an emergency, or 111 for urgent advice.
Poppy

What you can do yourself.

Every surgery runs its own system, so check yours. These are the routes that work at most of them.

  1. Step 1Call when the lines open

    Most surgeries open their phones at 8am. Have your date of birth and address ready before you dial.

  2. Step 2Check for an online form

    Many surgeries take appointment requests through their website during opening hours. It is worth looking before you join the phone queue.

  3. Step 3Use the NHS App

    In England, the NHS App lets you book or request appointments at many surgeries.

  4. Step 4Ask for a callback

    If your surgery offers one, take it. You keep your place without holding on the line.

  5. Step 5Try your pharmacist

    For common problems, your local pharmacist may be able to help the same day, without a GP appointment.

  6. Step 6Urgent or emergency

    For urgent advice, call 111. In an emergency, call 999.

The catch: at 8am everyone is trying at once. The online form helps when it is open, but on the phone you still have to wait your turn.

How a simp does it.

Alex needed to see a GP. Poppy joined the queue at 8am, gave reception only the details Alex had allowed for the call, and booked the first slot that worked.

PoppyPoppy - Book a GP appointmentOutgoing - AI number - 4:52
Example call
  1. 00:00 - Phone menuThank you for calling the surgery. You are number 9 in the queue.
  2. 04:12 - ReceptionistGood morning, surgery. How can I help?
  3. 04:15 - PoppyHi, I'm Poppy, Alex's simp. He asked me to book him a GP appointment.
  4. 04:21 - ReceptionistCan I take a date of birth and postcode?
  5. 04:24 - Poppy14 March 1991, and the postcode is SE15 4QT.
  6. 04:31 - ReceptionistThanks. And what is it for?
  7. 04:33 - PoppyA cough that has lasted about three weeks.
  8. 04:39 - ReceptionistI have Thursday at 9:40, or Friday at 2:15.
  9. 04:44 - PoppyThursday at 9:40, please.
  10. 04:47 - ReceptionistThat's booked. Thursday, 9:40.

Booked - Thursday, 9:40am. 4 minutes of queue you didn't hear.

Your simp makes the whole call.

Ask your simp to call your surgery when the lines open. It waits in the queue for up to 6 minutes and books the appointment with reception, using only the details you've allowed for that call. If nobody answers by then, it lets you know so you can take over.

What it can't doIt doesn't give medical advice and can't get you seen any faster. It's not for emergencies - call 999, or 111 for urgent advice.What your simp is allowed to do
Sharing rules - this call onlyBook a GP appointment
Cleared when the call ends
Good to know

If the surgery needs you, you take over.

Some surgeries will only book with the patient, and sometimes reception asks something your simp wasn't given. Only then do you tap Take over in the Simp app and take it from there.

  1. Step 1Your simp makes the callIt waits in the queue for up to 6 minutes and books with reception.
  2. Step 2Reception needs youThey ask to speak to the patient, or for something your simp doesn't know.
  3. Step 3You tap Take overYou pick up and finish the booking yourself.

Questions about GP appointments.

Can my simp book the appointment for me?

Yes. Your simp can make the whole call and book it, using only the details you allow for that call. If the surgery needs to speak to the patient, or asks for something your simp doesn't know, you tap Take over in the Simp app.

What your simp is allowed to do
Does my simp hear what I tell the receptionist?

No. Once you're connected, your simp doesn't keep listening. Your transcript and notes stay in your app for 30 days.

What your simp is allowed to do
Does it use my AI minutes?

Yes. The whole call counts towards your monthly AI minutes, time on hold included. Your simp waits on hold for up to 6 minutes, then lets you know so you can take over. You can top up in the app if you run low.

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Should I use it if I'm very unwell?

No. In an emergency, call 999. For urgent advice, call 111. Your simp is for the everyday job of getting through to your surgery.

What your simp is allowed to do
Poppy

Skip the 8am redial.

Every plan comes with a simp that waits on hold for up to 6 minutes, then lets you know so you can take over.

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