Get the best out of your GP appointment

So you decide to go to see the GP.

You arrive and get an imaginary gold medal for trying to get through the front door, past the scary receptionist and surviving the cacophony of the kids, toys, coughs and old ladies in the waiting room.

Your name is called and you go in, sit down and say " I don't want to bother you, but I just wanted to ask you to have a look at my ear" knowing full well you have a secret list of 3 other things; you really need to check out the GP and make sure you can trust them with your secret list.

The GP looks in your ear, says you have wax and gives you an excellent 8 minute advice session about ear hygiene and wax treatment.  Then he ushers you towards the door "very nice to meet you.."- but "hang on" you think, " I haven't got out my secret list yet"!

As you near the door you blurt out - "There are a few other things..." but you're too late, the GP has other patients to see and is already running late because Mrs Biggins spent too long discussing her prolapse...he asks you to book in again soon.

You're left feeling deflated and your imaginary gold medal for attendance has lost it's lustre.

So how can you make sure this doesn't happen again?

A little inside knowledge from a real GP helps.

GP's have government targets meaning they struggle to see patients for more than a few minutes at a first appointment. Therefore it's hard to see the same doctor twice, or to get to see the GP you want, because the government say any patient has the right to see a GP within 24 hours of a request.

Most of the time GP's have between 7-12 minutes for your entire case - average UK appointment length is 10 minutes so let's break that down:

1 minute to call, greet and get to know you
1 minute to find out why you came
2 minutes to find out more about your concern
2 minutes to examine you or order tests
2 minutes to form a plan and give an opinion and usher you out of the door
2 minutes to write comprehensive accurate timely notes and arrange for your follow up

So if you come like a normal person with two or more problems saved up what happens?

You might get half the time on each problem - is that a quality service?  Most doctors would agree it's a struggle at best. Or you might agree to prioritise one problem and bounce the rest to next time, if there is a next time and you're not scared off by your first encounter.

So here are some tips to show how its done:

1. Seek out a GP practice convenient for you either near work or easy to get to from work and home. It may be helpful to be at the same practice as your partner and family but not essential if you just won't get there.

2. Look on the Internet for info on the practice (many have their own site) and read about the doctors - rank them in order of preference and any interests they may have then try to book an appointment with the one you want - be determined and specific on the telephone and find out your options. You don't have to tell  the receptionist what it's for if you don't want to, but it might help them guide you to a GP particular skills e.g. sports injury, mental health etc.

3. If you have MORE THAN ONE PROBLEM BOOK A DOUBLE APPOINTMENT or get two consecutive appointments.

4. Write your list of things you want to get done - put them in order of priority. You will be doing well if you leave a ten minute appointment with two or more items completed.

5. Summarise the story of each concern and write down what you want to get out of the appointment for each problem or issue or symptom. More advice on what to ask in the appointment is here.

6. Tell the doctor all the story and don't leave out any details which you feel may be significant, but be brief. they may ask more questions or divert from your story to find out more detail, always bring them back to what your concern is and what you want out of the appointment.  If you don't understand what your doctor says or does ask them for explanation. Ask for further resources and where to get more information - you might want websites or leaflets to help you remember and learn about the problem.

7. If your doctor doesn't summarise the diagnosis and action plan ask for a summary and have it clear in your mind before you leave.

8. Do follow up with the advice the doctor gives, do exercises, take self care action and change your lifestyle accordingly; take medication if you are happy with the possible risk of side effects and if you feel the benefit outweighs the risk for you. If you are unsure call your doc and ask to speak to them after the appointment for clarity or more advice. Follow the action plan and call the doctor to chase the results of any tests in the time frame they have told you. If you don't hear anything don't assume its all OK - your health is your responsibility and your GP has many patients to keep track of so make it your mission to follow up any test with a phone call a few days later for further advice.

9. If the problem persists or gets worse or new things happen call the GP again in office hours either for a review appointment or for telephone advice. Give them a number you will be available on and keep off the phone till they call.

10. After office hours you can get information from the NHS choices website or call NHS direct for advice on 0845 46 47 or call your local out-of-hours GP service if it is an emergency and can't wait till tomorrow.