Why can't I book a GP appointment online?
I have linked my Evergreen Life account to my GPs online service. Why is the book an appointment option greyed out or why do I get a message that says ‘no appointments available’?
If you have linked your Evergreen Life account to your GP's online services then you may be able to view, book and cancel appointments. However, since the lockdown restrictions many GP practices have turned off their 'usual' appointment booking system. Many GP practices now use appointment systems that are accessed through the practice website, this allows the practice to triage patients before they attend the surgery.
My appointment service is greyed out
First of all, we assume that you have already linked to your GP Practice? If not, read about how to link your account here.
If your account is linked, but the appointment book is greyed out altogether, please read our article on accessing GP online services after linking.
I get the message 'no appointments available'
If you can access the appointment book but it always says “no appointments available” this could be for several reasons. The appointment book in most GP systems is highly configurable and this can influence which appointment slots are visible to you online:
- Only appointments that have been marked as ‘online bookable’ by the GP practice will appear.
- The appointment status must be ‘Available’. No other appointment status will appear.
- If a clinic has 0 available appointments that are bookable online then the GP Practice will not be displayed, so you may find that some GPs or clinics are missing from your search.
- Some GPs will only release a small number of online bookable appointments each day. These can often be same-day appointments and can get booked up quickly.
- Some GPs will put a limit on the number of appointments an individual can book online. If you have booked an appointment that is yet to take place you may be prevented from booking additional appointments online.
- Some GPs use third party applications to manage their appointment book. Evergreen Life is only able to see appointments in the GPs main computer system.
- Occasionally we can lose the connection to your GP. It is rare, but sometimes the appointment book re-appears after a few minutes.
It can certainly help to know how your practice manages its appointment book and it may help to know when the best time to book an appointment online is.
You may wish to ask them questions such as:
- Do they allow patients to book appointments online?
- If yes, when are these appointments released?
- How many appointments are released?
- For which date(s) are the appointments released (same day, next day etc..)?
- How long does it usually take for the online appointments to be taken?