How to Get More from Your GP Appointment When You Live with a Disability
A practical guide developed with our participants in Glenrothes, covering preparation, communication, and knowing your rights.
A ten-minute GP appointment is not a lot of time under any circumstances. When you are managing a disability, a long-term condition, or multiple overlapping health needs, ten minutes can feel like trying to describe a landscape through a keyhole. Many of the people who come to our sessions in Glenrothes describe the same experience: they leave appointments feeling that the most important thing did not get said, or that they nodded along to something they did not fully understand because there was simply no space to ask.
This guide pulls together the practical strategies we discuss in our wellbeing sessions — things that have genuinely helped people feel more prepared and more heard when they walk through a surgery door.
Before your appointment
The single most useful thing you can do before any appointment is write a list, but write it in a specific way. Start with your main concern — the thing that matters most — and put it first. GPs are trained to address whatever comes up in the first few minutes, so if your main concern is buried at the end of a long recounting of your week, it may not get the attention it deserves. A short, prioritised list of two or three points is more effective than a comprehensive account of everything that has happened since your last visit.
For those managing conditions that fluctuate, it helps to keep a brief symptom diary in the weeks before an appointment. Even a few notes on your phone about sleep, pain levels, or mood give you concrete information to share rather than relying on memory in a pressured moment.
During your appointment
If you find verbal communication difficult during appointments — because of anxiety, cognitive fatigue, speech differences, or simply because medical environments are stressful — you are entitled to hand your list to the GP and ask them to read it. This is not unusual and it is not an imposition. Similarly, you can bring a support person with you, and that person can speak on your behalf or take notes while you focus on the conversation.
When a GP gives you information or recommends a course of action, it is always acceptable to ask them to write it down or to repeat it more slowly. The phrase "I want to make sure I've understood correctly" is a useful one to keep in mind — it signals that you are engaged, not that you are difficult.
"I want to make sure I've understood correctly."
— A phrase worth keeping in mind at every appointment.
Knowing your rights
You can ask for a longer appointment if you have complex needs. Most practices will accommodate this request, especially if you explain your reason when booking. You can also ask for a phone or video consultation if getting to the surgery is a barrier, and in many cases you can request to see the same GP consistently to build a relationship over time.
You are entitled to request reasonable adjustments at your GP practice — this is a legal requirement under the Equality Act 2010. This might include longer appointment times, written communication as a backup for verbal information, or a step-free consultation room. If you are unsure what adjustments to ask for, we can help you think it through at one of our Health Literacy Workshops.
Your health deserves proper attention. These small steps can help make sure it gets it.
📋 Quick Reference: Before Your Next Appointment
- Write a prioritised list — main concern first
- Keep a brief symptom diary in the days before
- Know you can hand your list to the GP to read
- Consider bringing a support person
- Ask for things to be written down or repeated
- Ask for a longer appointment when booking if needed
- Know you can request reasonable adjustments
- Ask about phone or video options if travel is a barrier
If you would like support understanding your rights at GP appointments, or would like to attend our Health Literacy Workshop, get in touch and we will let you know when the next session is running.
Enquire about our workshops