"You can never get an appointment"

The fourth reason from chapter 2 was hassle, and I've no intention of telling you it's imaginary. In many places getting a GP appointment means ringing at eight in the morning, along with everyone else, and listening to a recorded voice for twenty minutes. Finding an NHS dentist who's taking new patients can be hard, and in some areas very hard. Getting time off work for an appointment is awkward. None of this is in your head.

Look at what the hassle does in the habit, though. It's the most respectable of all the reasons. It lets you say, truthfully, "I'd go, but you can't get an appointment." That closes the matter without any mention of fear. Try being honest with yourself about whether the hassle has ever stopped you from doing something you wanted to do. You've sat on hold for longer than twenty minutes to sort out a broadband fault, and you've queued for an hour for a concert ticket. The hassle is a real cost, and it's a small one. It's doing a bigger job than its size deserves, because it's standing in for the reasons in chapters 3 to 8.

The right comparison is between twenty minutes on hold, once, and six months of the thought coming back at ten past three. On those terms the phone queue is cheap.

There are also ways to reduce it. Services vary from place to place, so treat these as things to look into. I haven't checked the detail of any of them.

Many GP surgeries now take requests through an online form. You write what the problem is, how long you've had it and what you're worried about, and the surgery replies with an appointment, a phone call or advice. You can do it at ten at night, with no queue. For people who find the phone call itself the barrier, it's a gift.

The NHS App, where your surgery is connected to it, lets some patients book appointments and see their records.

If the matter isn't urgent, ask the receptionist for a routine appointment. People often assume the only appointments are the same-day ones released at eight o'clock. Many surgeries also book routine slots a week or more ahead. For a mole you've had for six months, a slot in three weeks is fine. The point is to have it booked.

A pharmacist needs no appointment, and can tell you whether something needs a doctor.

NHS 111 can direct you, and can arrange for you to be seen if it judges that you need to be.

For dentists, the NHS website has a search for practices near you. You may have to ring several to find one taking NHS patients, and in some areas you may not find one quickly. If you're in pain, NHS 111 can direct you to urgent dental care. If you can afford it, a private check-up is another route. If you can't, keep ringing round, and ask practices whether they keep a waiting list.

For screening, the invitation usually tells you how to book, and the bowel kit needs no booking at all.

As for work, a routine appointment can often be had at the start or end of the day, and most employers will let you go without fuss. If asking feels awkward, remember that "I've got a medical appointment" is a complete sentence. Nobody is entitled to ask what it's for.

One more point about the hassle, and it's my own view. The difficulty of getting an appointment is a reason to start sooner. If it takes three weeks to be seen, then your six months of delay becomes seven once you add the wait. Waiting lists for tests and referrals are long in many places. You can't shorten them, but you can control when you join the queue, and that depends on when you make the first call.