Care Opinion

Text size

Theme

Language

Videos in BSL or ISL
Help with language translation
Help with reading or listening

Kafkaesque appointment system

Story from nhs.uk

"Kafkaesque appointment system"

About: Concept House Surgery

The appointment system is so senseless to me . I was in the surgery and asked for an appointment to see doctor only to be told by the receptionist they can’t make appointments and i have to phone from home at 8 am in the mornings . This is absolute madness to me , hundreds of people all phoning at the same time at 8am to try to get an appointment for a doctor .

So it’s total luck if you get through and manage to get an appointment ? I understand it’s not the receptionists fault but the system is broken and totally illogical and definitely not conducive to Dr ,surgery staff and patient relations .

More about:
nhs.uk logo
Do you have a similar story to tell? Tell your story & make a difference ››

Responses

Response from Concept House Surgery 2 years ago
Concept House Surgery

Submitted on 17/01/2023 at 15:03
Published on nhs.uk on 18/01/2023 at 08:44

Thank you for your comment left on NHS choices. Your comments will be shared with the practice team and discussed at our January whole team meeting on 18th January 2023.

The new appointment system was implemented after much consideration in November 2022 when the practice was experiencing high demand. When the old appointment system was in place, the waiting time for a pre-bookable appointment had reached 4-5 weeks, which was not acceptable. The GPs were dealing with around 15 emergencies per day, on top of their 18 prebooked appointments and the workload was becoming overwhelming and clinically unsafe to continue as we were*. We consulted with other surgeries in the local area and found that the majority had moved to an ‘on the day’ appointment system as it was the only way they could deal with demand. Whilst we appreciate this system does not suit all, it is the only way that the practice could deal with the increased demand, retain clinical staff and offer the best service to patients.

*The European Union of General Practitioners and British Medical Association have recommended a safe level of patient contacts per day in order for a GP to deliver safe care at no more than 25 contacts per day.

Jenny Young, Practice Manager

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful
Opinions
Next Response j
Previous Response k