"Appointment issues"

I have been with Helsby St my whole life (45yrs) but since before the pandemic it is so hard to get an appointment. You can not book in advance, you have to phone at 8am. This was bad enough before the new phone system but in my opinion, it is now worse. As soon as you call the surgery, you're met with an automated message which goes on for a full minute telling you to call 999 in an emergency! Seriously?? Then you choose what you want (1. To make an appointment). You're then asked if you want a call back at your point in the queue, which is great, only my phone won't accept calls from the new number so I can't do that (I have tried everything). You're then told you're number 34, or whatever, in the queue (you don't have the option for a call back after you're told the position,by the way). So you wait and you wait and you wait. If you get through before you fall back to sleep, there are no appointments left and you're told to call back again tomorrow. At least with the old number it was just engaged, now you can be on hold for up to an hour and this isn't a free number. With the cost of living crisis, this isn't helping, is it? I have been unwell since before Xmas with a chest infection but have been unable to see or speak to a doctor. When you've been awake half the night coughing, you shouldn't have to set your alarm to phone the doctors, wait on hold for nearly an hour and then have to do it again the next day. I agree that same day calls are great for emergencies but surely you should be able to book for the next day or in a couple days if not urgent.

Aside from that, we do have some great doctors and nurses at the surgery, just wish I could get to see one