"Unable to access appointments"

Moorside could be a great practice – it has at least one excellent doctor, some terrific healthcare assistants and some very empathetic and helpful reception staff. However, it is let down by draconian policies with regard to booking appointments, as I experienced when trying to book one for a minor issue in late 2023. "Call at 8 O'clock in the morning" is not just a mantra but an entire philosophy at Moorside. No allowances are made for those of us unable to call at this time of the morning due to disability, sleep disorders or work commitments. This was certainly my experience when I asked in person at the surgery. I even asked about pre-booking an appointment for the Bradford Out-of-Hours Service which their website states they participate in, but I was told I would still have to call early in the morning, albeit a whole hour later. When my wife politely protested the lack of options, the receptionist barked "Don't start!" and retreated behind a screen and could be heard talking about her with colleagues. There is no access whatsoever to pre-bookable appointments through electronic channels (which appears to be unique in north Bradford), just spotty access to the Patchs messaging system, only erratically and during working hours – again, extremely unhelpful for those of us that don't keep conventional hours. This is staggeringly backward-looking and archaic in the wider context of a 21st-century National Health Service that is increasingly embracing digital services. Apparently the reason for this is that the practice previously wasted money and resources through missed pre-booked appointments. Neither my wife nor I have ever missed a single pre-booked appointment with any previous practice, so why should we be tarred with the same generalising, condescending brush? It also seems a ludicrously inefficient use of resources and communication channels, as the daily 8am scrum must mean some patients who genuinely need urgent treatment will be pushed aside in favour of others who have a minor condition where a pre-bookable appointment 2-3 weeks hence would be perfectly acceptable.The outgoing message when calling the surgery even suggests you may be denied access to primary care should you be unable to call at 8am, which I strongly believe to be in direct contravention of The Equality Act 2010 given that many protected characteristics would preclude this. My wife and I are both in the process of leaving for another surgery as we essentially have zero access to primary care. This is simply unacceptable.