"Sadly not the practice it used to be"

As it's so difficult to get through on the phone, I drove to surgery having already seen a pharmacist, but apparently they aren't allowed to prescribe antibiotics. I suffer with asthma, and clearly have a chest infection at the moment that won't clear up on its own. Reception couldn't give me an appointment but they did try another surgery for an appt, but none available, hence told to call 111. Did that, explained my predicament and was promised a call back. Several hours later they hadn't called so I phoned them. Apparently I had been allocated an appointment at Chelsfield surgery (my own gp practice) but no one had let me know. By now very frustrated, I asked whose responsibility it was to have informed me, and the call handler told me someone from chelsfield surgery should have let me know.

I was then advised to do a re-run of my original call hours before, and had to go through the whole saga explaining everything again. Once more I was instructed to hang up and wait for a call from 111. That transpired 9.30pm. By now I'm so exasperated and breathless I decided it's all pointless and shall go straight to my surgery in the morning and no doubt be back to square one. What a performance!