"Oversubscribed practice"

The success rate for getting an appointment here in a reasonable time frame is variable and usually results in disappointment and frustration. As was the case today when I contacted the practice in the middle of the day, you're out of luck unless you participate in the 8am appointment lottery, which you will have lost if you're still on hold come 8:02am. Then sometimes it's possible to go onto the triage list for a call that day (which is fine), but today that wasn't an option and was told you either need to go to a walk-in centre or enter the lottery again the next morning. So if you have something that needs to be seen quite soon and you don't want to go see a doctor you've never met at a walk-in centre, then there's a theoretical possibility you'll never get to see a doctor if you keep failing in the morning lottery system. How that is in any way a service is frankly beyond my comprehension. The options for appointments in advance I was then told about stretch beyond 2-3 weeks, and on previous occasions I've looked the app has said there aren't any at all. I know we live in a time when there aren't loads of appointments available in short order, but finding yourself out of options that day because you didn't call at 8am and didn't then manage to get through within 2 minutes just isn't a service. It's then even more difficult to understand why the practice lists itself on this website as "accepting new patients". How can you advertise yourself as willing to accept new patients when there are no same-day appointments 2 minutes after the practice opens, and there's a 2-3 week wait for pre-bookable ones? I have done my diligence on a few other practices in the surrounding area and - although it remains to be seen of course whether true - not all of them operate the 8am lottery and have systems for both same day appointments and within a couple of days. When I've mentioned I think the accessibility is poor, the customer service skills on offer are lacking. But getting frustrated with the surgery or thinking you have a bit of a right to say something is a waste of time as there is no empathy or contrition offered. Care is generally really good once you're in the room with the GP, but good luck getting there.