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Phone for an appointment!

Story from nhs.uk

"Phone for an appointment!"

About: The Westgate Practice

Not sure how our local GP practice can be rated good if you can't get your "foot through the front door". I can only assume that once you get into Westgate's system, the care is ok.

I have not been able to speak with a Dr to start the process, The appt system is useless and not fit for purpose. How NHS can say that the practice is taking on new patients when those of us who have been registered there for 30 years cannot get an appointment? 229 times I redialled one morning!! 229 times and I never got through to get an appointment. I am assuming that because the call was not logged onto the phone system that NHS and CQC are not aware of just how difficult it is. Perhaps when you do a survey you need to ask that question? Today, I heard of one lady who had a letter from Westgate, saying you need an appointment. It has taken 6 months to get one, her husband was turned away with the ususal "call at 8am" which the staff tell us all. It must be awful for your staff too, as it means that after days and days of having to be able to ring at 8am every morning, there must be a really high amount of unhappy and fraught patients to deal with. They are in the firing line, not the GPs and managers.

This is the only way you can get an appointment, so please Westgate, you really do need to concentrate on those patients you already get paid for that you are not seeing and treating rather than taking more on. The problem needs sorting, but I feel that it is being buried. There must be a better way for patients to access appointments. Other practices seem to manage to do so, such as a triage template, a limited amount of on-line appointments released at various times.

I really do despair that someone like myself, who fortunately has good health, may become seriously ill or died for the want of some preventative care. We need a system that isn't broken, that works for everyone, workers, old people, parents and children.

No wonder the hospitals are disappearing under patients who have to abuse the system as they have no alternative.

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Responses

Response from The Westgate Practice 13 months ago
The Westgate Practice

Submitted on 19/06/2024 at 11:22
Published on nhs.uk at 11:22

Dear Patient

Thank you for your message regarding accessing an appointment.

We are sorry that you have had such difficulties, as a large practice of circa 30,000 patients we appreciate how difficult it can be.

The Practice has made a number of changes to the appointment booking system, and we do constantly monitor feedback. The changes are in response to the Government’s mandate to improve capacity and access in Primary Care. Appointments required on the day for urgent and routine concerns are now available to book from 8am via the telephone or in person at the practice. We do have a redial system which will hold your place in the telephone queue and call you back.

Appointments can be either a telephone call or a face to face appointment; if a GP thinks that it is necessary to see you after a telephone conversation then they can book a face to face appointment for you at a suitable time.

In the past when booking ahead has been possible we have found that appointments are fully booked for up to two/three weeks and so patients are frustrated that even for routine appointments they are not able to get in sooner.

When speaking with one of our Patient Services Assistants, patients may be asked a number of questions in order that they can direct you to the most appropriate clinician or service. This might be to a community pharmacist, a dentist, mental health practitioner or advanced nurse practitioner. So, as a result of using care navigation and signposting, we no longer offer doctor’s appointments online. This is again to ensure that all patients are booked into the most appropriate clinician or service.

Once all of the Doctor’s appointments have been booked for that day, patients may be asked to contact an alternate service such as 111. If you are requested to do this, we would advise patients to inform them that they have been referred due to their GP being at capacity.

If patients do require a pre booked appointment with either a doctor or advanced nurse practitioner, there are a limited number of appointments available at Samuel Johnson Community Hospital every Saturday between 9-5. These can be booked up to two weeks in advance, please request to book one of these when you call us if this would be suitable for you.

Following a successful smaller trial in April, from July we are reinstating a triage system where you will be able to complete an online assessment form via our website www.westgatepractice.co.uk rather than making a telephone call, this will be assessed by a GP and then you can be offered an appointment to book ahead. This will be communicated to our patients nearer the time.

Whilst we appreciate and acknowledge that no one appointment system will suit all our patients and their needs, we are committed to offering the best possible care with the resources we have available.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

The Westgate Practice Team.

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