"Complaint Regarding GP Service and Reception…"

I am writing to raise concerns about the service I have received at your practice, particularly regarding the experience with your reception team and the difficulty of securing appointments.

Firstly, I was advised by a helpful receptionist to call at 8:00 a.m. to secure a face-to-face appointment since I had repeatedly found no slots available online. Following this advice, I called exactly at 8:00 a.m., only to wait for over 30 minutes for someone to answer my call, despite being the first caller in the queue. This delay caused me to be late for work, which is highly inconvenient as I am a therapist working with students who have learning difficulties and absences disrupt my students’ schedules.

After finally reaching someone, I was initially told there were no appointments available. I insisted on a solution, and eventually, the receptionist "magically" managed to find an appointment. This was frustrating as it suggested inconsistency in the information provided.

After having my tests done, I managed to book a phone consultation with a very pleasant doctor. She recommended that I have a face-to-face appointment to examine my bloating and abdominal discomfort. However, when I tried to follow her advice, there no slots were available. I resorted to emailing the practice to explain my situation, only to wait five days for a reply, which stated that you do not offer appointments via email.

This lack of support and empathy has made accessing healthcare extremely difficult, particularly for someone with a demanding work schedule.

I would appreciate a formal response to my complaint and details on how you plan to improve the appointment system to make it more accessible to people who can not pick and chose an appointment date at a random.