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"Belfast Phone First - waste of time"

About: GP out of hours / Phone First Royal Victoria Hospital / Accident & Emergency

(as a service user),

I spent 3 days trying to get through to my GP as I had injured my hand. Eventually spoke to my GP who wanted me to get an x-Ray on my hand and told me to phone ”Phone First”. After waiting almost an hour, a nurse called me back. The nurse was lovely but the service seems a complete waste of time. I must have spent easy 30 minutes on the phone as she asked me question after question after question. At the end of all that, she told me that they can’t do a referral or appointment for ED. I was told just to “turn up as you normally would and wait your turn”. 

Seriously, what is the point? I wasted an hour waiting on a call back when I could’ve just turned up?! I already got advice from my GP, what was the point in a nurse asking me a million questions if they weren’t able to do anything?

What a waste to everyone’s time. 

Also, all you hear is how the health service is in “crisis”. Seems to me that the “phone first” service is a complete waste of nurses. Surely they can be used better in a hospital where they are needed.

I attended the Royal A&E and got sorted. the staff were all lovely. I appreciate all the staff do in the hospitals 

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Responses

Response from Geraldine Robinson, Lead Nurse for GP Out of Hours, GP Out of Hours, Belfast Trust 4 days ago
Geraldine Robinson
Lead Nurse for GP Out of Hours, GP Out of Hours,
Belfast Trust
Submitted on 29/05/2025 at 15:06
Published on Care Opinion at 15:14


picture of Geraldine Robinson

Dear Trying to Help

I am very sorry to hear about your experience when you called Phone First. It is unfortunate that you were not able to explain firstly that you had already spoken with your GP and only required an X ray, please accept my sincere apologies. The Phone first service is only for the public who have had no contact with a health care professional and is to advise patients which service would best meet their needs for instance Pharmacy First, self-referral to Physio in the Belfast Trust and other services including direct access to MIU rather than the ED waiting area. Again this should have been explained to you prior to asking you the questions, we will take this feedback and ensure the service is able to provide a better service going forward.

Regarding the time that it took for your call back, staff are currently being trained and this does take a little longer, please accept our apologies and we will be ensuring this is monitored and improve upon going forward. I am glad that you were able to get the appropriate care you required and that your hand is healing well.

kind regards

Geraldine Robinson

Interim Lead Nurse GPOOH's/Phone First

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