"Telephone experience "

Good afternoon,

I’m writing to express my disappointment with the service I have received from the telephone operator at Aston Clinton surgery.

Historically, I have not used doctors very often, but unfortunately over the last 5 months I have had to have frequent blood tests. Part of my avoidance of using the NHS is that I am conscious of the pressures you are all under and I wouldn’t want to waste anyone’s time. This of course is not the right thing to do, and it’s best to get assessed so any health problems can get caught early on.

My experience with receiving the results of my blood tests has only been through text message. The most recent test was to test for multiple things, but the text I received only addressed one aspect of the blood test. When I called to ask whether I could speak to the doctor to discuss the results, the telephone operator point blank said “No”. Only when I pressed further she advised this “counts as an appointment” for which my doctor “doesn’t have any”.

Whilst I sympathise with the pressures NHS staff are under, this duty of care seems substandard. I was made to feel like I was being burdensome for simply asking for clarification on the other aspects of my blood test. I’m clearly concerned about my health, and some empathy towards this would go a long way.

Please, in future, be more empathetic when discussing health concerns with patients. Those who are calling are not doing so to cause problems, rather to get some peace of mind in a worrying time.