"Useless system, felt patronised and unlistened to!"

I'm a 23 year old healthcare student. I've been a regular patient of the Peverrel side of this surgery for around 2.5 years. Up until returning to Uni in September, have previously found the service really good; Unfortunately, since the new telephone triage system was introduced my opinion of the service I have received has drastically changed.

I am no longer able to book a routine appointment in advance, online, at a time that suits my busy and unpredictable Uni Schedule or with a doctor that I know and trust. I can't even phone to make an appointment (Ignoring the fact that talking to people by phone is extremely challenging for me). Instead, I have to ring up and ask for a call back from the doctor on duty and then wait for the doctor to ring back (They won't give you a time for this either). It is complete potluck as to which doctor is on duty and as a result, I no longer have any continuity with my ongoing healthcare.

This is just the start of the terrible service I have received. The first three times that I had to use this method it was annoying but that was my only complaint. I spoke to the doctors (who were all friendly and listened to me) and problems were resolved to my satisfaction - two of these, I was given an appointment either the same day or the next while the third was completely resolved over the phone.

Unfortunately, my fourth experience of the new system is the part that has left me really unimpressed. At the time that this happened, I was on placement 8.30am-5pm every day and therefore did not carry my mobile on me during these hours, with the exception of my one hour lunch break. On this occasion, I called at 4.45pm, (The earliest I could, I finished ealy and was on the bus home) to be told by the receptionist that I should have phoned earlier in the day.You have to phone on the same day, the surgery does not open until 8.30 and the doctors do not make phone calls over lunch! When else was I supposed to call?

The receptionist begrudgingly put me on the call back list and I was phoned back by the doctor about 15 minutes later. This was not one of the doctors I had met before but from my one experience with them, I certainly do not wish to be treated by the doctor again.

The 5 minutes I spoke with them left me feeling patronised, unsatisfied and not reassured in the slightest. The doctor did not listen to me. The doctor implied that I was unfit and need to exercise more (Despite the opposite - I exercise every other day and barely sit down all day). My crippling systemic joint pains that wake me up at night were just 'aches' and I needed to man up. I have mental health problems (that are relatively mild) and therefore the pains are all in my head. The blood tests haven't come back with anything and therefore I'm no longer their problem. If the pains continue, I should self-refer to Physiotherapy (despite currently being on placement in that exact department). Finally because I am a student, I don't know anything about what I'm talking about..