"Unsatisfactory service"

I write on behalf of my family members who are 88 and 91 years of age, and still managing to live independently.

As a niece I have recently become involved in making appointments and taking my aunt and uncle to the surgery.

Both my aunt and uncle are reluctant to telephone the surgery as they find it (a) difficult to obtain an appointment (b) they have been refused a home visit, even though they have mobility problems and cannot get to the surgery (c) they both feel the doctor they see does not care about them and treats them as if they are nuisances (d) too often advise them to 'call an ambulance' if they are worried.

Additionally, i have witnessed open discussion at the reception area, which offers no privacy, about personal matters between the receptionist and those telephoning in and other patients in the reception area.

This is inappropriate.

On another occasion, I felt the manner of the doctor was confrontational and very unhelpful to my aunt, following on from her cancer treatment at a specialist hospital, where it was discovered she had gallstones.

The doctor had not passed on information to my aunt, then when asked about this finding, he failed to explain the implications of the condition, and refused to refer her on to hospital because of her advanced age.

I feel this surgery lets the local, largely elderly population down.