"Deteriorating service"

I can’t believe just how bad the service has got. It has gradually deteriorated particularly over the last year but now getting an appointment to see a GP is almost impossible. The reception staff are very keen to offload you onto the out of hours service which isn’t always what I want particularly because I want to see a female doctor & that can’t be guaranteed. Appointments for a routine appointment is not possible because “the last 3 appointments at the end of next week are taken”. You’re then told to ring at 8am. Tried that and the phone was engaged for over an hour. I haven’t got the time to keep phoning. Once I got through but I was too late, I was told it was my “fault” because I hadn’t rang earlier. Despite mentioning the reason I needed the appointment I think the receptionist aka Care Navigator must have missed the relevant training session because my condition and symptoms didn’t warrant an appointment. She didn’t even ask me, the recorded message advises you will be asked. I was in tears just because I was so frustrated & in pain. I don’t want to change my GP practice but it looks like I’ll have to just to get to see a doctor for something that isn’t trivial.