This is Care Opinion [siteRegion]. Did you want Care Opinion [usersRegionBasedOnIP]?
Care Opinion

Issues with the new appointment system

Posted By F Brin

"Issues with the new appointment system"

About: Sherard Road Medical Centre

(as the patient),

The care and medical advice provided by the doctors at this practice is good however I don't feel the same about reception. 

There is an issue with the way the new appointments system has been introduced with no warning or literature to patients, and the way that this has led to reception staff treating people badly.  

I have attempted to use the new eConsult system many times to try and get an appointment and each time it has told me to contact '111'. The only way to get anywhere is to lie and put incorrect information in. Do I need to go through the ordeal of answering over 20 questions when I just want an appointment? If no question is relevant to my issue and it tells me that something is an emergency when it isn't, I don't think it can be considered fit for purpose. I also object to having to detail my private information in this way.

When I've called reception for help, I'm told that I must be doing it wrong and that there is no other way for me to book an appointment. I've pleaded with them to book me a telephone consultation and they have refused. I'm told that because I sound young and because I have an email address that I must be able to use the eConsult system. This is complete nonsense, how can you assume something by someone's voice when you don't know anything about them. I have friends and family in their forties who aren't technically savvy and wouldn't be able to use this system.

Something as straightforward as phoning to book an appointment has become a complete ordeal, this is now the 3rd time I have been refused one. Why am I being turned away when I am asking to see a Doctor? It is a perfectly reasonable request to ask for an appointment over the telephone.

Further to this I'm told I'm not able to see my preferred GP. I can only see the person that they/the system deems suitable for me. It should be the patient's choice how they want to book to see their GP and now neither eConsult or a receptionist will do this for you. Personally I don't mind waiting longer for a non-urgent appointment with my chosen doctor, but this is no longer an option. Why has booking appointments online been completely disabled? This is yet another option that has been taken away. All the confidence I had in knowing that I could get an appointment easily and being able to see the Doctor I want has completely evaporated.

I understand the need to modernise services, however, we should have been consulted in advance about this change and it not be just enforced on us. The customer needs time to adjust in a gradual process. Human support and a range of options for booking appointments still needs to be available for patients, and the staff should be far more accommodating in the process, not refusing to make people appointments.

Please review how you are doing things and how it makes the patient feel. I have been seriously upset and stressed out by this series of events and if this unaccommodating 'cant do' attitude persists I will have to move to another surgery.

Do you have a similar story to tell? Tell your story & make a difference ››

Responses

Response from Adele Zuzarte, Patient Liaison and Complaints Manager., Sherard Road Medical Centre 3 years ago
Adele Zuzarte
Patient Liaison and Complaints Manager.,
Sherard Road Medical Centre

Submitted on 13/07/2020 at 13:51
Published on Care Opinion at 13:52

We are sorry that the patient feels unhappy with the changes to the appointment booking system.

Due to the current Covid-19 crisis, the Practice had to make numerous and immediate changes to the way that services have been operating. One aspect of those changes is the introduction of a new way to contact the practice by introducing the e-consult system. E-consult has already been widely used in primary care across the UK for the past 6 years.

Reception staff are trained by a Clinician and asked by them to encourage and help patients use e-consult. The staff do not age discriminate and will not assume that because a patient is young that they must know how to use the form and/or have internet access.

If a patient has an email address or are able to use the e-consult then they should do so, as they can be triaged quicker and are also given an option of requesting the doctor (if they are available) they prefer. However, if a patient is not able to use e-consult, they will be booked in with the duty doctor that day. We are currently only offering on the day telephone consultations and so we cannot guarantee that patients will be able to speak to the GP of their choice.

All patients are advised to follow the advice given by e-consult as this is correct on the basis of the information a patient has entered onto the system. Patients are given the opportunity to amend their answers, if they wish. Patients are recommended to be honest when answering the questions and it is important to understand that e-consult has been designed to advise ALL patients; from those who are fit and well to those who need urgent and in some cases emergency care.

If the data entered by the patient triggers e-consult to advise them to stop, the actual advice given to the patient is to contact either the GP surgery or NHS111. The idea being that during surgery hours the patient should contact the GP surgery, but if they are using e-consult outside surgery opening hours they should contact NHS 111.

The questions on the e-consult form have been written by GPs and will automatically react to the answers entered with the questions a GP likely would ask in a face-to-face appointment. Therefore, as well as being a useful tool alone, it means that a GP will be able to understand the problem much more quickly. The data that a patient enters on e-Consult can only be seen by the practice and is not shared with any third party companies.

All GP practices were told by the NHS to turn off online booking, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the way the crisis has evolved we were unable to consult patients in advance as we had to ensure that we continued to provide access and had to make decisions quickly.

Adele Zuzarte, Patient Liaison and Complaints Manager.

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful
Opinions
Next Response j
Previous Response k