"INCREDIBLY ANNOYING, huge barriers to obtaining…"

Just tried to book a repeat prescription. Three different iterations of the website later, still can't do it. The online system for booking appointments is confusing and extremely hard to use. It is a barrier to accessing care for the elderly, those without internet, and those with English as a second language ,

Earlier this year, just before the pandemic, I tried to book an appointment for a sick child. I phoned up and was told to use the online system. I asked if there were any exceptions and was told there weren’t. I asked about the elderly and those without internet as was told that they should go to the library or an internet café (lol, as a pandemic approached, by someone working in healthcare). I tried to use the online system but could not make it work. I phoned up again, in tears, and another receptionist **booked my child in**.

The system is extremely hard to navigate. There is no one button that lets you just book an appointment. Never mind people who do not use the internet regularly, and who are not familiar with websites, it excluded me, and I use the internet every day. For people who cannot make it work, and who call the practice, help is still not guaranteed, as some of the receptionists refuse to book appointments over the phone. It’s confusing and contradictory.

Shortly after that, I tried to use the system to book a smear and a doctors appointment. Again, I could not make the online access system work. I was on hold for a long time, thorough many menus that tried to get me to stop being on hold - to book the smear. The receptionist did book my smear, but then when I asked for help with the online system she said it was blocked from working (!), and I should use a different online system – not the one the website points to. The online triage system. I mentioned this wasn’t mentioned on the website at all. She agreed it wasn’t.

The whole booking system is COMPLETELY OPAQUE. The system used makes it almost impossible for someone with mental heath, dyslexia, poor eyesight, language barriers, limited or no understanding or access to a computer to access health care. It compounds socioeconomic barriers that already exist in accessing health care are compounded by this system. And sometimes it just doesn't work - with no indication that's the case! Surely it’s crucial that it’s easier for people to easily access healthcare and advice at the moment?

I have fed this back to the practice. No response. PLEASE recommend that practice put in place a simpler, more user friendly way of accessing health care – for example... being able to call and book an appointment, on a number that just puts you in an online queue, rather than tries to offer you a million different menu options,none of which work.