"Excellent care but patient access is not good"

I have been with this surgery a year, and in the times I have had to use it, I have had absolutely no faults with the care I have received - the nurses, doctors and receptionists here are fantastic.

However, I must say that access to care is not where it should be. As a person who works full-time, I do not have access to a phone 24/7, so I would expect phone line accessibility to suit people like me. The last few times I have rang for an appointment, the lines have either. When closed for two hours at peak times (12-2, I understand this may be to cover lunches though) or closed for the whole day, which baffles me. More than once I have had to cope with a problem for a few days because I have tried for days at a time to get through when the lines are open!

The last time this happened I was sent down to a Minor Injuries Care unit at St James due to an autoclave burn, who instructed me to visit a practice nurse for a redress in 2 days. I had to return because I was told there were no appointments for at least 10 days, wasting the hospitals' time. When then hospital nurse rang, all of sudden I could be seen a couple of days later.

I honestly believe the phone line access system needs to be reviewed as I currently can hardly ever get care when I need it.