"After over 25 years it’s time to leave!"

This surgery has become an absolute joke in recent times due to the appointment and management system! I receive many medicines each month and blood tests every 3 months on request of the doctor which may I add is excellent at their job. With this in mind I’m requested by the doctor verbally and via letter in the post to attend the surgery many times each year. My last experience started over 6 weeks ago when I was put on an extra medication which the doctor requested I see them before the months supply run out before they would put it on my monthly repeat prescription.

I telephoned several times at 8am but to no avail with the same line each morning “sorry all appointments have gone try again tomorrow”.so after several days of trying the receptionist told me “a prescription is ready for you for one more month only, but you must see the doctor before you run out of tablets”.

So yet again tried booking weeks in advance when I picked up my prescription to be told “sorry no pre bookable appointments are available on the system”. So running into the last 2weeks of tablets started with the 8am telephone calls again for several days but to no avail yet again. So my next and final option was to take a day off work go que up outside the surgery in the rain at 7:30am for the doors to open at 8am only to be told “sorry all appointments have gone, we will put you on the cancellation list and try again tomorrow “.

When I questioned what on earth was going on as it’s the doctor who wants to see me not me really wanting to see the doctor the reply was “sorry can’t give you what we haven’t got any complaints you have put in writing to the practice manager “.

So after the terrible service trying to book appointments and being at this surgery for over 25 years it’s time to leave. I must say though having been under the care of the same GP for their entire time at the practice I’m very sad to be leaving due to their fantastic care. This is a very new problem within the past year due to staff changes and the management structure of the practice manager who has changed appointment procedures and taking on way too many patients, especially to the amount of appointments available.