"Good surgery provided your not ill"

The appointments system is terrible, phone up at eight, hang on phone and if your lucky you will get to see a doctor that day, though maybe not the doctor you wish to see. If unlucky, you are offered a doctors call back consultation, all very well provided you don’t need to show your ailment to the doctor. Possibly wait all day for that call, miss it and it an early morning call to the doctors the next day to start the process again. Take the call and discuss your ailments with a doctor more often than not will result in them asking you to see them in surgery.

Now if you have an elderly relative, they seem to think it’s your responsibility to get them to and from the surgery even if they are practically house bound. I was phoned up by a doctor to discuss my father and as a result the doctor had me collecting a specimen bottle for the surgery, taking it to my dads then returning it to the hospital. Wonder what would have happened if I was working that particular day.

Spoke with practice manager about the collecting of specimens and I even suggested I take my dads bloods while I’m at it. They replied that we all have elderly relatives and most people run round doing similar things for their relatives. To which I replied it’s the doctors responsibility to visit elderly people when they can’t get to the practice and if they receive regular phone calls from the elderly patient they should visit them in person because quite obviously there are issues that need addressing.

From my point of view the treatment of elderly patients leaves something to be desired.

This practice is run by A few doctors who unfortunately believe that the way they run the practice is in the best interest of everyone. They are sadly mistaken.

Why not send a questionnaire out to all patients on your books or even send someone around to their houses and ask them on the doorstep if they minded answering a questionnaire?

You might get some useful feedback, provided you asked the right questions.