"Everything you hear about the Receptionists is..."

This surgery has been housed in a brand new building for about 4 months now and many would think that this would attract a better spirit amongst the personnel.

But it hasn't.

Things are not improving enough and the news headlines are testament to that.

To be sure, the problem is simply down to not enough GPs and Nurses being available for cover, meaning that getting an appointment is always going to be hard. It's set to get harder soon as the final stages of building work around Rooksdown and the Hospital are coming to completion. Nevertheless, the management are not making the best of it and this is seen predominantly in the attitude of the reception staff who are very coy about revealing appointment availability.

We've had a handful of experiences, stretching back 12 months now, were we have been told one of the following:-

"The surgery has closed the diaries at this time."

"No appointments have been lodged on the system - please call back in three days"

We've experienced this in particular after being effectively triaged by the Receptionist. Indeed, they are at times prepared to make an appointment until they find out what it's for; unfortunately unless you yield to the interrogation they will simply dismiss you (whether by phone or in person).

Nobody doubts that the service is stretched beyond its limits but this attitude only aggravates the situation. There is no need to humiliate patients - sorry 'service users' - in this way but they seem to have it down as their default response.

Something needs to give, something needs to be changed - and soon at that, for everybody's sake.