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Telephone and appointment

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"Telephone and appointment"

About: Crewkerne Health Centre, Crewkerne

According to the reply posted on 9 August 2016, patients can get a telephone consultation within 24 hours, when I rang the surgery I was told within 2 weeks. So can't be true then. The earliest I could get an appointment I was initially quoted 6 weeks, but got it reduced to 4 weeks, and there I was thinking within a few days. Never used to be like this. And I assume the surgery is still not signed up with the over 55 bowel cancer screening programme, as I haven't had a letter about being called up for it, I enquired months ago about this, this is disgraceful, other Somerset and Dorset surgeries are signed up for it but not this one. It was supposed to have been rolled out all over the country by now. They're talking about dropping it to the age of 50. I hope no patient finds themselves with the condition in the mean time.

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Responses

Response from Crewkerne Health Centre, Crewkerne 5 years ago
Crewkerne Health Centre, Crewkerne

Submitted on 04/05/2018 at 15:50
Published on nhs.uk at 18:06

Dear Patient

I am sorry that you have felt the need to complain via this website about the service provided at the practice.

As part of our telephone triage system, all patients who have a medically urgent condition will be telephoned on the same day.

For routine matters this can be a little longer and due to the practice not currently having a full complement of GPs and having experienced issues with long term sickness absence in recent weeks, unfortunately the wait for a non-urgent appointment is currently a little longer than we would hope it would be.

However, you have my assurance that all medically urgent problems are triaged the same day and the patient will be seen by the appropriate health professional if this is necessary.

With regard to the bowel screening programme for patients aged 55-60, this is still being rolled out across the country.

The practice does not have the option to 'sign up' to this service.

I have checked again today with the National Bowel Screening Service and, until local hospitals have the required screening resources and funding to provide this service, our patients will not be invited.

Some practices locally have been invited to join the programme and the National Bowel Screening Service would be able to give you details of which practices these are.

The service has however confirmed that this practice must wait to be invited to join the service and this will only be done when there are sufficient local resources and funds.

Should you wish to discuss either of these matters with me in more detail, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Regards

Louise Walker

Practice Manager

01460 72435

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