"Appalling booking system"

(If I could give them 0 stars I would, however, 1 star is the minimum)

It's almost impossible to get an appointment at this practice. Their website claims you can book appointments over the phone, however that isn't true. When you phone, all you get is an automated service telling you that you have to use the online consultation form to request to see a GP. Given it's only an online form you would think at least you could fill it in at any time that suits you. WRONG! The online form is only available during working hours, therefore most people will have to fill this in whilst they're at work (which is difficult when you're in a shared office and others can see the private medical information you're typing in). The form is several pages long and all fields are compulsory, despite most questions being irrelevant. At the end of the form you receive an automated email telling you someone will call or email within a certain timeframe. I filled the form in on a Friday and was told I would hear by the following Thursday, which seems a very long time to wait simply to hear whether you're allowed to book a face-to-face appointment. However, Thursday came and went and I still didn't hear anything. I followed the link provided to inform them my response was delayed and all I received was an email (with capitalisation and punctuation errors - not very professional) saying they had an influx of requests and had urgent patients to deal with, which was a little insulting to be honest. Given I had stated on the online form that my symptoms were preventing me from both working and socialising, I'm not sure why they considered my request to be non-urgent. This email failed to state a revised deadline by which I could expect a response. Another day had gone by and I still haven't heard anything. I tried phoning and finally found an option on the automated system that claims to allow you to speak to a receptionist, however, when I tried that the call was cut off!

I've provided feedback on this service a number of times when asked to do so and I've seen countless other negative reviews on the NHS website and on Google yet still nothing has changed for the better. I can only assume the managers of this practice don't care about patient feedback like their stock responses to reviews on here claim.

I'm so frustrated and appalled by the service provided that I've been left with no other choice than to register at a different practice. Maybe that's their goal though - to annoy enough of their patients that they finally go elsewhere and alleviate the pressures on their service and instead let other practices pick up their workload. What's the point of being registered with a GP practice if you're unable to book an appointment to see anyone?