"Impossible to get an appointment"

I have been a patient of this practice for 13 years and have noticed a significant deterioration in the practice management/appointment procedure.

It is now virtually impossible to get an emergency appointment without turning up at the surgery at opening time to book an appointment for later in the day (often if you need an emergency appointment you are too unwell to do this!).

The phones are either permanently engaged or you are in a holding queue, when you do finally get through there are no appointments left and you're told to call back the next day.

For routine appointments it is virtually impossible.

There is some blocking system whereby only certain appointments are released on some days - so whenever you try to get an appointment they have all been taken.

You cannot book anything more than 2 weeks' in advance.

This is also the case for cervical screening - which must be undertaken at a certain time of the month, and that date is not known until 2 weeks' prior to the required appointment.

The doctors themselves are wonderful, provide good advice and are professional and experienced.

They are kind, caring, sympathetic and to be fair to them I don't think they are fully aware of how difficult it is to get an appointment ... they often end an appointment with "please do come back if the symptoms persist, or if you're worried".

The chance would be a fine thing!!!!!

Our surgery serves the second biggest village in Essex plus surrounding villages, and yet the surgery is open part-time hours only.

This in itself is perhaps central to the problem, but in addition I wonder whether all doctors are available during those part-time opening hours? I have only ever witnessed 2 doctors in the surgery at any one time - and often there is only 1 doctor.

Part-time hours + part-time hours = no appointments.

Add to the mix the significant increase in the population due to new housing in the area and surrounding villages!

Just hope you don't get ill!