"Triage does not work for patients"

The system of triage may work for the surgery, but rarely for the patient.

Recently, requiring to talk to the GP who had been dealing with my breathing problems to phone me, I had to wait 10 days before this happened.

After this call, without any further appointment to see the doctor, I was referred to a consultant at the hospital.

After waiting for weeks for an appointment, I was told I was low priority and the waiting list was 12 months, to return to my doctor to speed things up.

I got in touch with the surgery and, rather than wait for so long for a doctor's telephone call, I requested that any doctor would be OK to receive a phone call from. Miraculously I was told just two days later, sometime in the afternoon.

I sat by the phone from 12 noon until 6 pm on the day booked, but no telephone call came. I tried to contact the surgery, to ask why I had not received a call, but it was continuously engaged.

To get an actual appointment to see a doctor, from this surgery is almost impossible, to talk to a doctor and to be diagnosed over the telephone is just not good enough.

I have a friend who regularly gets appointments to see the same doctor, at this surgery, because in her own words 'she makes a nuisance of herself, and insists upon this'. Maybe we should all do this?

I'd like to change surgeries, but the only nearby surgery has equally bad reviews, so no doubt we would be no better off.

What has happened to our GP's?

They all seem to dislike their jobs.

Since moving to Devon just over 2 years ago, I have discovered how bad they are in this County.