"Delays in telephone contact and missed follow up"

At the start of the month I called my GP surgery, the Carden Medical Centre, asking for an appointment that afternoon - I have depression and had been unable to go to work or get out of bed for a while, so I figured I needed to change my medication in some way (dose or drug). I was at the end of my tether and very much in need of help and support. The recorded message that played before I got through to the receptionist states that requests for on the day appointments need to be assessed by a doctor, and that someone will call back within 2 working days if an on the day appointment is appropriate (so no longer an on the day appointment then?!). Anyway, when I did get through, the receptionist was very polite and explained that she couldn't give me an appointment but would get a doctor to call me that afternoon.

After not hearing anything I called back at 4.30pm (I wanted to make sure that I would get to speak to someone before the surgery closed for the weekend), she again assured me that a doctor would call before they closed at 6pm. No one called.

I called the surgery back the following Friday after another week of struggling and they apologised for missing my message and said a doctor would call me back, I suggested it might just be quicker to book an appointment as I was now not requesting an on the day appointment - I was told no, a doctor would call me before the surgery closed. A doctor did call me, and after I explained the problems I was having they simply said I'm sorry I can't really help you, this sounds a lot more involved than a telephone appointment and you need to book an appointment - just as I suspected! I asked if I could book an appointment then, and the doctor apologised and said I'd have to phone back and speak to a receptionist, they were just doing the patient calls at that time so couldn't make any appointments.

I did phone back and was on hold for 10 minutes before I got through to a receptionist that gave me an appointment for the end of the month, more than 3 weeks after I first reached out for help. My medication has therefore still not changed and I am struggling to function properly in my job and my life more broadly.