"Booking appointments at my local surgery"

Each time my partner and I am ill we have to get up at 7am to phone our GP surgery to ensure that we get an appointment either that day or the day after. If we phone any later the wait is possibly 3 weeks before an appointment can be scheduled.Even an appointment within the week would sometimes suffice , but not possible. I would like to point out that when you are feeling very unwell, or have been up all night, burning with fever, making the effort to set the alarm for 7am and stay on the phone for anything up to an hour, just to get through to the surgery, is a nightmare. I wonder what it must be like for old people.

Some surgeries would respond by telling you to go to A&E, however as a staff nurse I can tell you that I think A&E is overflowing with patients that should be dealt with by their GPs.

My partner has also been diagnosed with COPD. Up to date he has received no regular follow ups for this condition, no invitations for vaccinations ,no nuitritional screening and no further lung function tests ( this is over the past2/3 year) It feels like no one is looking out for him.

Each visit to the doctors is with another doctor,unless of course you book weeks ahead! I am very disatisfied with this service but, I asume, am unable to register out of the area.