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Appointments near on impossible to book

Story from nhs.uk

"Appointments near on impossible to book"

About: Old Fire Station Surgery

The online booking system is or should I say would be great if there was actually any appointments available. If you then phone for routine appointment because there are none on line available you get advised that they are sorry but they can’t book that far in advance. In the past I have been offered a ‘hub’ appointment which would be greatly received in an emergency, however the routine appointment that I wanted, with a doctor who knows me was not an option, after explaining this I was offered a telephone consultation at a set time with my Doctor, the agreed time came and went, no phone call. Then 30 minutes late hurrah! A call but not from my doctor but one of the others in the practice, I enquired why was it not the person I asked for and was advised ‘ I am doing some of hers’. So frustrated with the lack of professionalism. For those of you who are now thinking why stay if you are that dissatisfied, answer plain and simple the good surgeries are not taking any new patients.

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Responses

Response from Old Fire Station Surgery 4 years ago
Old Fire Station Surgery

Submitted on 09/09/2019 at 09:17
Published on nhs.uk at 13:07

I am sorry that you are unhappy with your recent experience with the practice.

Appointments are bookable up to six weeks in advance and the software automatically opens up another week over the weekend.

The appointment book situation is reviewed every Monday and some appointments are opened up over the coming weeks as appropriate.

We provide a same day facility for those patients who feel they need to be seen urgently.

We are a very busy practice and you may need to wait for routine appointments.

Phone consultations are booked at the end of the busy GP surgery in which they deal with approximately 16 patients and any emergencies that may arise.

Some of these patients will need longer than the allotted time and the GP will often run late.

It should have been explained to you at the time of booking your phone consultation that we cannot guarantee the exact time of the phone call. I apologise if this was not the case.

The only reason that another GP would have made the phone call would be due to your GP going off sick on that day and another GP picking up his/her work.

There in only one practice in the east that is closed to new patients and as far as I know this is the only practice in Southampton that is closed to new patients.

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