Urgh. GP surgery having a laugh!

juno

Somebody, somewhere has complained that it's unfair that you can make appointments by walking in as they live miles away and are unable to. So the surgery has tried to make it fairer, but just ended up in a ridiculous situation.

MamaMoo_2

On the flip side, today, after waking up jaundiced, I called the BADGER clinic. 0121 contact number, they took note of my symptoms, hung up, consulted with a doctor and called me back 10 minutes later to tell me to come to the clinic. If only my GP could offer such a great service.

MaggieBaking

juno wrote: »

Somebody, somewhere has complained that it's unfair that you can make appointments by walking in as they live miles away and are unable to. So the surgery has tried to make it fairer, but just ended up in a ridiculous situation.

Our local doctors is marvellous. If I want to I can book an appointment that day by telephoning in, or walking in. If I contact them later on in the day they have no problem finding an appointment that day if urgent, or another day if it suits me.

I love them, I find them so accommodating I always take in some chocolates at Christmas as a thank you. Every single one of them who works there is great to deal with.

I don't understand why some surgeries find this level of care so difficult.

Mrs_P_Pincher

I have to say our GPs' surgery is brilliant. Gold star service all the time. We moved there two years ago from a surgery where an emergency appointment would be a week hence and a non-urgent appointment at least two weeks, where fitting in round work meant that I wanted to go and see a doctor in my Christmas break and was actually able to get in mid April!

My MIL's GP on the other hand is awful. She is 81 and in poor health. When she called the surgery to say that she was too unwell to keep an appointment the receptionist just thanked her for letting them know and put the phone down! She collapsed and finished up in A & E.

Mrs P P

Ms_Chocaholic

After reading this whole thread I'm truly shocked.
I wonder if this is an issue that Martin can look at with a view to publicising it, it is money saving after all, but I'm not sure how things are brought to his attention

MamaMoo_2

Just an update. Tried calling the surgery this morning, but was just cut off repeatedly (at 30p a time) after being told call volumes were too high.
Called back this afternoon, was cut off a few times (again, at a cost) before getting through. Then spent 6 minutes on hold, first 2nd, then 1st in the queue, to be put through to another recording to direct my call. I hit 1 for appointments, where I was then placed back in a queue in position 2!!! So I queued to get into a queue? Another few minutes of being second in the queue, and I was cut off due to my credit running out. Almost 10 minutes in a queue to book a doctors appointment?
And judging by the latest text, they can't give me a blood test today, despite a letter from the hospital saying it needs to be done today (the first day the surgery's open after me leaving hospital!)
I've had to send my husband over to get me an appointment, because I have to have a blood test today, as ordered by the hospital.
However, they told my husband I can't have an appointment until tomorrow, which is no good to me. So because their phone service doesn't work, I can now not have the blood test I need. Wonderful. So angry I'm crying right now!

Azari

MamaMoo wrote: »

Just an update. Tried calling the surgery this morning, but was just cut off repeatedly (at 30p a time) after being told call volumes were too high.
Called back this afternoon, was cut off a few times (again, at a cost) before getting through. Then spent 6 minutes on hold, first 2nd, then 1st in the queue, to be put through to another recording to direct my call. I hit 1 for appointments, where I was then placed back in a queue in position 2!!! So I queued to get into a queue? Another few minutes of being second in the queue, and I was cut off due to my credit running out. Almost 10 minutes in a queue to book a doctors appointment?
And judging by the latest text, they can't give me a blood test today, despite a letter from the hospital saying it needs to be done today (the first day the surgery's open after me leaving hospital!)
I've had to send my husband over to get me an appointment, because I have to have a blood test today, as ordered by the hospital.
However, they told my husband I can't have an appointment until tomorrow, which is no good to me. So because their phone service doesn't work, I can now not have the blood test I need. Wonderful. So angry I'm crying right now!

If things are as bad as you say they are you should get in touch with your MP.

From what you are saying it sounds very much as if your surgery are deliberately causing telephone calls to last as long as possible and need to be remade in order to maximise profit from the income they receive.

It's completely unacceptable and something needs to be done about it.

Make it a priority to contact your MP.

poppy10_2

Azari wrote: »

From what you are saying it sounds very much as if your surgery are deliberately causing telephone calls to last as long as possible and need to be remade in order to maximise profit from the income they receive.

That's pretty common, sadly.

Azari

poppy10 wrote: »

That's pretty common, sadly.

I can imagine it being common through incompetence but wouldn't have thought it was that common as a deliberate ploy.

I wonder if Martin could do, or induce someone else to do, an expose of these practices.

It really is shameful that no government over the past ten years has done anything to protect the sick from this profiteering.

pmduk

MamaMoo wrote: »

Just an update. Tried calling the surgery this morning, but was just cut off repeatedly (at 30p a time) after being told call volumes were too high.
Called back this afternoon, was cut off a few times (again, at a cost) before getting through. Then spent 6 minutes on hold, first 2nd, then 1st in the queue, to be put through to another recording to direct my call. I hit 1 for appointments, where I was then placed back in a queue in position 2!!! So I queued to get into a queue? Another few minutes of being second in the queue, and I was cut off due to my credit running out. Almost 10 minutes in a queue to book a doctors appointment?
And judging by the latest text, they can't give me a blood test today, despite a letter from the hospital saying it needs to be done today (the first day the surgery's open after me leaving hospital!)
I've had to send my husband over to get me an appointment, because I have to have a blood test today, as ordered by the hospital.
However, they told my husband I can't have an appointment until tomorrow, which is no good to me. So because their phone service doesn't work, I can now not have the blood test I need. Wonderful. So angry I'm crying right now!

I'd use either an itemised phone bill or a detailed list of times and call lengths to then claim the amount from the practice.