Argyle Doctors Surgery change your telephone system for appointments

How about a walk in surgery to clear the backlog of people that have given up on the ridiculous phone system?

Can they look at E-Consult as a way to help improve the situation? Peoples health will be suffering due to the barriers with getting an appointment, and they give up trying.

They could also install a queuing system that has sufficient capacity to handle all the calls, rather than us getting the engaged tone 100 times in a row before even reaching the end of the phone queue.

We definitely need an appointment system.

This is the worst practice I have been with by far. That have lost letters they should have sent to Withybush so I was delayed 6 months because of this. I took a day off work to get an appointment but didn't get through till after 9 so they would not see me and I had to take another day off. If there was another practice nearby I would gladly go to it. This practice is not worker friendly

This system is a joke. I lose a days pay and still no guarantee of an appointment. Petition good call and good luck.

I would like to be able to make an appointment in advance - I do not always need to see a Dr on the same day - it may not be that urgent.

To make an appointment to fit in with your work , and on line appointments would also be a good idea . Fines for missed appointment should be brought in as may stop people abusing the system

Something certainly needs to be done ASAP about the appointments and the booking system as it is poor practice what happened now. Expecting all patients to start phoning at 0800 it stands to reason that the lines are going to be engaged. It's annoying to be on the phone for 20-30mins and then find there are no doctors apts left & if you're lucky you may be offered a nurse practioner. My suggestions would include 1. Open surgery ie no apts between 8-10am 2. A couple of doctors could take apts made by patients phoning in on the previous afternoon. 3. Afternoon apts for patients who had phoned in during the morning. 4. Patients who have on going conditions & wish to see a particular doctor should be able to book in advance. 5. On line booking

Something needs to be done and you should have so say in what doctor you see .especially people with on going conditions that have to use up most of their time explaining their condition first.because of see different doctors everytime you go in .

I work in Swansea and have to leave before 8am so if I do eventually get through I sometimes have to decline an spot time because I can't get back in time

I have had the same problems as others phone for an appointment 8 AM redial for 20/30 minutes to be offered a student or nurse as that's all that's left!! twice this has happened ! and speaking to others same has happened to them!!

also a over phone prescriptions line instead of having to go there and yes agree about things re appointments.

Definitely something needs to be done. Phoning in the morning only to hear a constant engaged tone is just not good enough

Is it not blatantly obvious that the reason the lines are open for a limited time only are due to supply and demand issues?!....i.e. not enough doctors due to funding, or shortages etc. It doesn't matter how the booking system is changed. There will still not be enough appointments to go round!!! The poor system is deliberate. why would they pay someone to be on the line all day to say sorry no appointments repeatedly when they can do the same for just an hour or whatever it is. I'm not trying to be a clever git but ur all petitioning for the wrong thing. The issue that needs petitioning is the lack of available appointments. The booking system is a trivial matter that would be resolved overnight, guaranteed if the docs had appointments to give. I don't have to deal with that crap as i live away but I especially feel for the elderly. particularly the lonely ones who have nobody. how many are stuck at home suffering unable to stay on hold for an hour? how many may have died even as a result of not getting treatments/diagnosis in a timely matter?...who knows?.....

Hope this happens

The way to make appointments should be changed, its a nightmare when you have been awake all night with a poorly child and have other kids to get ready and take too school and your stuck redialing for half an hour to get an appointment. thats if your lucky to even get one!

The system needs to change x

Leave for work at 8am can never get through to make a appointment.

I find it very difficult to get to the doctors around work commitments. Recently I was very poorly and unable to get out of bed after trying for 2 days to get an appointment on the second day after more than 140 attempts I got through after ringing since before 8pm. I got the last appointment of the day at 5.20pm after being left in so much pain for nearly 2 days. I don't visit the doctors much, but when you need to its so difficult and people are just left in so much pain and with no sympathy at all. There has to be a better way than this