Trying for appointment

Published on 22nd May 2008 in Letters

Sir - I remember the days when people made their first telephone call of the day, to the Leisure Centre, to secure a squash court or badminton court or golf course tee-time.

Now, some 30 years later, the priority is to secure a same-day appointment with your local GP, by phoning the surgery at 8am for one of the 50 per cent of appointments that have not been pre-booked, up to two weeks in advance.

The other day I tried for an appointment for an emergency situation for a burst blood vessel in my eye. There were no vacancies with my regular GP. There were no other doctors available. I was offered a phone call from a doctor, if I considered it an emergency, to assess my condition and advise what action would be appropriate. I accepted the offer and waited for that call for the next three hours, but it never came.

I attended the Minor Injuries Clinic at Goole Hospital and received a check up and assurances and medication, after only a five-minute wait, and was referred back to my GP to review my regular medication. Today I called the surgery at 7.58am and at 07.59am. The second call was successful and I was number five in the queue of callers. At 8.02am I was offered an appointment at 9.40am. When I asked if that was the earliest appointment available, I was told: "That is the only one available."

Apparently the doctor only had four vacant appointments and this was due to people booking appointments on-line, and during the one minute before my second call. Our doctors tell us in all sincerity "Any problems, come back and see me," however the appointment booking systems seldom allow this, if it is required at short notice.

The systems may be satisfying the NHS targets but leaves many patients like me, impatient and very dissatisfied.

JACK BRIGHT

Pinfold Lane, Pollington