Ashdown Forest Health Centre 2024-03-06 Person 1 5 0

I wanted to provide some feedback as a surgery patient wanting an appointment. I phoned yesterday morning to make an appointment for my daughter (grown up) as she was unable to call at 8.30. It took me 15 calls before I got passed the engaged tone and then 15 minutes waiting to speak to a receptionist, only to be told all appointments had gone and I should call that after noon or the following morning. I can forgive the half an hour process but with out any progress, only to start another half and hour process again with no guarantee of a different outcome is not acceptable and not inclusive.

A few things that may have made it better: When I first made it past the engaged tone, the first recorded message was not that I was in the queue but 'since the beginning of the pandemic' I thought I had been pushed back to the beginning again and so hung up to try again (making it 16 calls). It would help to immediately be told you are in a queue or have music. The message of 'since the pandemic' really annoyed me and if anything was going to make me difficult with your staff it was that, quite ironic!! The pandemic was 4 years ago, it is not OK to use this terminology anymore, there is a big campaign that organisations should not be using this as an excuse anymore. If 4 years have passed and your systems have not changed to cope with the change that that is on you not the pandemic any more. You could argue that message is OK, just with out the pandemic bit. You receptionist was polite and efficient, but asking your staff to turn people away expecting them to run the same gauntlet again the same day or next day is not fair on them or the patient. The process of phoning at 8 30 (or 1.30) which over the years in my experience usually does take the full 30 minutes is prohibitive to anyone who is feeling very unwell, has mental health challenges, is working, has children to take on a school run. It is not inclusive and must stop, we shouldn't have to fight to get a GP appointment. Another of your recorded messages speaks of 'online consultation'. I have used the form before and I think the term 'online consultation' is misleading as it is missing the word 'form'. I once hung up my phone wait to try it and was disappointed and lost my place in the queue! In can be a useful tool, although hard to navigate when you symptoms don't match the questions. Personally some calm music with the phone queue count down would be preferable to constant talking or messages. I don't know if you have ever tried to get an appointment, if you haven't it would be a valuable experience to try. I am not one to be a complainer, I do not rewrite this for me but for those who feel what I have described every time they need to get an GP appointment but do not have the strength of voice to say how they feel.