Bilbrook Medical Centre 2019-06-04 Person 4 5 0

I have been a patient at this practice for over a decade and have until recently found it to be a remarkably efficient and medically competent practice, where all the staff regardless of role from receptionist all the way to partner are caring compassionate and continually working hard to ensure the best care is delivered both quickly and thouroghly. However more recently I have recently encountered a hurdle with the practice, the newly implemented appointment system or rather lack of one!. Until recently you booked an appointment with your choice of GP up to 5 weeks in advance or for emergency appointments you rang on the day and saw the duty doctor. The new system however has no prebooking of appointments and no choice of GP simply ring on the day and get an appointment allocated with whoever is available for whatever time is available. The main issue is that unless you are ringing continiously from 7.30 there is no chance of getting an appointment on most days after 8am and even if you do manage to get through then unless it is an emergency you cannot book according to most receptionists. This offers 3 major issues in my experience as some one who has an long term progressive condition. Firstly I require semi regular routine appointments with my GP which is unless you lie and say are emergencies you cannot get. Secondly you cannot ask to see a specific GP which offers no continuity of care, until recently I saw the same Dr for all my routine appointments now I see a pot luck Dr and have to explain a decade long condition in detail to a new Dr every time and hope for treatment that is in line with my previous visits..... not easy in 10 mins!!! And finally if you ring on the day and do manage to get offered an appointment half the time there is no choice in times and what us offered is not necessarily appropriate I.e. 20 or 30 minutes after you call, and whilst I am usually available due to inability to work it is not always practical as short notice outings with a disabilitybare not always feasible. Please please please can this issue be addressed and the old system reintroduced or even a hybridised system for pts with long term conditions to receive the continuity of care they need to be accommodated as currently it seems a little like we have been forgotten about