Church View Surgery 2021-03-22 Person 1 5 0

this feedback is just about booking an appointment. A specific doctor was requested as that was who was seen previously for the same mental health condition. The person on the phone said that a triage doctor would have to call if it was not an ongoing condition and as a doctor hadn’t been seen for a year for this condition the request for a named doctor was denied. I understand that the people on the phone are trained for care navigation but... Is there a time limit for an ongoing condition? Being told you can’t get an appointment with the doctor you must trust to discuss a mental health issue with is a very upsetting experience and shows a lack of empathy for those that suffer mental health conditions. It had been a year since the last appointment but that doesn’t mean the condition is not ongoing, to my understanding. I understand that the colleagues on the phone are given training on how to best book an appointment but in this case I feel there is room for improvement. Regarding ease of booking appointments. Sometimes you can phone and get straight through like today. But last week we tried for an hour or two on more than one day but didn’t get an answer. I assume too busy for the number of people on reception.

Can the policy for care navigation be made available at the surgery so we can see what to expect. E.g. what is the time limit for an ongoing condition