The service I have had previously from this surgery has been good. They are really conveniently located to my house which helps, but it is also an enormous source of frustration in that I can hardly ever get an appointment. As soon as the lines open, you can immediately call in and you will be told that all appointments have already been taken up. Case in point was this week when I phoned in on behalf of my child who is really unwell, stomach cramps, significant dark bruise like rash, losing weight etc only to be told "Sorry, all appointments have been taken up. you will have to phone NHS 111 and go to the hospital instead". The fact this was a child was irrelevant, or at least that was the impression I was given by reception. I am literally a 2 min walk away from the GP surgery, with an ill child, and there is no way they can accommodate us.. a 20 min drive to the hospital is the only option!?!? Insanely frustrating, and makes the point of a local GP surgery absolutely pointless. I get that they are trying to treat patients equally, but the fact is that some are more vulnerable than others, and children need priority. Quite how this surgery is going to cope with the new housing developments going on in the area I don't know. They really need to look into changing the booking system to hold spare appointments back for more vulnerable cases, such as children, as this experience obliterates any positive experiences I may have had before.
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