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Unable to get an appointment with a named GP?

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Having problems with GP appointments? Well, read on.

“Rang mid-morning for a non-urgent appointment with my GP but told can only make appointment by ringing at 8.30 on the day. Past experience is that takes up to 30 mins to get through and by then all appointments have gone. This is an unacceptable practice for those who are working or have young children – my daughter is busy doing the school run at this time and cannot spend time hanging on the phone, likewise my other daughter is a teacher and cannot make or take phone calls whilst in class.

“I registered for Patient Digital Access in the hope of being able to make an appointment online, only to find this surgery only allows for on-line booking for a telephone call from a nurse at a town centre surgery, at which I am not a registered patient.

“The appointment I required was for a non-urgent condition which I was quite happy to wait a couple of weeks if need be if I could book it in advance but instead of this I am expected to clog up the very busy telephone lines at 8.30am in the hope of getting an appointment to suit the surgery and not me! Surely a few appointments per day could be set aside for non-urgent pre-booked appointments.

“I, too, am seriously thinking about changing, after 50+years registered with this surgery.”

Read what others are saying about GP surgeries in Torbay.

If you are having difficulty registering for online GP services please see Healthwatch Torbay’s free resources or by registering to view our free e-learning resources viahttps://www.digitalhealthdevon.co.uk/account/

If you have used a health or social care service recently please tell Healthwatch about your experience via our Feedback Centre, by calling us on freephone 0800 052 0029 or email info@healthwatchtorbay.org.uk.

Bob Jope HEALTHWATCH TORBAY

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(Author)

Apart from five years studying in Oxford I’ve lived most of my life in London where for many years I was Head of English in a prestigious girls’ school, but since taking early retirement and heading West to be nearer to my two daughters - settling in Torbay with my wife, Anna, in 2011 - I’ve worked in the voluntary sector. I took on the role of Service Provider, for example, promoting the Red Cross Torbay Navigators Project, while now I’m a Trustee and part of the Media Team for our local Healthwatch. I’m a governor at Torquay Academy, too, giving me the chance to stay up to date with what’s happening in the world of education. Other interests, aside from friends and family, include art and art history, reading - from contemporary fiction and poetry to Elizabethan/Jacobean literature - history, politics, cooking, walking, and music, in particular Bob Dylan, the blues, and early Elvis. I love writing, too, with one novel published so far – Elvis in Wonderland – and another, Who’s There?, that still needs plenty of work!