‘If you telephone the surgery at twenty-five past eight someone will answer, and you’ll get an appointment’
No – the telephone system is fully computerised. The lines go live at eight-thirty and until that time a caller will hear a message saying that the surgery is closed until eight-thirty.
‘If you press option 1 you will move to the top of the queue and your call will be answered quicker’
Yes and no – this line is for use by medical staff only EG ambulance operatives or hospital staff who need to speak to a GP urgently. So, whilst your call may be answered more quickly, if you are not medical staff you will be asked to call back on the surgery telephone number and press option 2.
‘The only way I can get medical advice is by phoning my GP surgery when their lines open at eight thirty in the morning or two thirty in the afternoon.’
No – that is one of the ways of getting medical advice.
The others are:
- Speak to your local pharmacist
- Call 111
- Go to the surgery website and use the Klinik facility https://access.klinik.co.uk/contact/highfield-surgery – patient requests that are submitted in this fashion are dealt with on a regular basis
- Visit the NHS – self-help page - https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/
‘I definitely need to see a GP, a pharmacist can’t help’
Pharmacists are experts in medicines who can help you with minor health concerns.
As qualified healthcare professionals, they can offer clinical advice and over-the-counter medicines for a range of minor illnesses, such as coughs, colds, sore throats, tummy trouble and aches and pains.
If symptoms suggest it's something more serious, pharmacists have the right training to make sure you get the help you need. For example, they will tell you if you need to see a GP, nurse or other healthcare professional.
‘When there is a message to say that there are no more urgent appointments left, I hang on anyway, they’re bound to fit me in’
Of course, that is your prerogative however you may hold on for a long, frustrating time to be told that there are no urgent appointments remaining.
‘When the system offers me a call back, I don’t take it because it puts your call to the back of the queue’
No - the system is fully automated. If you accept a call back the system does it automatically and your call retains its original place in the queue. It saves you the potential frustration of holding on for an unknown length of time.