Are you afraid of the news?

Our GP surgery phone system says to hit '5' for a callback. When you hit the '5' button the message says this service is not available! 

When the surgery staff were told about this they claimed not to know about it.
Sigh.

pompeymike wrote:Our GP surgery phone system says to hit '5' for a callback. When you hit the '5' button the message says this service is not available! 

When the surgery staff were told about this they claimed not to know about it.
Sigh.

This morning those of us who have been double Covid jabbed got our first call-up for a booster. We were asked, in a text, to phone a dedicated number at the surgery to book an apppointment. Not surprisingly the number was engaged umpteen times. When I eventually got through I had to listen to the by now standard recorded messages about how we do things differently now, all about triage, not asking to see the doctor unless it is an emergency, how to dial 119, how to go online to patient access and a whole load of information irrelevant to anyone simply calling as directed, to get an appointment for a jab.  Had they not forced us to listen to all this they could have taken double the number of calls in the same time. 

Does anyone on the staff think about what goes on their out-going messages ?

Still no better here. I called my surgery at 9am this morning, number 12 in the queue. Half an hour later I get to the front, have to give the receptionist all my symptoms so she can decide if I'm ill enough to be progressed further. Then told I'll be called back by a medical professional (not necessarily a doctor..) at 12.10pm, very specific time.
I eventually got the call back at 1.50pm...
I've come to the conclusion that to see a virtual doctor it follows that you have to wait in a virtual waiting room...
Oh, the outcome was I get a real appointment two weeks on Thursday, by which time I may have passed away...
Al.

bikeralw wrote:.
Oh, the outcome was I get a real appointment two weeks on Thursday, by which time I may have passed away...
Al.

If it wasn’t for the fact that you’d not be around to see the outcome it would be grimly satisfying to do a Spike Milligan and have “ I told you I was ill” engraved on your gravestone.

Seriously, I hope there is only good news at your appointment and you feel better now that you have actually got a date to see the doctor. Good advice from my (ex) doctor was to write down everything you want to tell him, plus a record of symptoms, before you go and take the list with you.

My Husband has had an accident laying paving slabs is in a lot of pain, stomach black as well as his back, ribs hurt, rang pharmacy to check if he could take paracetamol, they ang back in five minutes, we think he should see a doctor as he is on blood thinners, arranged doctor to ring, he said take painkillers(  doesn`t think he has damaged his insides, how can he tell over a telephone ) and to get in touch in one to two weeks if it gets worse.or is no better, then he will see him, not happy about that, up to now was very impressed with the health service since being here.

Guess that is how it is now, would not trouble A & E unless it was an emergency. ie life threatening. as they are overwhelmed as it is.