We were contacted by Phil, who was seeking advice on how to complain about the difficulties his 79-year-old mother, Jean, was having in obtaining GP appointments.*
Jean is deaf, and Phil usually phones the surgery in order to make appointments for her.
Phil was unhappy that the practice could not offer an appointment with a shorter wait than three weeks. The last time when there was such a delay Jean was admitted to hospital with sepsis, and Phil was worried that this might happen again.
Phil was also unhappy with the attitude of the staff at the practice, who he felt were often rude and dismissive.
We were able to talk Phil through numerous options, both for making appointments and for lodging a complaint.
We recommended that Phil ask the practice about options for booking appointments online, as at many practices this tends to reduce waiting times. We also suggested that he use the NHS website to look for a nearby walk-in centre, and take Jean there if she needs to be seen quickly.
In respect of complaints, we talked Phil through the process and directed him to our leaflet on making complaints. We also gave him contact details for the Care Quality Commission, and suggested he share his feedback on the practice with them.
We asked Phil to contact us again if he needed any additional information or advice.
*Names changed for privacy.
To share your experiences with our helpline team, call 020 8423 8999 between 9.30am and 5pm on weekdays or email helpline@patients-association.com. See our website for more ways to get in touch.
|
|
