"Appalling GP’s behaviour & Safety concerns re..."

This practice needs an urgent CQC investigation.

First, the booking system is unsafe – urgent and non-urgent cases are required to call for an appointment at the same time which is between 8am and 10am Monday to Friday (at no other time can appointments be booked, neither can you book them at the reception, or online). This makes it almost impossible to get through to someone as the phone is constantly busy. Once you do manage to get through to the reception, you will need to wait for the GP to call you back – it takes about 4 hours for them to get back to you, or if they don’t you will need to call the reception again to remind them that you are still waiting.

My experience with talking to the GPs on the phone was twofold. On the one hand, some GPs rush through the conversation to the point that not all that is essential is allowed to be communicated to them. On the other hand, some GPs resort to disrespectful bullying and shouting on the phone including patient-blaming – which I was unfortunate to experience today. This is an absolutely appalling behaviour for a medical professional who is dealing with vulnerable patients. My last conversation with a GP ended up in asking them not to talk to me that way - I had to put the phone down to stop being shouted at. Has my clinical issue been resolved in this phone call you might ask? Well, I have still not received what I clinically need – a hospital referral for a potential skin cancer lesion.

I hope that other patients (esp. the vulnerable individuals) in this clinic have received a more respectful and considerate care. My next step is the CQC.

Regards,

A patient safety scientist.