"Trying to make a GP appointment"

Trying to initiate an appointment with a G.P. at my surgery in Edinburgh via the telephone is an unsatisfactory procedure which gives rise to this complaint.

The system in place requires the patient to ring between 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. Each call makes an immediate connection with the caller having to listen to the same 1min 20sec recording each time and joining a queue. There is no technology employed to advise the caller of the approximate queuing time. Sometimes I have waited 20 mins. For an answer which costs me 20 mins at the call rate, with the units being deducted from my prepaid total. (It would be safe to assume that there are callers behind and in front, having endured the same wait.)

I have complained only to be told the alternative is to pay a personal visit to the Health Centre (at 8:00am) to make a G.P. call back appointment. (This involves rising at 6:30 and leaving at 7:30 with a 30 mins. walk, sometimes in a wet and windy or cold and icy environment).

The system needs to be improved. At the moment there is only one person dealing with the phone from 8:00 am. (tasked with making decisions on the need for an appointment ?) which is maybe what is giving rise to these lengthy waits.

The reason I know there is only one person dealing with thousands of patients phoning is because I had an 8:10 a.m. appointment with the practice nurse. I was the only patient in the waiting room. There was just the one person staffing the incoming calls within 12 ft. of me and I could hear quite clearly their interactions with each caller and quoting all the confidential details before deciding that the caller would be eligible for a call back later from a G.P. (not necessarily their assigned G.P. in my experience)  I lodged my concern with N.H.S. only to receive a letter from them advising that my GP practice is an independent contractor and under the NHS Complaints Procedure I should initially make my complaint directly to the Practice Manager or Lead GP. If not happy with the response, I could then refer the matter to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman.

Surely the complaint should be handled by the N.H.S. as the "private contractor" in this case is dragging the excellent reputation of our N.H.S. medical staff, through the mud ?