Care Opinion

Terrible

Story from nhs.uk

"Terrible "

About: The Lawson Practice

Impossible to get a GP appointment.

Next available appointment to see my named GP is in two week time. To make matters worse this is only a telephone appointment, and only a vague appointment time is given (09.00 to 12.00)

There is no option to see an alternative GP sooner and you can not request a face to face appointment.

The way in which booking an appointment, changes constantly, making the process extremely confusing.

This creates additional pressure on other services such as NHS 111 and accident and emergency.

Why has it become so hard to see a GP? The Lawson Practice used to be brilliant but is now terrible

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Responses

Response from Charlotte Morgan, GP, The Lawson Practice about a year and a half ago
Charlotte Morgan
GP,
The Lawson Practice

Submitted on 11/05/2023 at 16:39
Published on Care Opinion at 16:39

Sorry to hear you are disappointed with the appointment system. We believe in continuity of care wherever possible which means we do ask patients to book with their usual doctor unless it’s an urgent problem that can’t wait. The telephone call you will receive is for the doctor to take some brief details of the problem so they can arrange a time for you to come in to be seen. We have moved away from the old model of pre-booked face to face appointments as it didn’t give us the flexibility to book patients in for the time they may need. For example, I can now book someone for 30 mins if they have a complex problem or 5 minutes if it’s something quick. The telephone call does not mean you won’t be seen face to face. It is challenging to give a specific time to call because as you can imagine, health care is not straight forward and things happen or consultations take longer than expected. We do offer appointments late in the evening however if that’s easier for work commitments.

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Response from Uzo Chukwunonye, Deputy Practice Manager, The Lawson Practice, The Lawson Practice about a year and a half ago
We have made a change
Uzo Chukwunonye
Deputy Practice Manager, The Lawson Practice,
The Lawson Practice

Submitted on 01/06/2023 at 14:44
Published on Care Opinion at 15:39

picture of Uzo Chukwunonye

Hi,

I'm writing to inform you about recent changes to our appointment system. We listened to your feedback. On the 18th of May, 2023, we went live with a new online consultation service-Patient, Triage. The form is shorter and easier to use. All requests are reviewed by a senior GP who decides the next steps. Just so you know – our response will always be sent within 24 hours, and most are resolved within that timeframe. We aim to schedule all routine requests at their usual GP’s earliest availability but no more than two weeks. We appreciate your feedback because it helps us plan and improve.

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