Burnham and Berrow Medical Centre says that reports that one of their patients waited on the phone for over three hours to get an appointment with a GP are not correct.
It said on Thursday afternoon that a full search of its records had found no record of the patient named in the report being registered at its surgery in either Burnham or Berrow. The story was therefore promptly removed and we apologised.
In a statement, Burnham and Berrow Medical Centre assured its patients: “We wish to reassure our patients that we do ensure we have provision for urgent, on the day problems, but this does mean that routine appointments are reduced when we are short of available GPs, leading to longer waits.”
“We continue to work hard to recruit additional permanent GPs, but there is a national shortage of GPs that affects the vast majority of practices, us included. However, we have fully embraced the Government drive to use other health care professionals instead of GPs where clinically appropriate.”
On the issue of phone delays, the centre added: “Last week our receptionists answered an average of 550 incoming calls per day. We will be changing the way our routine appointments can be booked in line with the GP Contract. It will see an increase in the numbers that can be booked online from 1 July 2019 as a percentage of the total available. This may help reduce telephone demand.”
