Deerness Park Medical Centre
JS
Jacqui S. 5 years ago • From Google
Poor
I called early on a bank holiday Monday to arrange a telephone appointment for my elderly, disabled family member. Although I understood it was a public holiday, I was curious about what arrangements might be in place for telephone services on such a day, given the importance of GP services to our community. I expected at minimum an automated message after waiting 18 minutes to music, but received no information at all. Had I not ended the call myself, I suspect I would have continued listening to music for hours. For vulnerable members of our community who are already facing difficulties, the lack of communication may have felt like abandonment by their local GP service. Public services require careful planning, so I would suggest that the IT team make better use of the technology available to the NHS and provide clearer continuity of service. I would recommend recording a message to be played every Friday evening before a bank holiday, explaining when the service will resume. A courteous message inviting callers to ring back the following day, or an option to leave contact details for a callback within a specified timeframe, would be helpful. Based on my experience working in customer service, I believe such a system could be easily managed. When I called back early the following morning, I expected another long wait. The call handler who answered sounded exhausted, only an hour into their shift. After the music stopped, there was silence. I introduced myself, and when I asked about the lack of automated service the previous day, they could only say it had been a bank holiday. I kept the call brief as they clearly had just finished one call and were preparing for the next. The handler was helpful despite being under considerable pressure. Working in the NHS is already demanding, so why create additional stress for both staff and patients? Performance indicators should surely be reviewed regularly and considered in staff assessments. I sympathise with the front-line staff and the challenges created by the telephony system, which significantly impacts their working day and job performance. Some staff may be reassigned to support other programmes, which could be a positive development. During previous visits to reception, I had noticed that the attitude and engagement of some staff members was concerning.
Caitlin M.