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Charing Surgery 2015-06-25 Person 2 5 0

I have been a patient at this surgery for fifteen years. I am unhappy with what I consider to be deteriorating service and relationship with the surgery. I was told by a doctor to come back in three or four weeks to see him about monitoring a medical condition. I went in on Monday and asked for an appointment, knowing that he only works on Thursdays and Fridays. I was told his first available appointment was 18 days hence. I said "That would be fine"... The receptionist responded that I was unable to make that appointment until Thursday as you cannot make appointments more than 14 days ahead. I said I would be in this morning to make the appointment. I appeared at the surgery at 8-50 am and requested an appointment to see my doctor. The receptionist congratulated me that I I had understood that you cannot make an appointment more than 14 days ahead and then informed me that all his appointments for that date had been taken !! I explained, pretty calmly in the circumstances, that I felt that I was playing a game whereby I did not understand all the rules. It seems that I cannot make an appointment more than 14 day ahead, but the doctor himself fills all his slots 14 days ahead... How could you improve or give greater care ? Not keep patients regularly waiting up to 50 minutes in waiting room would be an improvement.(my last two appointments and my wife's last appointment) Not to send patients letters referring to blood pressure as "the silent killer" and then make it almost impossible to get an appointment to monitor said condition. Try to get a more efficient relationship with the hospital, during the past year in my experience appointments have not been made or made incorrectly, and results have not been available. I am confident in the professional competence and attitude of all the doctors I have ever dealt with at the surgery. They are clearly working under considerable pressure. The receptionist I dealt with was also patient and courteous when she explained clearly the reason for my inability to get an appointment. A telephone consultation has been arranged, but I am in a generation that values face to face relationships. The background music was for many years instrumental classical, which in my view has a calming effect. The current music and chat being broadcast, rather loudly, does nothing to relax patients in my opinion. For many years I have been a great advocate of Charing surgery, it saddens me to have written such a review.