Patients queue an hour for GP appointments – then told ‘come back tomorrow’

Anna-Maria Cahalane, who posted a picture of the queue online, described it as an ‘utter disgrace’ – Anna-Maria Cahalane/PA

Dozens of patients were forced to queue outside a GP surgery for more than an hour after struggling to book an appointment over the phone.

At least 25 people gathered outside the Hilly Fields Medical Centre in Brockley, south London, on Wednesday morning before some were told that they would have to “come back tomorrow”.

One woman said that she waited one hour and 15 minutes before finally being told by the receptionist there were no appointments and she would have to return the following day.

Anna-Maria Cahalane, who posted a picture of the queue online, described it as an “utter disgrace”.

She told the PA news agency: “I’ve been trying for a few days now to get an appointment with the GP by phoning up 8am which is the usual process but I found I literally couldn’t get even get onto the phone queue because it was engaged tone all the time.

“Last time I needed to go to the practice, I had a lot of trouble and I ended up having to go down in the morning and queue, so I thought: ‘I’m going have to do that again.’

“I thought I’d get there extra early so I got there around 7.45[am], and as I was walking down towards the GP practice, I saw there was already a queue all along the pavement, which alarmed me.

“I counted there was about 25 people ahead of me. And I took the picture then because I just thought this is unbelievable. This is the worst I’ve seen it, I’ve seen it bad but never as bad this.”

‘Quite cross and a bit upset’

It came before the release on Thursday of the latest NHS waiting list figures.

Ms Cahalane, 50, said people in the queue with her were “getting quite cross and a bit upset”.

She added: “It was just getting really quite stressful for people and then a lady, I think she must have been the manager, just shouted out ‘all emergency appointments are gone for today’, we hadn’t even got to the door.

“I got to the receptionist and she said: ‘Sorry, no appointments. I’m sorry about the queue,’ and she said: ‘You’ll have to come back tomorrow.’

“I said: ‘I can’t queue up like this again, there must be another option.’

“She suggested phoning and I told her it is always engaged. And she just said: ‘I’m sorry there’s nothing I can do.’”

The Lewisham Care Partnership, which represents Hilly Fields Medical Centre, has been contacted for comment.

‘Millions unable to get an appointment’

Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, said: “What a damning indictment on 14 years of Conservative government, that patients are literally queueing around the block to see a GP.

“The Conservatives have cut 2,000 GPs since 2015, leaving millions unable to get an appointment at all. The longer the Conservatives are in office, the longer patients wait.

“Labour will fix the front door of the NHS with investment and reform. We will train thousands more GPs and cut the red tape that ties up their time, so patients can easily book appointments with their family doctor.”

A Department for Health and Social Care spokesman said: “We are taking action to improve access to GPs, and by sticking with our plan for a faster, simpler, fairer healthcare system, we are now delivering 50 million more GP appointments per year.

“Our Primary Care Recovery Plan, backed by £645 million over two years, is expanding the services offered by community pharmacies through Pharmacy First, which will help free up to 10 million GP appointments per year.

“We are also investing £240 million on digital tools, telephony and training for GP surgeries, and we have cut overall NHS waiting lists for four months running despite disruptive strikes and record winter pressures.”

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