Sue's experience of 111 is, I fear, typical. It's a clunky system that tests one's patience. At Putneymead they have partially addressed the problem of getting in touch with a GP if a phone call doesn't work because of long waiting times. You can go online and send your GP a message of up to 300 characters. My experience is that within a few hours you get a reaction (phone or text) from the practice, though not necessarily from your nsmed GP. This arrangement doesn't work at weekends or on bank holidays however, when A&E or 111 are the only options. I have real misgivings about the move towards phone appointments as a format, and the tendency of some members of the medical fraternity to argue that it as good as equates with the traditional face-to-face consultation. Nothing beats a real in-the-flesh encounter. There are some parts of the human anatomy that need to be seen to be believed - or indeed relieved!
Alexander MacLeod ● 1102d