When are you back to normal? Posted or Updated on 25 Sep 2023

We are often asked this question as to when our appointments system will return back to the way it was. We are sorry to say that it is unlikely to be happening at any time in the near future.

The current demand for appointments is approximately 500 requests per  day and  sometimes as high as 900 - and on some days there may only be about 30 available appointments because of the major shortage of doctors. Because of this, the doctors are trying to get through as many per day as  they can but this mean that they are still carrying out 2 or three times the reccommended "safe" number of patient contacts  daily. When we have reached our full capacity for the day we will not be able to add in any more extra appointments. We are not an urgent care service - if something is that much of an emergency then you need to be attending an emergency department.

We  are  trying our  best  to find  locums to cover extra  shifts but they are  in high demand.

When you ring for an appointment please let the receptionists know what it is  you are ringing about as many appointment requests can be dealt with by the receptionists  themselves, our pharmacist, nurses or other services like local physiotherapy, audiology, mental health services to which you are able to self-refer.

Please to not take up doctors appointments to tell us that "you havent heard from the hospital yet" There are very long waiting times in all specialities at the hospital which we are unable  to do anything about. If  we have referred you it is because we have done as much as we can and now  you need the services of secondary care. Filling our appointments with these problems just make things worse. Please do not take up an urgent triage appointment for longstanding problems which one of the doctors or the hospital are already treating you for - these are for urgent new problems which cannot wait till the next day.