appears the standard of patient care has suffered as a result. The locum doctors used by the practice are many in number to compensate for the lack of enough full-time qualified GP's employed by the medical centre. As a result, patients are not able to see a GP of their choice within a reasonable time frame. Doctor's consultations are frequently rushed, doctors at the practice appear flustered and rush through consultations, this has in my own experience resulted in miss-diagnosis and the need for a further doctors appointment to obtain correct diagnosis and treatment. It is difficult to get an appointment to see a doctor, patients have to telephone at 8.30 and the appointments are gone within minutes. The receptionists offer no choice of time or Doctor but they always demand a 'reason for your visit'. The telephone line is now answered by a recording of a GP moaning about how busy they are, warning you that you will be asked for a 'reason for your visit' and then stating that the receptionists will decide wether you may see a doctor or be refused a doctor and be offered an appointment with the nurse instead, obviously this is unsettling because the receptionists are not medically qualified to act as a triage clinician and make such medical decisions. In my own experience, letters from hospital consultants that required further action have on 3 occasions been ignored by the practice and had to be chased up by the hosptial. Very poor service.
