School Lane SurgeryWe are deeply concerned about the level of abuse our administrative team has been receiving from a small number of patients. While we understand that waiting times and appointment availability can be frustrating, there is absolutely no excuse for the unacceptable comments and behaviour directed towards our staff.
Our team works tirelessly to support patients, often under immense pressure. The reality is that demand for our services far exceeds supply, and while we are actively recruiting more clinical staff and improving our booking system, this takes time.
What doesn’t help is aggression, swearing, and abusive language towards the very people who are here to help.
Some of the comments our staff have received recently include:
- “Well, I’ll be dead by then.”
- “If I die, it’s your fault.
- “Why should I take my daughter to a walk-in centre / call 111 if she has a GP surgery”
- “This is fu**ing ridiculous.”
Alongside these, sarcastic remarks, dismissive behaviour, and belittling staff are creating a hostile environment that is simply unacceptable. Our staff deserve respect. We treat our patients with compassion, and we ask for the same in return.
“Why aren’t you working like you did before COVID?”
The truth is—we are. The system we have in place currently is the same as before COVID, with the addition of online forms to help patients pre-book appointments. Pre-COVID, the wait time for a pre-bookable appointment was approximately 5-6 weeks, and that remains the case today.
“Why is it so difficult to get an appointment?”
We completely understand how frustrating the situation is, and we sincerely apologise for the difficulties patients are facing. Demand for appointments far exceeds our capacity, and this has been further compounded by unprecedented levels of staff sickness affecting all departments, including GPs, nurses, and administrative staff recently. We are doing everything we can to improve access and appreciate your patience.
What Are We Doing to Improve?
- Recruiting More Staff – New clinical and reception staff are joining over the next few weeks to help increase appointment availability.
- New Phone System – A new telephone system will be installed in February. We hope this will significantly improve call handling, reduce wait times, and eventually eliminate the 8:30 AM scramble for appointments. Our goal is to spread calls more evenly throughout the morning to shorten phone queues.
- Reviewing Online Access – We are carefully reviewing how we use online forms to improve accessibility. While we want to reintroduce this system, we must ensure that urgent cases are reviewed in a timely manner. At present, unlimited online access is not safe, as we cannot guarantee that urgent cases will be seen quickly enough.
“I pay tax, I pay your wages!”
Yes, we also pay tax. However, if primary care funding is not increased, then no matter how much tax is paid, services cannot improve because the necessary funding is simply not being allocated to general practice. This is a widespread issue, and we recently met with our local MP yesterday (29/01) to highlight the challenges we face, particularly around funding and demand pressures.
Zero Tolerance Policy
There is no secret that this has been and continues to be a very difficult winter for all aspects of the NHS, School Lane included. That is not a reason to abuse staff. Continued abuse such as that highlighted above will result in action being taken, including possible removal from the practice list.
We know these are challenging times, and we truly appreciate the kindness and patience shown by the vast majority of our patients and that this is a small minority. At the surgery we aim to be as open and honest and we do not shy away from sharing the issues faced. We are working hard to improve, and we ask for your support as we navigate this difficult period.
Thank you for your understanding.