Werneth residents claim 'it's a nightmare' to book a GP appointment

Both the Kapur Family Care practice and Werneth Medical Practice, situated in the Werneth Primary Care Centre on Featherstall Road, have come under criticism from patients who claim it is 'almost impossible' to get through on the phone and are resorting to A&E for their health concerns.

The building is home to both the two practices. Image by Google Maps. (Image: Google Maps)

Pharaha Choudhury, a patient at Kapur Family Practice, said: "GP issues are getting worse day by day.

“You can’t get an appointment and then by the time you do, the GP will only deal with one issue.

"This is wasting A&E's time, patient's time and is creating delays for people who do need treatment there and then."

Another patient, Naverah Kelly, said she recently tried to get medication for asthma but was told to call back.

Ms Kelly said: "It takes at least 20 or more attempts to get through. It's not good enough and even less so when you work.

"I don't even bother now. Waste of time."

However, Ms Kelly added that the surgery had been"excellent" with mental health support during the pandemic.

Werneth residents claim they struggle to book an appointment with their GP. Image by Canva. (Image: Unsplash/Canva)

But Mohshin Uddin similarly said it is a “nightmare” and can be "very frustrating" to get an appointment as he claims the phone line is constantly engaged.

In a statement Kapur Family Practice said: "We are committed to improve patient access and utilising all available resources to make it possible."

The surgery also said it "appreciates" the phone system has resulted in "significant waiting times" and is moving to an online triage model as of October 3 where requests can be submitted online.

A patient at Werneth Medical Practice who chose to remain anonymous echoed the same concerns and said they have been unable to see their GP for almost a year.

They added: “I have totally avoided going to the GP – I rather just deal with it or go undiagnosed.

“But this is why the NHS is suffering – everyone is going to A&E.”

Recent reviews posted about the practice claim the 20-minute-long attempt to get through on the phone is exacerbated by the phone line cutting out as soon as it's answered.

When The Oldham Times called this week, the phone line also cut out mid-conversation.

Werneth Medical Practice said the surgery is struggling to cope with demand since Covid but has recruited a new GP and clinical pharmacist, invested in training, installed a new telephone system and offers additional appointments with physiotherapy and mental health practitioners.

Werneth Medical Practice said it is struggling to cope with the demand since Covid-19. Image by Unsplash/Canva. (Image: Unsplash/Canva)

It said: “Like all practices in the UK, WMP is coping with significantly increased patient demand, clinical staff shortages and backlogs in the NHS following the pandemic."

The surgery also said it has scored an internal patient satisfaction rating of 73 per cent.

This contrasts with the NHS England's Patient Survey 2022 released in July which placed both Kapur Family Care and Werneth Medical Practice at the bottom of the borough with 'good' ratings of 37 per cent and 42 per cent respectively.