In a letter to the Tenby Observer, a patient at Saundersfoot argues ‘perverse’ GP surgery appointments procedures are detrimental to community health:

“The current appointments procedure at my surgery can only be described as perverse.

“Pre-Covid, appointments could be obtained by ringing at any time of the day. Covid is now in the past but the Covid emergency procedure remains.

“Patients are required to ring at 8.00 in the morning, but even after a two-hour wait are not guaranteed to be ‘rewarded’ with an appointment.

“If a patient is ringing for an appointment it probably means that they are not in the best of health. The stress and frustration of a potential two-hour wait can only exacerbate their health condition.

“Further stress and indignity is suffered if the patient chooses to join the long and winding queue outside the surgery at 8am to book an appointment with one of the over-stretched receptionists.

“When will the staff and GPs realise how demeaning it is to compete for an appointment?

“Sadly, some patients will inevitably put their dignity before their health, and suffer the consequences. What a shameful state of affairs.”

Another failing in the surgery’s appointments procedure was revealed in July when a patient suffering from an infection was informed that there would be no pre-bookable appointments until October due to a ‘computer update’. Having walked into the surgery to request that a GP sign off a repeat prescription for antibiotics, the patient was told: “We don’t do that, you’ll have to see a GP.”

Saundersfoot is not the only local surgery to be using an 8am phone ‘lottery’. We do not have sufficient space in this ’paper to print the many expressions of frustration with the system at Argyle Surgery in Pembroke Dock.

One Argyle patient shared what happened after he was advised by a consultant to see the GP for a prescription.

“I tried Friday, Monday and Tuesday in the 8 o’clock phone lottery without success. I attempted over 30 phone calls each day to join a queue then waited over 30 minutes to get through to reception only to be told that there were no appointments available on the day and no book ahead ones either.”

“Who puts off attempting to phone Argyle as they know there won’t be any appointments?” asks another. “Potentially there will be an awful lot of unwell people whose health could deteriorate quite seriously.”