I find it difficult to put into words how frustrating this practice is.
The doctors have put themselves on a pedestal and cannot be contacted by patients. They run the practice as their own personal fiefdom and don't give a dam about their patients. I honestly think they are only in the job for the ridiculously high salary. They are also very quick to refer you to a specialist (for a fee) and this no doubt bolsters their already inflated salary. I wouldn't pay them in washers.
The only way to get an appointment is to stand outside the surgery at 8:00am and get face to face contact with the receptionist. Even then, they often say all the appointments have gone. When you ask for an appointment for the following day they say 'all the appointments are locked until 8:00m the following day'. Ridiculous!
The reception staff asks for details of your illness which should be confidential between the doctor and patient. If you tell them this, they become abusive and hang up the phone.
The practice manager is impossible to talk to on the phone and never returns calls. When I have managed to talk to her, she is condescending, boorish and does not listen. She is only ever on 'transmit mode' never 'receive'. Often when I manage to contact the practice, I cannot hear what the receptionist is saying due to the horrendous background noise of other staff laughing and joking.
If this was a business in the private sector, not supported by tax payers, it wouldn't last five minutes.