Unfortunately, some of our staff have recently experienced unkind comments and difficult conversations when patients have been unable to get an appointment. We understand how upsetting it can feel when you need help and appointments are limited, so we want to explain openly why this happens.
General practice is experiencing extremely high levels of demand. Each day, we receive far more appointment requests than we have safe capacity to provide. The simple option would be to employ more staff, but without increased NHS funding this is not possible. The British Medical Association (BMA) advises that GPs must work within safe limits to ensure high‑quality, clinically appropriate care. This means there is a maximum number of patient contacts a GP can safely manage in a day. When demand exceeds this, we must prioritise based on clinical need to protect patient safety.
Many patients now require more complex, ongoing care, which means each consultation often takes longer and involves more follow‑up than in the past. Our clinicians and wider practice team work hard to balance this increasing demand with the need to maintain safe, effective care for everyone.
Our reception team are trained to help direct you to the most appropriate clinician or service. This may include a GP, nurse, pharmacist, physiotherapist, mental health practitioner, or other NHS services. Their role is essential in helping us make the best use of limited capacity.
We kindly ask all patients to remain polite and respectful when speaking with our staff. They are doing their best to help you, often under significant pressure, and they follow the guidance we have in place to ensure safe and fair access for all. Abuse or aggression towards staff will not be tolerated.
We continue to review our systems and expand our clinical team where possible.
Thank you for your patience, understanding, and support as we work to provide safe, quality care for our community.
Drs Bobbett, Allen and Sheasby
