Total disregard of patients by GP surgeries as wait for help goes on and on

readers say they expect better from GP surgeries - what is your view?

AS I read through the article by Neil McNicholas (The Yorkshire Post, August 20) on the NHS, I could only think of the number of times I have been down the same path, and no doubt this applies to many others.

A vision for a joined-up NHS which puts common sense care first to ease burden on A&E hospitals – Neil McNicholas

It’s no wonder that things now take so long, and cost so much, when you get passed from pillar to post.

GP surgeries are in the spotlight as pressure grows on hospital A&E departments.

If you try phoning almost any organisation you end up listening to robots telling you to press this or that button, and asking ‘‘why not go online’’, interspersed with some awful music.

Then, nine times out of 10, you hear the message that ‘‘we’re unusually busy at the moment’’.

GP appointment waiting times reach more than two weeks

Where I live, we are fortunate in having an excellent doctors’ surgery, but you often get told that you will have to wait up to two weeks for an appointment. I’ve pointed out that in two weeks I will either be cured or dead. Then you’re asked if it’s urgent.

Well, there are many situations where it will be patently obvious that it’s urgent, but there are others where only the doctor or nurse will know if it’s urgent.

As Neil McNicholas said, we are now completely tied up with ‘‘health and safety’’ coupled with the ‘‘blame culture’’.

Leeds doctor: ‘People should be able to “self-certify” as ill to reduce GPs’ surgery waiting times’

If these practices and attitudes had been in place in 1940, guess what language we would now be speaking!

Total disregard of patients by GP surgeries as wait for help goes on and on - Yorkshire Post letters