A PATIENT at an Eldene surgery fears that the new system put in place to deal with calls will put lives at risk.

Michael Armstrong claims that operators of the call centre which now responds to re-routed calls from five Swindon surgeries instead of the surgeries themselves have failed to help him with urgent medical issues.

The 60-year-old received little to no help from the operators on the two occasions he called them.

He said: “I’ve been with Eldene Surgery for 31 years and I’ve never experienced anything like this before, it’s a joke.

“I have major heart problems and wanted to book my next blood test, but I was told that appointments were full for the next two weeks and I’d have to transfer to Moredon surgery.

“When I mentioned my doctor, they said he hadn’t worked at my surgery for a year and a half.

“However, when my wife went in for her own appointment the next day, she was told there were plenty of appointments available and she spoke to my doctor.

“When my repeat prescription stopped by mistake, I called to sort it out, but they weren’t allowed to access my medical records so they couldn’t help me and they refused to put me through to my surgery, it’s ridiculous.

“Each time I’ve called, I’ve had to wait 30 minutes before anyone answered.”

Michael drives across the country for his job and had to send his wife to the surgery to resolve these issues. He worries that elderly and infirm patients who rely on the phone lines could face dangerous difficulties.

He added: “What’s the point in having this system when the operators don’t know what’s going on in these surgeries and can’t access your records to help you?

“It used to run smoothly. Booking appointments was simple and any issues with prescriptions could be sorted out easily in minutes.

“I’d called to sort out my blood pressure but this whole thing has only raised it

“It can’t go on, this is a no-win situation for patients, it could put people’s health at risk.”

The surgeries run by Manchester-based firm Integral Medical Holdings have been beset by problems.

Nigel Sweeney, general manager of Swindon Cluster, which manages the five GP surgeries, said: “We continue to work closely with Swindon Clinical Commissioning Group and other third-party stakeholders to improve our patients’ experience when contacting us. We have previously acknowledged that, as with any new service, there have been some teething problems, but we are confident that we are working through these and towards a better service for our patients.

“While we are unable to comment on specific instances, we are happy to engage with the patient to address any concerns they may have and welcome them to contact us directly should they wish to discuss their experience further.”

A spokesman for Swindon CCG said: “We acknowledge the frustration being felt by patients registered at one of the five IMH surgeries at this time, and it is our absolute priority to continue to investigate and resolve these issues as quickly as possible.

“We have daily discussions with IMH regarding call volumes and waiting times, as well as any incidents or complaints raised by patients, which are then followed up with a thorough investigation, provided the patient has given consent to a review into their concern taking place.”

“We know demand for GP appointments is at its highest on a Monday and Tuesday morning, as many people decide to wait until the new week before calling their practice and, while we appreciate it’s never ideal having to wait, especially when feeling unwell, we would ask any patients who are able to wait until after 9am on these days before calling to do so, as this will allow call handlers to prioritise patients needing to arrange urgent same-day appointments.

“As always, we would like to thank patients across Swindon for their continued patience and ask that anybody with concerns speak to our Patient Advice and Complaints Team, either by calling 0300 200 8844 or emailing feedback.swindonccg@nhs.net.”