A BRIT has been left reeling after having to make a whopping 111 phone calls to his local GP before finally getting through.
The unnamed man was trying to book an appointment at the Kingsway Medical Practice in Manchester yesterday to seek some antibiotics for a throat infection.
However, the ex-soldier turned paramedic was left baffled after having to call the surgery more than 100 times in less than half an hour before finally getting through.
Despite finally getting through and arranging an appointment, the patient was further shocked to arrive at the GP office only to find the waiting room empty.
The bloke was eventually seen 20 minutes later than his original appointment time and was prescribed the antibiotics he needed and sent home to rest.
Baffled at the massive effort required of everyday people to simply seek help from their local GPs, the man took to social media to share his experience.
Adding posts of his call logs alongside an image of the empty GP waiting room the man wrote: “There has to be another way.
“111 attempts to get through to my GP. What if I was an elderly person? What if I was a single parent with a crying baby? What if I were disabled?
“I have a viral chest/throat infection, I don’t really need to see a GP I just need some antibiotics.”
The post has since received over 100 likes and more than 60 comments from social media users left furious at the lack of available appointments.
One user claimed: “You can only book via an app, five weeks on no appointments but the surgery is empty with more staff than patients.”
Another added: “My technique is create an e-appointment with the nurse, who then says can’t see you, tells receptionist need a doctor (sic) who sends an online form in.
“I fill in and get a doctor’s appointment but have to waste the nurses time to get anywhere, mine never answer the phone at all.”
A third said: “Go to A&E and tell them that is your only option. I’m afraid that GP surgeries have forgotten who the service provider is and who the service user is.
“In my opinion, they have them reversed.”
Another wrote: “That’s my doctors too, that’s about the average amount of attempts it takes.”
