My local NHS surgery used to be a shining example of care and efficiency. Whenever I needed an appointment to see a nurse or a doctor I either called up, or dropped by, and was usually given a scheduled date sometime in the following 10 days. If my ailment was more urgent than that, I could sit and wait to see someone in person, and rarely sat for longer than 90 minutes. I live in Paddington (or Bayswater, W2, Hyde Park Estate or Edgware Road, however you might want to describe it), and I am a member of a community that contains a fairly representative London spread — a community that also appeared to be thrilled by our local surgery.
Then, around five years ago, everything changed; it suddenly became incredibly difficult to see a doctor, as the introduction of a new system meant we now had to try and talk to a doctor on the phone. Predictably, the system didn’t work, as the doctor either didn’t call at the allotted time, or rang for such a short time that it was impossible to answer the phone, even if it was right there on the desk in front of me.
