My story about trying to see my GP is as follows.

I am in my early sixties, with hypertension and a CRVO - a leak in the retinal vein inside the eyeball, which causes blurred vision and, I’m led to believe, can cause blindness. It is quite a serious condition.

I had a frightening ‘episode’ in September. My call to my surgery was answered by a ‘call handler’ who said someone would be in touch.

A text arrived later: I would be contacted in 14 days. Then another text: ‘a doctor will call on October 1’ (16 days after my scare).

On Friday I had yet another text: ‘Your concerns have been addressed, case closed’! Then a voicemail saying: ‘I tried to contact you but was unable to reach you’ (there were no missed calls on my phone).

Finally, at 17:45, a doctor rang. The upshot is that I monitor my own blood pressure for seven days, and I need baseline bloods checking - again I have to do this myself, then contact the surgery.

How is this ‘healthcare’? My surgery is one of a number in a medical group. I have worked since I was 15 years old and all through the pandemic, yet cannot see any GP in any surgery face to face! It’s disgraceful.

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