Frustration grows for Calderdale residents trying to see their GP during COVID-19 pandemic

Members of Calderdale Council Health and Wellbeing Board were discussing the effect the pandemic has had on services, and this included acessing GPs, with many surgeries not open as normal and using technology to for patients to contact their GP and health teams remotely.

While technology is a growing part of the way people can access services and it has provided a way of contact in the pandemic, it was not ideal for everybody and members recognised accessing GPs and care in the circumstances needs improving.

Board Chair, Coun Tim Swift (Lab, Town) said a big issue was surgery telephone systems, and the question of how did you create a phone system that was user friendly.

Members would want to support the NHS but also make sure people could get access.

Support for the NHS was being muddled with frustration people felt getting through the system, he said.

Coun Megan Swift (Lab, Town) said people might be told accessing GPs was working very, very well but it was a complicated process.

“We are not always keeping things simple for people,” she said.

Coun Swift said some people understood what the process was but some people were not as comfortable using IT.

They were trying to use it but not finding it clear where they should go and what they should do.

“The more we can support that and make processes simple for the people out there, the more it will help,” she said.

Healthwatch Calderdale Chief Officer Helen Hunter agreed.

Neil Smurthwaite, Chief Finance Officer and Deputy Chief Officer of NHS Calderdale Clinical Commissioning Group, said the group was looking to do more about accessing GPs, recognising there are a few bottlenecks.

CCG Chair Dr Steven Cleasby said: “The main challenge is it just feels very different for the public and patients about how to move around the system, ‘how do I access a doctor’, ‘is care available’, and so on.”