A GP practice in Greenock has said sorry to patients who have slammed its new appointments system.

People registered with Lochview Medical Practice have hit out over the way bookings are now handled and say that they are forced to take part in a ‘telephone lottery’ if they want to see their doctor.

Practice managers say they have delivered more training to improve the system — and they have also put posters up in their waiting room informing patients of the sheer volume of missed appointments and consequent problems they cause the surgery. 

A Lochview Medical Practice spokeswoman said: “We would like to apologise to any patients who have experienced difficulty in making an appointment to see their GP.

“Since the Orangefield and Foster/Crawford practices merged last year there has been a new system for making appointments, which not all patients may be aware of.

“Patients can call anytime between 8am and 6pm to make an advanced appointment.

“We ask those patients who require to be seen on the same day to call at 8am to make an appointment for that day.”

The practice has also introduced a new way of working, with receptionists given training so they can direct patients to other health professionals and prioritise calls.

The spokeswoman said: “Staff have been given some additional training in prioritising different appointment requests, which we hope will lead to improvements in the system. 

“The receptionists have been asked by Inverclyde health and social care partnership to ask questions to help guide patients to the right service/professional.”

The practice says that patients can also now benefit from new additional services which were not available in the old surgery, including a nurse practitioner and a physiotherapy assessor who can offer advice and treatment for back, muscle, bone and joint problems.