A FRUSTRATED patient claims a GP surgery is 'impossible' to get through to after phoning 77 times.

Bracknell News readers have previously shared their experiences with getting in touch with their GP and being able to see them face-to-face.

When we put the question to our readers, the majority said it was 'impossible' to get through to a receptionist on the phone.

The News also conducted an experiment to see how long it takes for Bracknell Forest GP surgeries to answer the phone.

READ MORE: We phoned Bracknell doctors to see how long it takes them to answer

2021 GP Patient Survey results also reveal that only 1 per cent of patients at The Sandhurst Group Practice said it was 'easy' to get through to someone on the phone.

The Sandhurst Group Practice runs Owlsmoor Surgery - which Brian Tea is a patient of.

He said: "I needed an appointment recently and it took 77 Calls (my phone counted them not me) before I could speak to a receptionist."

Mr Tea took screenshots on his phone of how many attempts it took to call Owlsmoor Surgery.

He started phoning at 8:01am on September 13 and finally managed to get through to reception at 8.44am.

He said: "It was frustrating more than anything. It’s often been bad but got much worse since Covid-19 measures where no one can call in and make an appointment so everyone has to phone.

"Each time it would ring a few times then just cut off. I appreciate these are not normal times but this was absurd."

On Tuesday, November 2, the Bracknell News phoned 10 doctors surgeries across Bracknell Forest and the results were extremely surprising.

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A statement from Frimley Health Clinical Commissioning Group on behalf of Owlsmoor Surgery said: “Demand across all local GP practices is extremely high and practices are working as hard as they can to cater to this demand.

"Unfortunately this may mean that some people may experience difficulty or delays in accessing services as a result of these pressures.

“Sandhurst Group Practice (which includes Owlsmoor Surgery) is one of the Bracknell GP practices which the CCG has supported to introduce a new pilot phone system aimed at improving patients’ ability to get through to the service they need more quickly. The service is staffed by a dedicated, specially trained team that handles calls for on-the-day requests.

“Patients wishing to consult their GP practice for any non-urgent matters can also use the online eConsult service, which is available via their GP practice website. Often another health professional may be best-placed to support, rather than a GP. 

"Pharmacists can provide help and advice on many common ailments, while NHS111 is available for urgent but non-emergency health concerns.”