Ramsey GPs say complaints on social media are 'damaging and inaccurate'

Wed, 23 Dec 2020

Doctors in Ramsey say social media posts which give the impression that they’re not seeing patients are ‘inaccurate’ and ‘damaging.’

There have been comments on Facebook from some people who say they’re unable to get face-to-face appointments or that telephones aren’t being answered. 

The Department of Health says Ramsey Group Practice is following the standard procedures that were brought in for all GPs during the pandemic.

People calling for an appointment are asked questions to see if they need to be seen by a doctor or if a telephone consultation is the best option.

Health and Social Care Minister David Ashford said: ‘By making a decision about whether a patient needs to be seen or should have a phone consultation, GPs are doing what we have asked of them. It is not about minimising the numbers coming to the surgery, it is about allocating each patient the most appropriate appointment and protecting those who may not be in the best of health. And it helps ensure that patients who need to be seen by a GP can do so.”

Dr May Shiu Chan, Senior Partner of Ramsey Group Practice confirmed: ‘This has been a difficult time for us. The majority of patients have been incredibly supportive and appreciate that the practice has made changes both to prevent the spread of disease during the winter period, and to ensure those patients who need to be seen can be. However, a small number of patients have taken their frustrations out on staff at the practice and some of their family members, causing much distress, as our team puts in maximum effort to ensure optimum care of our patients.  

She added: ‘We are concerned that inaccurate social media posts have given the impression that the practice is not seeing patients. This has been very damaging for our practice, our staff and our patients. That is not the case, and has never been the case. It is really important that our patients know we are here for them.  If they have a medical problem that they wish to talk to a clinician about, they should call us and we will ensure an appropriate appointment is booked. Hopefully, following the recent meeting with the department, MHKs and Mr Bell, we have quashed the social media inaccuracies, and can concentrate all our efforts on looking after our patients.’  

In addition, Ramsey Group Practice assures patients it will continue to seek a solution to ongoing difficulties with its telephone system, which can affect patients calling at busy times. The surgery is part of the Government phone system, and the department is working with the practice to help resolve the problem. In the meantime patients are asked to be aware of the difficulties and that phones will be answered as soon as they can.

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