"GP OOH call handler"

About: North Down Community Services / GP Out of Hours

(as a service user),

I had to call the Downe/Lisburn area GP OOH yesterday and was asked for my address, which is standard practice. However, when the call handler noticed that my daytime GP is based outside of the area (although I live in the GP OOH area), they rudely informed me that they didn’t recognise that GP; and they weren’t one of ours. This attitude felt especially dismissive, as if my GP’s location somehow was an issue to seek medical advice and the call handler clearly wasn’t happy that my GP was from a certain location. There is nothing wrong with a GP being based in another area, as long as I live in the GP OOH area. To add insult, after providing all my details and being advised that I would receive a phone call from GP, I politely thanked the call handler and said bye. Instead of them saying goodbye, they simply hung up without saying anything. This behaviour was not only rude but also a poor start to seeking medical advice.
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Responses

Response from Sharon Thompson, Unscheduled Care Manager, South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust 2 days ago
Sharon Thompson
Unscheduled Care Manager,
South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust
Submitted on 10/01/2025 at 13:21
Published on Care Opinion at 13:21


Thank you for advising of your experience when calling the Urgent Primary Care GP Out of Hours service. I want to apologise that this experience fell short of your expectations when using the service. It is concerning to hear that you felt treated in a dismissive and rude manner by a member of the call handling team. Please be assured that the concerns you have raised are being addressed and used for learning, reflection and continual service improvement.

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