PATIENTS have blasted hour-long waits to book GP appointments, after a new system was brought in re-routing phone lines at five surgeries to a single call centre.

Integrated Medical Holdings, the Manchester-based firm that introduced the system after taking over the Swindon surgeries, apologised for the delays and blamed teething problems. It said extra staff had been appointed and average call times had halved.

But patients and councillors are not happy.

Glynis Hales from Penhill said: “I was 60th in the queue and that took 40 minutes just to get through.

"All I wanted was the doctor to call me back. I’ve got friends on Facebook saying they were 159th in the queue. Some of them walked to the doctors because they couldn’t get through to the surgery at all.

“I was in a panic. I wanted to talk to somebody and there was nobody to talk to.”

She criticised the way the new call centre system had been introduced: “It feels a little bit like the Universal Credit roll out, where they haven’t actually thought it out properly.”

Emma Faramarzi, ward councillor for Priory Vale, branded the delays diabolical. “We’ve been trying to liaise with the surgeries. I’ve had some bog-standard answers, but nothing seems to be changing,” she said.

“It’s a diabolical situation.

“Patients and residents haven’t been informed of these changes, there was no consultation.

“We’re only finding out if we’re lucky enough to get through on the phone.

“My grave concern is if I was vulnerable, seriously ill, or disabled, I wouldn’t be able to walk to the surgery, I would have no idea what was going on.”

Samantha Wathen of campaign group Keep Our NHS Public Swindon added: “This ill thought through and inadequately-staffed venture has potentially very serious consequences for patients.”

IMH oversees Taw Hill, Eldene and Phoenix surgeries and the Abbey Meads and Moredon medical centres. It found itself in hot water with staff earlier this year over restructure plans that would see 75 positions squeezed into the equivalent of 36 full-time roles.

A new central hub responsible for booking appointments and triaging patients meant IMH could offer extra services like physiotherapists and pharmacists, the firm said in July.

Group general manager Nigel Sweeney said there had been some teething problems and apologised to those affected by the delays: “We have recently implemented a new vision for primary care in Swindon, allowing us to deliver exceptional and sustainable care for 53,000 patients. This has established a new central administration hub for five surgeries in the area.

“As with all new projects, there have naturally been some teething problems. However, we are working hard to ensure that any issues are addressed quickly to cause as little inconvenience to our patients as possible.

“During week commencing September 25, our phone lines were experiencing longer-than-usual wait times. In response, we have recruited new staff, improved our phone system and increased the number of call handlers on a daily basis. This has more than halved the average wait.

“We’d like to apologise to the patients that were affected by these issues and assure them that we are doing all we can to improve their experience in future.”