A SO-called learning event will be held this afternoon by Swindon NHS Clinical Commissioning Group this afternoon.

It will aim to piece together what went wrong in the introduction of a new appointments booking system for five GP surgeries last year.

Chaired by IMH chief executive Dr Martyn Diaper, the meeting has been billed as an opportunity to learn the lessons from months of frustration and delays.

But a promised public meeting for patients at the IMH-backed surgeries to quiz practice managers will be delayed until after the local elections on May 2.

Gill May, the director of nursing and transformation at the CCG, told councillors at Swindon Borough Council’s health overview and scrutiny committee earlier this month: “The learning event is for us to really find out what went wrong and what we have put right and what we need to do to make it right and how to avoid this happening again.

“It will be followed by a session open to the public. We want to make it clear that our ears are open and that we are actively listening.”

One council member who is not a member of the committee but who will be at the learning event is Coun Emma Faramarzi, who represents Priory Vale.

She said: “I’m going to the event, and it’s good that IMH and the CCG are holding that and the public event, but I really wish we didn’t have to have them.

“IMH is a money-making organisation and it should know by now what it’s doing.

"And it should recognise that it’s dealing with people’s lives. It shouldn’t be having to have a learning event in the first place – I believe if it had done its due diligence before all of this then we wouldn’t be having these problems.”

Today's learning event is not open to the public.