A MEDICAL care provider has apologised after it admitted issues with its telephone system have lasted nine months, resulting in patients being left on hold for hours.

As previously reported in the Gazette, Acorn Health Partnership has become the primary care unit looking after patients at the Gillies and Overbridge Medical Partnership, in Brighton Hill, Camrose Medical Partnership, in South Ham, and The Hackwood Partnership, in Essex Road.

But since the merger patients have said the standard of the quality of service “has dropped” with some patients struggling to even get an appointment to see a doctor.

One patient, who did not wish to be named said: “It’s impossible to get a same-day appointment now, because if you ring up, no-one ever answers the phone.

“I am under the Hackwood practice and tried on several times over many weeks to get a general appointment.

“I have been on hold non-stop for six hours on one occasion.”

Another resident, whose mother comes under the Acorn Health Partnership, added: “My 80-year-old mother had open heart surgery in January this year.

“She could not get through to the surgery to book necessary follow-up appointments and had to struggle round to the surgery to book them as it seems no-one ever answers the phones.”

The idea of the merger was meant to give patients at the three practices an enhanced service.

Amy Taplin, business development manager at Acorn Health Partnership, said: “We have increased the number of appointments that we offer by adding in additional appointments on weekday evenings until 8pm and on Saturday mornings 8am to 11am.

“We are extremely sorry for the inconvenience that the long delays on the telephone have caused to our patients and other third parties trying to contact us.

“We are aware of a telephone system issue that has now finally been resolved after struggling to identify the issue for nine months with our telephone provider. Unfortunately the problem resulted in some calls not being answered in the correct order.

“We do completely understand that having to hold for an excessive amount of time is not acceptable.”

“We are holding a coffee morning for our patients on Friday 26th April from 10-midday at St Andrews Church, Western Way, so that we can apologise to our patients in person for the telephony issues. Patients need not RSVP.”