No more ‘sit and wait’ from today

Today (Tuesday) will mark the start of a new system at Welshpool Medical Centre, which means patients will no longer have to spend up to three hours sitting and waiting to be seen.

The new system is being introduced after the Centre explained in a May letter to its data base of patients that “sit and wait open surgeries have become too busy to cope”.

Now patients must telephone the Centre with their urgent medical problems and speak to a receptionist who will take notes and prioritise call backs within two hours or make an appointment if the problem is deemed serious enough.

“Those with more serious symptoms will be prioritised,” said the letter. “Your call with a clinician will be recorded.

“We understand that this is a big change to our system, but we ask for your assistance and understanding.”

The changes only affect the sit and wait open surgeries with appointments still being booked to see doctors and nurses as routinely as before.