Patients will be seen to - Health Board

A spokesperson for the Health and Social Care Board explained: “The Health and Social Care Board contracts with GP Practices to provide General Medical Services through the 2004 General Medical Services Contract (NI).

“GP Practices are independent, self-governing organisations, responsible for the delivery of services to their patients and for the day to day management of their individual Practices.

“GP practices maintain their own systems for offering appointments to patients but will ensure that urgent appointments are offered as deemed clinically appropriate.

The spokesperson added that anyone who had a complaint about their GP should make a complaint through a number of different channels.

“If a patient has a complaint in respect of provision of appointments with an individual Practice, they should raise it directly with that Practice in the first instance.

“All GP Practices must comply with ‘Complaints in Health and Social Care’ which became effective in April 2009, and are required to have a practice based complaints procedure.

“If patients prefer they can approach the Board’s complaints staff who can provide advice to them on how to make a complaint.” she said.

Nobody at the Group Surgery was available to talk to the Leader.