Sinn Fein seek views on GP appointment waiting times

Speaking about the survey Sinn Féin MLA John O’ Dowd explained: “In a number of weeks a Sinn Féin delegation, including a number of our Councillors and myself, will be meeting senior Health Chiefs to discuss GP cover in the Upper Bann constituency.

“The request for the meeting follows several complaints from constituents about the lengthy delays they experienced in getting a GP appointment.”

“We decided to investigate the matter further and are now asking interested residents of Upper Bann to fill in a short online survey outlining their experience of booking GP appointments.

“The survey is confidential and doesn’t ask for any personal details or medical history, and is simply designed to inform the discussion with Health chiefs.

“The survey is in not designed to seek information on how local GP services perform or seek to measure performance of local GPs.

“We are seeking to support local primary care providers and if need is established lobby for more money to be invested in them.

“Longer waiting times for GP appointments may signal the need for more GP cover and in turn lessen the burden on acute services.”

Anyone who would like to share their views and take part in the survey should go online.

The survey can be accessed through Sinn Fein’s Facebook account at Upperbann Sinn Féin or by visiting https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/L8M2H7D.