AN MP is calling for an overhaul of the appointment booking system at doctors’ surgeries across Darlington after branding the current service “unacceptable”.

Darlington MP Jenny Chapman says she has been inundated by complaints from residents who struggle to get same-day appointments with their GP.

She is collecting anecdotal evidence from patients frustrated by a system that requires them to ring their GP first thing in the morning, only to be placed on hold for several minutes before being told that all the appointments have gone.

Ms Chapman is now compiling a paper for Darlington’s Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) outlining the concerns she has received from patients and said the group can expect “constant pressure” from her until the system improves.

She said: “I experienced this myself and when I wrote about it on facebook I got a huge response from constituents.

“I have not spoken to one person yet who has not had a problem with this, but I think it is one of those things that people accept as being the way it is.

“But there is no need to accept it; the doctors need to organise a system to suit their patients and not themselves.”

Ms Chapman has met with Darlington’s CCG which says it is aware of the problem and is taking action.

A CCG spokeswoman said: “Improving quality in primary care services is a clear priority for NHS Darlington CCG where access to services is integral to the quality of the service and the experience of patients.

“We recognise there are concerns about GP access and are already working closely with all the GP practices in Darlington and commenced some work to look at the availability of GP and practice nurse appointments across the town.”

Dr Chris Mathieson, a GP at Neasham Road Surgery, is closely involved in this work and he said: “Across the board surgeries in Darlington are experiencing a significant increase in demand on their services.

“We have had support from the Primary Care Foundation to develop action plans for our practices to look both at demand and availability of appointments.

“The practices in Darlington are now working towards implementing a range of potential changes to improve access to appointments appropriate for their patients’ needs.”

Darlington residents who would like to contribute to Ms Chapman’s report can contact her on 01325-382345 or email jenny.chapman.mp@parliament.uk.