MANY patients may wait hours on end on the phone in the hope of booking an appointment with their local surgeries.

News Shopper readers have shared their mixed experiences with getting in touch with their GP and seeing a doctor face to face.

Some are even struggling to get through to an operator after endlessly waiting on the phone.

So, we decided to phone 10 GP surgeries across south east London.

Greenwich Peninsula Practice was the quickest to answer its phone within one minute and 10 seconds

Eltham Medical Practice was the longest wait as they answered the phone in 48 minutes and 32 seconds.

Sidcup Medical Centre advises patients to use its consultation website if they wanted to book an appointment.

The south east London practices with the highest number of patients are Eden Park Surgery (18,104), Greenwich Peninsula (9,667), and Tessa Jowell GP Surgery (8,671), according to NHS Digital data.

Figures also reveal that as of January 2022, 2,049,741 patients have registered at GP practices in the NHS south east London Clinical Commissioning Group area.

The Royal College of GPs said that between September 2015 and December 2021 the number of patients per GP increased by 10 per cent.

How long surgeries took the answer the phone - quickest to slowest:

Greenwich Peninsula Practice: One minute and 10 seconds

Highland Medical Practice, Bromley: Two minutes

Welling Medical Practice: Two minutes and 22 seconds

Burney Street Practice, Greenwich: Five minutes

Dysart Surgery, Bromley: 15 minutes

Lewisham Medical Centre: 29 minutes

Plumstead Health Care Centre: 45 minutes

Ferryview Health Centre, Woolwich: 45 minutes

Eltham Medical Practice: 48 minutes and 32 seconds

Sidcup Medical Centre: Appointments only available through website.

A spokesperson for the NHS in South East London said: "Practices are managing increased demand as a result of Covid-19 and are looking at a range of options to make contact easier.

"This includes online booking of appointments, repeat prescription requests and the use of electronic consultation tools."

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