A PREGNANT mum in pain rang her GP surgery 64 times in ten minutes to get an appointment.

Jessica Smith, 25, from Horton Bank Top said she was in agony and scared last month when she tried to get through to Horton Bank Top Practice.

But the surgery has pointed out that it has a "queuing phone system" and said people "really should hang on." 

When Ms Smith went for her appointment later that day, arranged for 2.50pm, she claimed she had to wait until 5pm despite being in torrents of tears.

“A woman turned up who had missed her appointment and was 20 minutes late. She got seen before I did. I couldn’t believe it," she said.

“It wasn’t the first time I’ve had problems getting an appointment. Getting through to the surgery is a nightmare.”

Ms Smith, who is due to give birth to her second baby any day now, was given the all clear by her GP but it was still a bad experience that should never have happened, she said.

“If I could change things, I’d get GP surgeries to all offer a sit and wait service towards the end of the day. They did that where I used to live down south and it worked well. You had to turn up at 4pm and you might have to sit and wait a long time but at least you’d get seen.”

A spokesman for Horton Bank Top Practice said: “We have a queuing phone system so people really should hang on. We also have an online-booking system so patients can see what availability there is. It’s the nature of the business that doctors do run late sometimes but patients waiting should be kept informed. We do take patient feedback seriously.”

Ms Smith spoke out after a report showed that GP services 'matter most' to the Bradford public when it comes to which parts of the NHS need protecting.

Local NHS chiefs commissioned a Big Conversation report to be carried out in July and August this year by Healthwatch Bradford and District to find out what mattered most to local people about the future of health and social care.

The final report, which will be presented to the Bradford Health and Wellbeing Board next week, will be used to help shape the Bradford District and Craven health and care plan for the next five years.