A NEW hospital appointment booking system has been criticised by a family doctor. Dr Andy Stewart thinks the new choose-and-book system will cause extra strain on his work and take up valuable time. The Gunnislake GP said: 'The idea that GPs will have time to sit down with patients to go over options is nonsense,' he said. It would probably take an extra 20 minutes to help each one.' The choose-and-book system has been introduced throughout England and, from January 1, all doctors surgeries have used a version of it. When making a hospital appointment with a GP, a patient is offered a choice of at least four hospitals. The patient is also offered a choice of time and date for the first out-patient appointment. A computer connected to the choose-and-book system brings information from the various hospitals showing available times. The appointment can be booked right away at the surgery. The system is meant to create flexibility for patients. However, the system has hit problems with only two or three GP surgeries in Cornwall connected to the computer database. Dr Stewart, who has been a GP more than 25 years, said at one point he was able to send patients just about anywhere he wanted in the UK. 'It was only the politicians and NHS beurocrats that stopped me giving that choice to patients in the first place,' he said. 'I've been told that in Gunnislake one of the options I can give is that I can send my patients to Barnstaple. 'It's probably easier to get to Moscow from Gunnislake than there.' The other options are Exeter, Truro or Plymouth. Dr Stewart, who is also a member of the Cornwall Local Medical Committee, is currently using a manual form of choose-and-book using leaflets. Although he is encountering problems, Dr Stewart believes that in other places in England the scheme could be successful. 'It would probably be fine in the Home Counties but in Cornwall, where we have poor public transport, it is not as easy to get to places,' he said. Simon Barton, the Primary Care Trust's advisor on information management and technology, defended the system saying the county's transport links should not be a reason to only offer one hospital. 'Choose-and-book is a national scheme and in most areas when patients are given a choice, they have a realistic choice. For example if they are in a big city,' he said. 'However, this is much harder in Cornwall but it shouldn't mean we don't give people that choice. 'People may be able to get to one of the hospitals on the list and it could be quite convenient for them. They may have relatives in that town.' He said many computer systems in hospitals are slowly being upgraded to be compatible with choose-and-book. 'We're not going to push ahead with GPs' surgeries until the system at Treliske is updated in June,' Simon said. 'By that time GPs should be fully engaged with the idea and it should be running quite smoothly.'
