An Oldham GP has closed its online appointment booking feature.
Saddleworth Medical Practice, on Smithy Lane, has had its online appointment form unavailable for days "due to the extremely high volume of requests for help".
The practice says the form will re-open and that staff are working at a level ‘exceeding pre-Covid’.
On Facebook, some said they were experiencing problems accessing the form.
A message had originally said the form would re-open on Tuesday, August 30, but now says it will re-open on Friday, September 2.
One user of the practice said: “We’ve been trying to access the system for an ongoing medical issue with my son for 10 days and I’m ready to make a formal complaint now.
“Presumably they are still getting money for every patient on their books and not fulfilling their obligations for patient care.”
However, many were positive about the practice: Carole Morrison, who is registered at the practice said: “Never had a problem with Saddleworth Medical Centre. All the doctors are struggling. Be kind.”
Barbara Hodgson said: “I never have a problem with getting an appointment.
“I have used the online form system and whilst it may not be functioning at the moment, every system gets technical hitches, I have been very impressed with it.”
In a joint statement, the practice manager and partners at Saddleworth Medical Practice, said: “This practice, in common with General Practice as a whole is experiencing unprecedented demand.
“Our online system has proved very popular and is intended for patients who have routine enquires which do not require an immediate response.
“However, we have become aware of some patients attempting to use the system to seek urgent care. So to ensure these requests are not missed, we are adding additional clinical and administrative support to screen the requests for when the service relaunches later this month.
“Providing great care is very important to us, and that includes ensuring timely access when needed.
“All staff are working at a level that exceeds anything pre-Covid and we thank them very much for that.
“With the advent of new extended services in primary care patients are encouraged to make use of these where appropriate, such as community pharmacists and seven-day extended hours service to allow patients who most need a GP consultation at the practice to get one.
“These services are now embedded across England in many areas, including Oldham, to help support the massive rise in demand for NHS care.
“We would encourage patients who have any concerns about accessing appointments to get in touch with Victoria Howard, our Practice Manager.”
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