FRUSTRATED patients are calling on health bosses to ensure telephone calls are answered within five minutes.

Patients have been left angry after being left waiting more than 30 minutes to book a doctor’s appointment due to a new telephone queuing system.

Healthcare provider Anglian Community Enterprise (ACE) introduced its new Care Navigation system in January to cover 22,750 patients at its Epping Close surgery in Clacton, Frinton Road Medical Centre in Holland-on-Sea, Caradoc surgery in Frinton and at Green Elms surgery in Jaywick.

It was brought in after patients had been left queuing outside in the cold in a desperate bid to get a doctor’s appointment.

Bosses have promised that the system – which has been designed by doctors and clinical staff – will lead to improvements Clacton East county councillor Colin Sargeant met health officials over the roll-out of the new system, which he labelled as “chaotic”.

He said: “They have come out to say that only a handful of patients have been affected but having spoken to patients, that is just not the case.

“I cleared the air with ACE and the clinical commissioning group and they are well aware of the strength of feeling about this.

“They should have rolled this out one surgery at a time, so staff and patients were more comfortable with it – not just all 22,000 patients in one go.

“The system is the right one and can direct patients to the right service, but by doing all four in one go they have created chaos.

“They have also said there are 30 telephone lines, but there are just six people to answer them.

“They need to have more people and need them there at the right times.”

Mr Sargeant said ACE have agreed to meet with him and the patient participation group on a monthly basis to discuss how long patients are being kept waiting.

“I think it should be about the same as phoning the bank – five minutes should be enough,” added Mr Sargeant.

ACE previously said that while some patients have experienced longer telephone waits than they would wish with the new system, it is monitoring the situation daily and making improvements.

A spokesman for ACE added that there are between six and ten people handling calls, with base managers additionally taking calls during surge periods of surge.

Caradoc patient Chris Boswell, from Frinton, hit out at the system after trying to make an appointment for his annual diabetic review.

“The new appointment booking system is an absolute shambles,” he said.

“My first attempts to do so by telephone were a farce with the first half dozen or so calls cut off seconds after dialling without even a recorded message explaining why.

“I eventually got onto the system to be told that I was in a queue and that my call would be answered in 52 minutes.

“I don’t believe the assertion that this new system will lead to improvements.

“It is seriously flawed and without root and branch redesign will remain so to the detriment of the people it is intended to serve.”

Martin Davis, from Clacton, said he struggled to get through to the Epping Close surgery.

The semi-retired voluntary worker was trying to book an appointment to have a blood test and hormone injection after being treated for prostate cancer.

Mr Davis, 67, said: “It took three or phone calls to get through to them and the shortest waiting time was 29 minutes.

“When I did get there they said they had booked it with the wrong nurse and there was no one who could give me the injection.

“The receptionists at the surgery are lovely but they are getting so much stick over this – it’s not fair on them.”