You said: “Every time I call the GIC I have to speak with someone from a different team”
We did: We have reorganised our admin teams, so non-specialist requests will be handled by the same team.
You said: “I have to wait ages on the phone to speak with you, and then the line drops out!”
We did: We have replaced the entire telephone system. It can now hold ten people in the queue and doesn’t drop calls. In the last three months we have only missed three calls.
You said: “It’s extremely upsetting when I come to the GIC and I am misgendered or deadnamed.”
We did: We have introduced systematic training for all staff at the GIC in the appropriate use of names and pronouns. We’ve also added optional name and pronoun stickers that you can use in our groups when you visit us.
You said: “It’s really frustrating when the clinic reschedules upcoming appointments.”
We did: We are working to reduce appointment cancellations, although there will always be some unplanned illnesses or accidents among any group of clinicians. Three recent changes are:
- We have dedicated slots in our timetable that we offer to patients and service users when they have had an appointment cancelled at late notice.
- We are improving our booking process, scheduling appointments closer to when they happen, and working closely with clinicians to coordinate with their leave to reduce the number of appointments that need to be rescheduled.
You said: “Your website doesn’t have a support page for those in crisis.”
We did: We created a page for those in crisis in our support section, highlighting the menu item in red so that it stands out.