This relentless demand for appointments is a picture repeated across the country, and has seen the government step in earlier this year.
The Labour government had pledged in its manifesto to end the early morning phone “scramble” for appointments, and in February, confirmed a deal to give an extra £889m a year to general practices.
The new contract says patients should be able to arrange appointments online throughout working hours, freeing up the phones for those who need them most, and making it easier for practices to triage patients based on medical need.
Practice manager Tricia Gibbons said patients were “getting more used to not always seeing a GP”.
The 56-year-old said: “When I first started 11 years ago, we only had access to GPs and trainee doctors.”
The surgery now has an expanded team of health professionals to complement the work of family doctors, including an advanced nurse practitioner and a clinical pharmacist, which can see patients.
Tricia stressed, though, that “the doctors are always there to offer back-up”.
“This model is about giving doctors more time to focus on more complex cases,” she said.
“Other members of the team are well placed to deal with the more minor illnesses and ailments.”