A similar experience for me, Margaret. I am mystified by British complaints of having to get up at 7am to call their doctor and hope someone picks up the phone. We just use the website or app to make an appointment, almost always within 48 hours, and there is 24-hour emergency primary care at the health centre round the corner anyway.

Specialist appointments can take a while, but when my mother-in-law was suspected of having a tumor a couple of months ago, she was into hospital for a week of tests within days, and operated on three weeks after that. Not bad for a 'poor', 'backward', 'disorganised' southern European state...