A WEST FIFE doctors' surgery has thanked patients for their patience over delays in phones being answered.

In a post on Facebook, the Inverkeithing Medical Group acknowledged issues which had resulted in difficulty in contacting them over the phone.

"We know how difficult it can be to get through to the surgery on the phone. Especially in the mornings. We have done a number of things to try to ease this," the post stated.

The surgery said it was now part of the NHS Fife switchboard which had allowed a "significant increase" in the number of lines available into the surgery.

Work patterns have also been amended to maximise the staff available at peak times to answer phones while the message when calling the practice has been amended and shortened.

The post added that work was still taking place to reduce time taken to answer calls.

It added: "We have been asking NHS Fife for some time for a queuing system – as yet it seems this is not possible. We will continue to work on this. We appreciate your patience as always."

NHS Fife were contacted for comment but had not responded by the time of going to print.