A patient says she was left running around in circles between her GP and a hospital while trying to get medical help.

Lillian Payne filled out the online eConsult form to get an appointment at her medical centre in Gravesend but when she got to the end, it advised her to go to hospital.

Mrs Payne rushed to the hospital only to be told they could not help with her condition and she needed to see a GP.

The 66-year-old then rang her GP to try to get an appointment but was told she should complete the eConsult form online. She did, and it told her she needed to go to hospital.

And so the cycle continued. She said: "I was so unwell but was told only a GP could help me. It was frustrating.

"I just want to speak to someone on the phone or see someone. The service is poor.

"Why do we have to do this to see a doctor? We are going to die."

Mrs Payne was trying to seek medical help for ongoing issues with her stomach.

She says she tried to get help several times over a number of weeks, but kept coming up against the same issues.

The NHS launched the eCosult software to allow patients to quickly and safely get help and advice from their practice online.

Patients log into the app or visit the website and fill out a questionnaire on their illness, which is then reviewed.

The service then advises the best method of help such as a phone call or attending an appointment.

Although being promoted as a faster and more accessible service, Mrs Payne – who lives on the Dickens Estate, Gravesend – has struggled after getting stuck in a repetitive loop and is worried her condition may get worse after waiting months to see somebody.

She added: "Not everybody can do this. Why do you have to go through this? We should not have to be writing an essay for an appointment, we should be able to phone or walk in.

"It is not good enough. I am not the only one suffering. We need help."

Mrs Payne was a patient of Gravesend Medical Centre, in New Swan Yard, after it merged with her surgery in Chalk but she has decided to register elsewhere.

The surgery said it did not wish to comment on the situation.

NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group, the organisation which plans and buys healthcare services for 1.8 million people living in Kent and Medway, said eConsult had been used successfully thousands of times.

A spokesman said: "EConsult is an online service which allows patients to contact their GP practice and give an overview of their concerns.

"The online form is then reviewed and the practice will contact the patient to let them know the next best step.

"Every practice in Kent and Medway has eConsult but they each use it differently. The best way to check how it works in individual practices is to check their websites.

"The ability to fill out a form and avoid queuing on the phone is welcomed by many.

"In November 2021, 74,041 eConsults were submitted across the county with 76 per cent contacted within the given time.

"GP practices are facing significantly increased demand and this can place pressure on all channels of access.

"We are working with GPs and the local medical council on a number of initiatives to help practices manage this demand."