Our local surgeries have amalgamated and upon checking I found that they have formed a company which suggests that it is morphing towards being a private practice and thus profit must be a motivation for their operation.
The telephone system is a pain to get through to a doctor’s surgery in most places now as they appear to be using one line for all incoming calls. On our local system there is all the guff before you are offered a choice of numbers for the service you require .
For appointments ours is number 1 and I have found that as soon as I get through to the surgery I am able to bypass all the Covid waffle by pressing number 1 straight away.
This has cut down the waiting time considerably especially soon after 8.30am or 2pm.. Might be worth a try.
You are not alone:
https://lewes.co.uk/forum/post/Foundry_Healthcare_phone_fiasco/266898#Lewes