Priory Surgery - Ratings and reviews
Reviews
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Review titled Never any improvement
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 07 February 2023
Like the previous anonymous reviewer, I was asked to return to a GP 'in a month'. Despite hours trying, by phone and in person (have yet to succeed in ever accessing online booking), I failed for the 2nd time to secure an appointment in the required time frame. The systems at this practice are in need of life support.
Visited February 2023
Review titled Priory Surgery
Replied on 08 February 2023
Dear Patient I am sorry that you have encountered difficulty getting a follow up appointment with your doctor. However, I can confirm that our online booking system is switched on and would urge you to try that route again today. Whilst we are not in need of life support, we are currently under significant pressure. There are a number of reasons behind this, some of which are beyond the practice’s control and are national issues. Demand for GP services is huge at the moment. Having looked at our figures for a comparable period just prior to Covid, demand for GP appointments has tripled, even though our patient list and therefore basic income, hasn’t. We have recruited an additional doctor in response to all of this but the demand is still significant. We have therefore worked to make efficiencies elsewhere to free up the funds for another doctor, who we will go out to recruit for this week. In the meantime, we have looked to take on locum doctors and advanced clinical practitioners in other fields and have done so, but again the demand for locums across the locality outstrips the supply. This is why getting a non-urgent appointment can currently take a little bit of time – we have to and do prioritise urgent, on the day, care and we meet this demand day in day out. You have not left your name but I would welcome the opportunity to talk to you further about this. If you feel that would help please do contact me on bnssg.priory.surgery@nhs.net. We also have a very active Patient Participation Group who work constructively with us to address current challenges, and you would, if you are interested, be welcome to join that. Kind regards Cara Fynn Practice Manager
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Review titled Unable to get through!
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 16 February 2023
The process to get in touch with this surgery is terrible if your case is not extremely urgent. Phone at this time, phone at this other time... the phone is always engaged. One time I got through and I was referred to contact them in a week's time from a specific time which is when the appointments are released. If you lose this specific window of time, then you are back again in the loop. Frustrating for those not needing urgent medical attention but some attention nevertheless.
Visited February 2023
Review titled Priory Surgery
Replied on 17 February 2023
Dear patient Thank you for your feedback. I am sorry that you have encountered some delays when booking a non-urgent appointment with the Practice. We are under significant pressure at the moment, for reasons I have outlined in detail on this reviews page, but I can assure you that all of our clinicians and back office staff are working extremely hard to manage current demand. I would urge you to try accessing appointments online as well as by telephone. We are required to make a certain percentage of our appointments bookable online and these often do not go as quickly as the telephone slots. We continually strive to find the best way of managing our booking system in less than ideal circumstances and do have a very active patient participation group, which you would be welcome to join if you would like to help find solutions/offer constructive input. Something we currently have under development is new patient navigation software, funded by our local commissioning body, which we believe will help streamline our booking system. We will be in touch with our patients once this is due to go live with further details. Kind Regards Cara Fynn Practice Manager
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Review titled Horrendous to get an appointment
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 02 September 2022
Despite the doctor writing to me to request to see me, I have been told routine appointments are only released every two weeks and ‘go very quickly’. I can’t call at the specified time so now face a months wait to try the appointment roulette again. I wish it was better for urgent appointments but you just can’t seem to get one for emergencies either. The GPS are generally lovely but getting to actually see one is nearly impossible
Visited September 2022
Review titled Priory Surgery
Replied on 17 January 2023
Dear Patient Thank you for your feedback and I apologise for the difficulties you have experienced when trying to book an appointment. Whilst we always see urgent matters on the day we are not able to do this for appointments of a more routine nature. And this can lead to delays given the current demand for appointments with our GPs. We have sought and are seeking to address this in a number of ways, which include putting on additional sessions with locum doctors, employing and utilising other highly qualified clinicians such as physiotherapists, pharmacists and a mental health practitioner, and by referring patients when applicable to services within the community who can also offer appointments. We have also discussed the issue with our Patient Participation Group. However, we are aware that demand is still high in relation to available resource, and whilst we will continue to seek to find the best way to manage this, we are aware and apologise for some inevitable delays. Cara Fynn Practice Manager
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Review titled Awful
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 21 October 2022
Doctors are great nurses are great but reception and prescription team are so rude, they talk to you like your some kind of child who knows nothing about their own body. After 33 years at this practice I have left because they can be as rude as they like to you but the second you talk back you’re accused of all sorts. Just don’t use them. Reception is open to the waiting area so when they ask you your name and what’s wrong everyone one can hear and they know who it is on the phone because they repeat your name back to you loudly so everyone can hear. I wouldn’t go back there if I was dying. I would rather struggle on rather than speak to these people. Just don’t use them you have a right to be treated with respect as well. I also note that they do not respond to any reviews good or bad which I think says a thousand words
Visited September 2022
Review titled Priory Surgery
Replied on 17 January 2023
Dear Patient Thank you for feedback. Our Reception staff and Prescriptions staff work very hard and often receive very positive feedback. However, I am extremely sorry that you feel this did not happen in your case. We do have a complaints process advertised on both our website and in the waiting room which enables us to look into and manage any specific instances of poor service and which we then aim to learn from, where necessary, as a result. We share the themes and outcomes of complaints with our Patient Participation Group and do also review NHS Choices reviews and look into feedback given. Unfortunately, I have had some difficulty accessing the system in order to leave a reply, but this issue has now been addressed. Patient confidentiality is of the utmost importance to us as we know it is to our patients. I have shared your comments in relation to volume with the team who also receive regular training in relation to patient confidentiality and data protection. If you would still like me to look into the specifics of your complaint, then please do contact me via the Priory Surgery email address bnssg.priory.surgery@nhs.net. Cara Fynn Practice Manager