The Avenue Surgery - Ratings and reviews
Reviews
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Review titled Poor Practice
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 26 March 2024
Can never get appointments and if by someone luck you do get one it’s online, so last week I booked an appointment for 8 days later (today) and they ring me at 2pm to say my appointment was double booked. Absolute Joke
Visited March 2024
The Avenue Surgery has not yet replied.
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Review titled Unprofessional staff
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Jessica Giga - Posted on 22 February 2024
I am pregnant and in full time employment which means trying to get an appointment with the surgery is impossible as the lines are constantly busy. I understand the nhs is under pressure and the surgery is under staffed. I took the day off to get an appointment as I suspected I had shingles. I was treated like i had committed a crime by the receptionists who told me I should have called (which I had tried to do a number of times) they told me I was to stay away from the other patients and I could potentially infect patients aswell as them. On the NHS website it’s advised to seek medical treatment from your GP if you suspect you have shingles so I was shocked and humiliated by the hostile treatment of these unqualified and incompetent receptionists. I normally avoid going to the Avenue surgery at all costs and visit the walk in clinic where I receive a much better service. However, why should I do that when I am registered to a doctors surgery down my road and have been a patient there for nearly all my life. Dr hacking and Dr winter always provided a welcoming and caring practice, and since their retirement the surgery is hostile and vile.
Visited February 2024
Review titled The Avenue Surgery
Replied on 27 February 2024
Dear Jessica, Thank you for drawing your experience to our attention today. Patient well-being and comfort are paramount to us, and for you especially during a time as sensitive as pregnancy. We are sorry that you found the receptionists handling of your concern at the surgery today to be humiliating and hostile. This was not her intention, but she was genuinely concerned for any potential infection risk to other patients in the surgery. We are sorry that this was not handled better and that it distressed you. Every patient deserves to be treated with dignity, respect, and professionalism, regardless of the circumstances, and we are sorry that we failed you in this respect today. Similarly, staff to are entitled to the same dignity and respect, so we are disappointed that you choose to refer to staff as incompetent, this is not the case. We are also sad that you feel the surgery is hostile and vile, this is quite a profound statement, and one we believe is not justified. We are sorry that you find it necessary to avoid the surgery, and feel the service from the walk-in clinic is better. The walk-in clinic is specifically commissioned to provide an urgent on-the-day service and as such their contractual and funding mechanisms are different. Therefore, they are better placed to provide urgent care than we are at the surgery. However, we note today that we were able to offer you a priority GP appointment within only 30 minutes of attending the surgery today. This is better than could be expected from most urgent care settings such as NHS Walk-ins, or A&E. We are aware that patients are finding it difficult to get through to the surgery by phone. We are working very hard to improve this. Having checked today, the average call wait time this morning was just 3.36 minutes. We are pleased that you received very quick and appropriate clinical treatment today. We wish you a speedy recovery, and the very best with your pregnancy. If you require further assistance or have any concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us. Thank you, Stephen Cribb Business Operations Manager The Avenue Surgery
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Review titled Impossible
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 13 February 2024
I find it impossible to get an appointment. Spent hours waiting each day to be eventually told there are no appointments left today ring again tomorrow at 8.30. Why can’t we pre book like we used to? This happens all the time! Frustrated…
Visited February 2024
The Avenue Surgery has not yet replied.
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Review titled Awful, shambles of a surgery
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Philip Malone - Posted on 05 January 2024
Been at the surgery for many years and had my fill now, no appointments, not seen my GP since 2020? Cant sort blood forms, my prescriptions constantly not sent through.. absolutely sick of it. Phone up for appointments at 8 and get told to phone back numerous times a day.. was told theres nothing for 2 weeks now? Phone up for antibiotics and get told to phone back in a weeks time? Missing insulin told to wait a week, this is detrimental to my health and its a joke. Will be looking to leave as I feel the reception staff assume they have a medical capacity and think they can decide if your illness is worth their time, i’m disgusted
Visited January 2024
The Avenue Surgery has not yet replied.
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Review titled Advance nurse practitioner
Rated 3 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 12 January 2024
I had an appointment with the advance nurse practitioner and explained that I was sure that one of the medications I was prescribed was not agreeing with me.I had spoken to several doctors who were adamant that it wasn't a particular medication.She really listened and has finally changed it.After months of repeating myself I finally feel a lot better and appreciate someone finally listening and acting on my concerns
Visited January 2024
The Avenue Surgery has not yet replied.
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Review titled Was great before the caring GPs retired
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 05 January 2024
It’s too difficult to deal with this surgery. I work full time and trying to get an appointment (which I do less than once a year) has become impossible. Having to call numerous times to get though to try and make an appointment, only to be told all appointments for that morning are taken and to call back in the afternoon (to have the same experience and be bounced to the following day) is demoralising at best and exhausting at worst. I recently did manage to get an appointment, with a GP I’d never seen before, who told me that I’d have to make another appointment to tell him about something else as we’d run out of time. I was then given a prescription for medication That I said I don’t want or need and will now be noted on my medical record. This was a prescription given in isolation as we didn’t discuss all of my symptoms. This was the worst experience I have had with a GP that I can remember. As a consequence of being told there was no more time at the appointment, I am living with constant pain as don’t want to be considered a nuisance (again, I have visited this GP less than once a year for the past 20 years). I am sure it will please the practice to know that I will be looking for an alternative practice with better reviews and GPs that at least give the impression that they care.
Visited November 2023
The Avenue Surgery has not yet replied.
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Review titled The Final Straw
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 27 October 2023
I've been at this practice for the past 3 years and I have now decided to register with a surgery further away with much better reviews, and I encourage others to do the same, as it obviously cannot handle the number of patients it has. I’ve consistently been let down by this service. I blamed it at first on the pandemic but it's becoming increasingly inexcusable for this surgery to fail its patients. This was the final straw. Multiple times the surgery has dropped the ball on administrative tasks needed to allow me to access my medication and missed requests for regular blood tests. With unbelievable phone wait times and so few available appointments, I have wasted so many hours trying to get access to care. Recently the surgery missed the yearly review of my prescription, something which I didn’t even know happened before because it had always been done on time (it was missed last year as well). I called and was told that it would get done that morning. I called in the afternoon (knowing I couldn't trust that from experience) to be told that no task had even been made for the review to be done, no record of my request at all. I was assured it would be done as soon as possible and they wouldn't leave me without meds. Though no apology. Never an apology for these mistakes. Called back the afternoon of the following day to be told that it hadn't been done, the doctor was out yesterday (why wasn't I told that?) and given no clear indication of when I could expect my medication. Ordering my repeat prescription has become a source of distress every month, where it used to be completely worry free. Because of what I take, I have a very small window to get a prescription and I am now here panicked on a Friday afternoon not knowing if I will be able to get what I need, facing a weekend of anxiety and potentially horrible withdrawal symptoms at the start of the week. This surgery is clearly out of its depths. I have struggled through health issues alone because I cannot face the stress of dealing with this shambolic surgery. I am lucky to have recovered greatly from mental health issues but I don’t know if I would have gotten the medical help I needed if this had been my surgery when I was at my lowest point. The incompetence is a serious barrier to care and truly dangerous. There can’t be any further excuses, other surgeries do not have the terrible reviews this surgery does.
Visited October 2023
Review titled The Avenue Surgery
Replied on 28 November 2023
Dear Patient, Thank you for providing honest feedback on your experience at the Avenue Surgery. My name is Aaron Hill and I am the Operations Manager based at the Avenue. I am sorry to read that you have had a negative experience. It is well known that the NHS is under immense pressure at the moment, and the Avenue surgery is too. We try to accommodate everybody's requests for a face to face appointment and many of our appointments do end up being face to face. Demand for appointments is ever-increasing and this is why it may have felt like there were no appointments available when requested. Our website does allow for an e-Consult to be requested - this has a capacity feature built in to keep patients safe, so will be turned off once the allocated amount of patients have been reached. We have plenty of information on the website directing patients to alternative sources of help when we have no available appointments left or are closed, such as NHS 111 and local walk-in-centres. So although we may have reached our capacity for a particular day, there will always be help available. We have to balance the needs of our patients whilst ensuring what we do is safe. You are always welcome to register at an alternative GP practice that may suit the needs that we are not able to meet at the Avenue. I am sorry that you have not had a positive experience, and would welcome a further conversation with you. If you feel this would be of benefit to you, please contact me at the surgery. Kind regards, Aaron Hill Operations Manager
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Review titled Much needed referrals not being done.
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 21 July 2023
I’ve been trying to get help for neurological symptoms that are continuously worsening, to find out that the GP still hadn’t written to neurology again a month after they said they would. I spoke to a locum who said they would do it, but there’s still nothing on my NHS record on the app that says they have. I know another referral for something I asked for 2 months ago hasn’t been done either. I know things are stretched at the moment, but I’m genuinely worried for my health.
Visited July 2023
Review titled The Avenue Surgery
Replied on 24 July 2023
Dear patient, Thank you for your honest feedback. I am sorry to read that you have had an issue with obtaining a referral. We are aware of a small delay and are in the process of recruiting new staff to address this. I would be very happy to try and help get this issue resolved for you, but to do so would need some details from you. If you would like me to look into this further, please contact me at the Surgery and I will do what I can to help. Kind regards, Aaron Hill Operations Manager
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Review titled Absolutely awful
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 14 July 2023
I've never received such awful service from any business in my life. They've made the entire process of getting an appointment hell for the past 3 years. Countless hours waiting on the phone for a response. A useless website that they tell you to book appointments through that doesn't work. They still will not see you face to face. At this point it's just coming across as lazy. We are not longer in the peak of the pandemic. There is absolutely no excuse for them to still not be taking in person appointments. Phone appointments are not appropriate for everyone, some people can not talk on the phone due to health reasons, and some people can not access a private places to take these calls. This surgery will make you jump through a million hoops before giving you what you need. It's horrible and has been causing me stress for years. Multiple times I've been unable to get my prescription and left struggling to breathe as a result, all due to their strange policies and processes. None of it makes sense. This is not how you provide healthcare to people. Please please please I beg you, do not register with this surgery if you are thinking about it. They will not do anything for you. It's a struggle to even get the bare minimum out of them.
Visited July 2023
Review titled The Avenue Surgery
Replied on 21 July 2023
Dear Patient, Thank you for providing honest feedback on your experience at the Avenue Surgery. My name is Aaron Hill and I am the Operations Manager based at the Avenue. I am sorry to read that you have had a negative experience. It is well known that the NHS is under immense pressure at the moment, and the Avenue surgery is too. We try to accommodate everybody's requests for a face to face appointment and many of our appointments do end up being face to face. Demand for appointments is ever-increasing and this is why it may have felt like there were no appointments available when requested. Our website does allow for an e-Consult to be requested - this has a capacity feature built in to keep patients safe, so will be turned off once the allocated amount of patients have been reached. We have plenty of information on the website directing patients to alternative sources of help when we have no available appointments left or are closed, such as NHS 111 and local walk-in-centres. So although we may have reached our capacity for a particular day, there will always be help available. We have to balance the needs of our patients whilst ensuring what we do is safe. I am truly sorry that you have not had a positive experience, and would welcome a further conversation with you. If you feel this would be of benefit to you, please contact me at the surgery. Kind regards, Aaron Hill Operations Manager
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Review titled Not fit for purpose
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 01 August 2023
This surgery is appalling, I have spent hours on the phone trying to get appointments but you are blocked at every turn . I suffer with lifetime pain and it’s impossible to get help . I have had to resort to buying things I need online , I sam at my wits end with them . I would strongly suggest if you have another surgery option take it
Visited July 2023
Review titled The Avenue Surgery
Replied on 02 August 2023
Dear Patient, Thank you for your feedback, I am sorry to read that you feel this way about the practice. Demand for appointments at the Avenue and the NHS in general is at an all time high, that coupled with the national shortage of clinicians makes having enough appointments available for all a huge challenge. Recruitment at the Avenue is ongoing, and we are doing as much as we can to source appropriate clinical cover. It is hoped the situation will improve, and will remain as one of our main points of focus. I would not advocate purchasing medicine online however desperate you are. If you are unable to get an appointment at the surgery, you can contact NHS 111 or visit a local urgent treatment centre, local pharmacy or A&E. I would be happy to look into your situation in more detail, but would need further information from you. If you want me to do this, please contact me at the surgery. Many thanks, Aaron Hill Operations Manager