Norton Medical Centre - Ratings and reviews
Reviews
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Review titled Pharmacist knowledgeable, great service
Rated 3 stars out of 5
by Davis - Posted on 13 March 2024
Great professional service from pharmacist, knowledgeable, patient,polite fantastic to see a fully qualified up to date on medicine and specialist in her field ,a great asset to the practice
Visited March 2024
Review titled Norton Medical Centre
Replied on 28 March 2024
Thank you for your positive response. This has been shared with our Practice Pharmacist and the GPs of Norton Medical Practice. Cath Milburn General Manager
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Review titled Good experience
Rated 4 stars out of 5
by Sue - Posted on 22 March 2024
Seen by hospital consultant Tuesday 19th March and was prescribed new treatment. Took letter into surgery Wednesday 20th March. Today, Friday 22nd, received text message from surgery to advise me that medication had been prescribed and prescription issued. Really feel this is good service and would like to pass on thanks to those involved
Visited March 2024
Review titled Norton Medical Centre
Replied on 27 March 2024
Thank you for your positive comments. Please be reassured that your thanks will be shared with the team at the next Practice Meeting. Cath Milburn General Manager
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Review titled Poor experience today
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 07 November 2023
Made an appointment by telephone for my VitB 12 injection due every 12 weeks. Receptionist asked when it was due and gave me an appointment 6 days prior to due date. Didn’t question this as I had had it 7 days early the previous time. I received an appointment reminder the day before and turn up for my appointment, check in and sit down in the waiting room. Few minutes later I am told the practitioner will not administer my injection as it’s 6 days early! Bearing in mind the receptionist knew this and offered me that date this is a complete waste of an hour from my working day, a complete waste of an appointment and also a complete waste of Government funded NHS money.
Visited November 2023
Review titled Norton Medical Centre
Replied on 13 December 2023
Dear Patient, We are sorry for your disappointment with Norton Medical Centre All patients receiving Vitamin B12 injections are given an initial loading dose over a number of weeks and a maintenance dose given every 12 weeks, depending on instructions given by the GP. The injection is then given by the Practice Nurse. The injection can be given up to one week before, due to circumstances, however if the appointment was made more than 7 days early it would be necessary to rearrange. The next due date is given to the patient verbally or by Text message. It is important to keep to the plan of 12 weeks as taking too much vitamin B-12 can cause side effects such as nausea, headache, dizziness or fatigue. I am unable to investigate if a problem occurred on this occasion without patient details, however this will be raised for awareness in our regular staff training sessions Yours sincerely Cath Milburn General Manager
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Review titled great service
Rated 4 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 01 September 2023
This practice gets a lot of negative comments however, my recent visit to the clinical pharmacist was very good. She was friendly and quickly arranged a series of tests that will sort my problem. It is difficult to arrange an appointment but the staff at the centre are very good.
Visited August 2023
Review titled Norton Medical Centre
Replied on 02 November 2023
Dear Patient, Thank you for your positive comments which we will pass on to our Practice Pharmacist. In response to patient feedback in January this year the Practice introduced a patient call back system, to avoid patients waiting in a call queue. On 20th September a new appointments system was introduced where all requests will be triaged by a doctor each day, to decide medical priorities and direct patient care. We hope that this will create a good experience in the future for patients using our service. Cath Milburn General Manager
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Review titled Alarmingly Poor Service.
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Richard Jardine - Posted on 26 June 2023
I attended an appointment in March due to discomfort in my chest and abdomen after recovering from Covid. I saw a chap who was a nurse/locum paramedic. He did blood pressure etc and requested some blood tests. He diagnosed my symptoms as a chest infection and muscle discomfort. I went back several weeks later, saw the same guy, as the pain in my right abdomen had not gone away. He asked if I had received a follow up call from the blood tests previously, to which I replied no. He again wanted more blood samples as the previous tests pointed to diabetes and said somebody should have followed this up. After doing the new blood tests, I received two text messages (no phone call), to inform me I had type 2 diabetes and a 2 in ten chance of having a stroke or heart attack within the next year. Would I like to begin statin therapy yes/no, and to make an appointment with the diabetes nurse. I called the surgery to do this, to be told I had to call back on the Friday as they released the appointments then. I wasn’t happy with this, I called again to be given an appointment later in the month. I asked why I had initially been told no appointments where available to which I was told they didn’t know. Bearing in mind I suffer from acute depression and anxiety, this was very worrying and really hasn’t helped my mental state whatsoever. I explained that I wanted to talk and discuss with an actual Doctor reference the diagnosis and statin therapy as being informed in such an uncaring and impersonal way by text messages and offered something I know nothing about was not good enough. I was advised I could do this with the diabetes nurse. Two weeks later I received a call to inform me that this appointment had been cancelled and I would have to again wait for more appointments to become available. Several days later I get informed of a new date, which is over a month since my diagnosis. This has resulted in my anxiety going through the roof, not good when I am apparently at such a risk of a heart attack, together with the effects of this on my mental health. Today, I requested a repeat prescription for my antidepressant meds via the nhs app. Again, I received a text message, this time telling me this had been denied as I need a review and to call the surgery to make an appointment. This I did, and I get told to call back tomorrow as the usual ‘no appointments are available’. I explained I will run out of my medication on Wednesday, but still get told to call back. I then said I did have an appointment booked for the Thursday with a doctor (to discuss my diabetes diagnosis and meds etc) could I ask for this review then. The receptionist said maybe, but that was for something different so would still need to make a new appointment. I regularly have appointments with mental health practitioners, so this baffles me. I don’t leave my home due to the affect this has on my anxiety and depression, when I do my partner takes me in the car, who also works.
Visited June 2023
Review titled Norton Medical Centre
Replied on 13 December 2023
Dear Mr Jardine, I am sorry that you feel you have been let down by Norton Medical Centre and for any stress that you have experienced. Please be reassured that we take all patients concerns and comments seriously. This matter will be looked into and a written response will be posted to you. Kind regards Cath Milburn General Manager
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Review titled Closed for Business
Rated 1 star out of 5
by David H - Posted on 13 June 2023
Had a an episode in A&E came away 4am with strong painkillers after investigations; can't fault them. Told to arrange a GP appointment for a couple of weeks time as more investigations could required. Tried for at least an hour to get through to practice ( out of peak time ). Went down to practice told I had to call early morning (peak time ) to get an appointment, this never works. Asked for appointment beyond 2 weeks and told they have not been released and would still have too ring. Stuck in a loop without care with symptoms and no diagnosis. I have reached an age when I may require more care but certainly cannot access it.
Visited June 2023
Review titled Norton Medical Centre
Replied on 08 December 2023
Dear Patient, Please accept our apologies for the frustration you have experienced. Many practices across the country are experiencing demand vs capacity issues. Norton Medical Centre have listened to our patients and have introduced two systems that we hope will help the difficulties being experienced. 1. A new Cloud based telephone system - with a call back facility. 50 patients have access to telephone lines. Patients 1 - 8 remain in queue, patients 9 - 50 have the option to leave their name to be called back by a Receptionist, rather than waiting in a queue. 2. In September the Practice updated the existing appointment system to a Modern General Practice Access (MGPA) model. This has changed the way patients can access appointments with either a Doctor or Advanced Clinical Practitioner. Instead of patients trying to get through to our Reception Team at 8.30am by telephone or by attending the surgery in order to book an appointment, we are asking our patients to submit an eConsultation online via our website nortonmedicalcentre.nhs.uk. This information will then be sent to a Triage Team within the Practice consisting of a Clinician and at least two Receptionists. The GP will look through the information provided by the patient and advise the Receptionist who they would be best seen by, and in what timeframe. This will ensure that our patients are seen by the correct person and should reduce the amount of unnecessary appointments. If you do not have access to the internet, please do not worry. A family member or friend can submit an eConsultation for you on your behalf. If you are still having difficulty, please contact a member of our Reception Team. Why we made these changes: • To provide a fair and equal service to all patients • Ensure consultations are booked in the correct timescales based on clinical need • Improve access for all patients and reduce waiting times on the telephone • Provide care to patients who have a medical problem which needs to be reviewed on the same day • Facilitate 'continuity of care' by having sufficient appointments availabelt to allow patients to be booked in advance twith the clinician of their choice where appropriate and available • Manage demand and improve efficiency • Reduce the number of patients who fail to attend appointments Call statistics now show: July 12036 telephone calls were received, compared to 6808 calls received in October, with an average call waiting time of 7 mins Please be reassured that the new systems are being monitored closely to identify any changes needed. Yours sincerely Cath Milburn General Manager
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Review titled Poor performance
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 12 June 2023
Getting through to the practice is ridiculous. The new ‘we will call you back when you reach 1 in the queue’ doesn’t work. 3 x I tried, 3 x they called back and call was dropped. Then 3 x I have been in the queue for 30 mins plus and it then call just fails. It is unacceptable to not be able to communicate to complete the simplest of tasks such as requesting an appointment.
Visited June 2023
Review titled Norton Medical Centre
Replied on 08 December 2023
Dear patient, Please accept our apologies for any frustration you have experienced. We have listened to problems that our patients have experienced with regard to telephone waiting times and earlier this year a new cloud based system was introduced, with a patient call back facility i.e patients 1 - 8 remain in the queue, patients 9 - 50 are given the option to leave their name and a receptionist will call them back, rather than waiting in a queue. The new system has been well received by the majority of our patients. With reference to calls dropping, please contact our Reception Manager with specific dates and approximate times and she will raise these concerns with our telephone provider who can run tests to identify any issues on those dates. Kind regards Cath Milburn General Manager
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Review titled Not good enough.
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Jeremy Crompton - Posted on 31 May 2023
For 4 months i have been trying to get an appointment about my knee. I had a acl, mcl and meniscus surgery 12 years ago and suffer on a dailiy basis. I have spoken to other medical people and they have said it needs looking at but this can not be done as you cannot get an appointment. I fully understand that alot are of people like my self who do not get seen 9r even get to talk to a doctor. I also suffer from really bad indigestion that makes me violently sick. To the point that i get blood spots on my face. I have been fobbed off so many times, told to do an econstult and that says you need to talk to a doctor . The excuse of not enough doctors is a joke. My girlfriend gets appointments all the time in Middlesbrough. Something seriously needs to be done to make sure patients are seen as there are alot of people who's medical needs are not being met.
Visited May 2023
Review titled Norton Medical Centre
Replied on 08 December 2023
Dear Mr Crompton Thank you for your feedback. Please accept our apologies for the frustration you have experienced. We have listened to problems that our patients have experienced with regard to telephone waiting times and appointment availability and we have made two major changes in the past eight months, which we hope will work together to improve the service 1. A new Cloud based telephone system - with a call back facility. 50 patients have access to telephone lines. Patients 1 - 8 remain in queue, patients 9 - 50 have the option to leave their name to be called back by a Receptionist, rather than waiting in a queue. 2. In September the Practice updated the existing appointment system to a Modern General Practice Access (MGPA) model. This has changed the way patients can access appointments with either a Doctor or Advanced Clinical Practitioner. Instead of patients trying to get through to our Reception Team at 8.30am by telephone or by attending the surgery in order to book an appointment, we are asking our patients to submit an eConsultation online via our website nortonmedicalcentre.nhs.uk. This information will then be sent to a Triage Team within the Practice consisting of a Clinician and at least two Receptionists. The GP will look through the information provided by the patient and advise the Receptionist who they would be best seen by, and in what timeframe. This will ensure that our patients are seen by the correct person and should reduce the amount of unnecessary appointments. If you do not have access to the internet, please do not worry. A family member or friend can submit an eConsultation for you on your behalf. If you are still having difficulty, please contact a member of our Reception Team. Why we made these changes: • To provide a fair and equal service to all patients • Ensure consultations are booked in the correct timescales based on clinical need • Improve access for all patients and reduce waiting times on the telephone • Provide care to patients who have a medical problem which needs to be reviewed on the same day • Facilitate 'continuity of care' by having sufficient appointments availabelt to allow patients to be booked in advance twith the clinician of their choice where appropriate and available • Manage demand and improve efficiency • Reduce the number of patients who fail to attend appointments Call statistics now show: July 12036 telephone calls were received, compared to 6808 calls received in October, with an average call waiting time of 7 mins Yours sincerely Cath Milburn General Manager
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Review titled A joke getting a doctors appointment
Rated 1 star out of 5
by ANN BROWNBRIDGE - Posted on 12 April 2023
.Again tried to get a doctors appointment,,waiting for almost 20 mins then was cut off,,phoned again,,the call box was full,and to try again later,,I got through again ,,gues what no appointments for today or in the near future !!!..I have no choice but now go to a&e.what a total waste on the nhs,,I have put up with this for 4 days now,,and can no longer wait..We have been registered at this practice for over 4 years,and never got an appointment,only for my cortisone injections,which I had to wait for 3 weeks to get that..The healthcare appointments really good,,no problems there.Surely a better system could be put in place.They even said that no doctors appointments were available in the near future..
Visited April 2023
Review titled Norton Medical Centre
Replied on 24 April 2023
Firstly, we are sorry to hear of your difficulty in getting an appointment, this is not the service we strive to offer, but we, like many other GP Practices in the UK, are struggling to meet the current level of demand for our services. We will continue to do our best each day to deliver as many appointments as it is safe to do so. Ultimately, we do not have unlimited resources and are currently working to maximum capacity. There are now 1,990 fewer fully qualified full-time GPs than in September 2015. This long-term decline coincides with a rise in patients. There was a record-high average of 9,689 patients per practice in December 2022. As a result, the average number of patients each full-time equivalent GP is responsible for has now reached 2,273 - a 17% increase since 2015 - demonstrating the mounting workload in general practice. Although I recognise there is still an unmet need, local data provided by NHSE Data Quality for March 2023 (the most recent data available) showed Norton Medical Centre provided 1 appointment for every 1.98 registered patients, which is higher than the Clinical Commissioning Group average of 1 appointment per 2.29 patients. This is an increase from December 2022, where we offered 1 appointment for every 2.48 registered patients (which was higher than the Clinical Commissioning Group average of 1 appointment per 2.71 patients). Sadly, local data from NHSE Data Quality also shows that Norton Medical Centre has a higher rate of patients who do not attend ("DNA") appointments, with 1 DNA per 29.02 appointments, compared to the local average of 1 DNA per 24.72 appointments, despite introducing a cancellation line. I wish I was able to tell you that I will take the necessary action to rectify this situation, but in reality I can only guarantee that the staff and doctors at Norton Medical Centre will continue to work as hard as they can, to deliver the best service they are able to provide, within the limitation of the resources they have at their disposal. We appreciate that this must feel frustrating, and we share this frustration, as we really want to help you when you need us most. Thank you for providing your name which allowed me to look into your records. I can see that you attended A&E as detailed, but no treatment was required. Many GP appointments are taken for acute, self-limiting conditions such as this, which would be better treated at home or at the Pharmacy. Reducing the amount of appointments in General Practice and Urgent Care for minor ailments will allow more appointment availability for patients with more serious need. Please utilise the community pharmacy for minor ailments. The statement you have made regarding your appointment history does not match the information recorded in your medical record. If you would like access to your online records which can provide you access to this type of information please contact Reception. Yours sincerely Leigh Malloy Practice Manager
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Review titled Great practice
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 28 April 2023
Patient and doctor care over the last couple of months I've needed help my doctors have been fantastic my doctor had also phoned out of hours to let me know about health related issues
Visited April 2023
Review titled Norton Medical Centre
Replied on 02 May 2023
Dear Patient Thank you so much for taking the time to write a review. It means a great deal to all of us at Norton Medical Centre to read your kind words and to know we have been able to help you in your time of need. I look forward to sharing your feedback with the GPs and wider team. Thank you for reminding us why we continue to work hard, despite the challenges we face; it is really fantastic to hear of your positive experience. Kind regards Leigh Malloy Practice Manager