Fernville Surgery - Ratings and reviews
Reviews
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Review titled Impressed
Rated 4 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 27 April 2024
I had a medical emergency. Every single member of staff, from the receptionists to the Dr, were brilliant. Helpful and kind, yet professional and informative. I can’t fault my experience.
Visited April 2024
Review titled Fernville Surgery
Replied on 29 April 2024
Dear Patient Thank you very much for taking the time to provide feedback. I am very pleased to hear that we responded to you quickly and efficiently when you experienced your medical emergency at the surgery. We have a very hardworking and caring staff team here at Fernville, I will add your comments to our internal dashboard for all to see. I do hope that your are recovering well from your emergency. Kind regards Mandy Curtis Patient Services Manager
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Review titled Great practice but still some improvements required
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 04 January 2024
Repeat prescriptions are a clunky process. Sometimes receptionists take the request other times they don’t. Urgent repeats surely should have an online process rather that either tucking up your phone lines or requiring a visit to the surgery.
Visited January 2024
Review titled Fernville Surgery
Replied on 15 January 2024
Dear Patient Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback. Our practice policy is to process a repeat prescription request wherever possible within 3 working days. This allows the doctor sufficient time to make the necessary patient safety checks, ordinarily this is done by a GP who is familiar with the patient. We do not take medication requests over the phone to avoid errors. Making special arrangements to provide “emergency prescriptions” on the day requested interrupts a doctor’s scheduled work which has a detrimental effect on the service we can provide for other patients. The duty GP is required to assess acutely unwell patients in the surgery and at home and for this reason we suggest that patients be aware at least a week in advance that they will need a new prescription. Patients can order their prescriptions in the following ways: 1. By visiting our website fernvillesurgery.org, entering the “prescriptions and medicines centre” blue box on the home page and clicking on request medication online. 2. Signing up for Patient Access or the NHS app on your mobile device. If you are unsure on how to do so a member of the reception team will be more than happy to help! 3. Dropping or posting your repeat medication slip into the surgery. 4. Asking your pharmacist to assist you with the order. You may find it helpful to know that we have updated our telephone system and have a dedicated prescription enquiry line which is available Monday – Friday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Patients can speak to a member of the team by calling the main switchboard on 01442 213919 and selecting Option 3. I do hope you find the above helpful. Mandy Curtis Patient Services Manager
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Review titled Absolutely there when you need them
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 12 January 2024
This is my experience of having two small children - every time we needed to be seen we have been seen exceptionally quickly. They have listened to us, followed up, given great advice. As a patient myself their cancer follow up staff (a low grade cancer I had) were, again, exceptional. I have found them compassionate, thorough and understanding, even when under severe pressure. Very glad I picked this GP!
Visited January 2024
Review titled Fernville Surgery
Replied on 22 January 2024
Dear Patient Thank you for your lovely feedback on your experiences with Fernville. I am very pleased to hear that your contacts and those of your children has been positive. We always aim to provide the best possible service for all patients and I am very pleased to hear that our efforts are succeeding. I have posted your comments for our staff to see, I am sure it will boost their day! Kind regards Mandy Curtis Patient Services Manager
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Review titled Admin
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 26 November 2023
Great experience with the manager at fernville, needed a form completed and available for collection and it was done and ready for collection the next day, this is the Seacond time I have needed this service and both times management was extremely helpful and efficient, fantastic service
Visited November 2023
Review titled Fernville Surgery
Replied on 07 December 2023
Good morning Thank you for your positive feedback. It is always nice to hear that we are providing an efficient and responsive service to our patients. Kind regards Mandy Curtis Patient Services Manager
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Review titled Happy I became a patient at Fernville Surgery
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Phillip Marsh - Posted on 12 October 2023
It's easy to forget all the good things our doctors surgery do and one complaint/suggestion should not be taken as a criticism. I've been a patient at Fernville Surgery for 40 plus years and have classed myself as lucky having picked this surgery. Overall it's been very professional.
Visited October 2023
Review titled Fernville Surgery
Replied on 25 October 2023
Dear Mr Marsh Thank you very much for providing this review. You are more than welcome to provide comments and suggestions directly to me. I am available at the surgery from Monday to Friday and will always take the time to discuss a patient's feedback in person or by phone wherever possible. Kind regards Mandy Curtis Patient Services Manager
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Review titled Treatment cancellations
by leofs98 - Posted on 04 September 2023
I am writing to express my serious concerns regarding the recent experience my wife and I had at Fernville Surgery in Hemel Hempstead. Our visit, which took place in August, has left us feeling deeply unsatisfied and anxious about the level of care provided. During our face-to-face appointment with the doctor it was conveyed to us that my wife's health issues were of a significant nature. To address her symptoms she was prescribed anxiety-calming medication and requested a blood test. The results of this blood test revealed that her vitamin B12 levels were alarmingly low, falling within the border line of deficiency. The doctor subsequently advised us that my wife should receive vitamin B12 injections and provided her with a prescription to obtain the injection from a local pharmacy. Additionally, they instructed us to book an appointment for her to receive the injection at the reception. Following these instructions, my wife successfully acquired the injection and scheduled an appointment for the administration of the injection at the surgery. However, the situation took a perplexing turn when we were informed that the appointment had been cancelled without any prior consultation or notification. We were taken aback by this abrupt cancellation and immediately contacted the reception to understand the reason behind this decision. The reception staff mentioned that the cancellation was advised by the doctor, and that another doctor was also busy, citing a busy schedule as the reason for the abrupt change. This series of events has left us bewildered and concerned about the consistency and appropriateness of the medical advice provided to my wife. It is disconcerting that the recommendation for the injection was reversed only two days after it was originally prescribed, leaving us questioning the credibility of the medical guidance we received. Furthermore, my wife's health condition remains serious, with persistent headaches and dizziness, making it imperative that her treatment is addressed without any further delay or confusion. We strongly believe that every patient deserves to receive proper and consistent medical attention, especially when their health is at risk. It is with this belief that I urge Fernville Surgery to thoroughly review the case of my wife's treatment and ensure that she receives the necessary care she requires. We request that the practice takes immediate steps to rectify the situation, provide clarity on the recommended treatment, and schedule an appointment with the doctor at the earliest convenience. We trust that Fernville Surgery values the well-being of its patients and will take our concerns seriously. We eagerly anticipate a prompt response and resolution to this matter to ensure my wife's health is given the priority it deserves.
Visited August 2023
Provided by Care opinion
Review titled Fernville Surgery
Replied on 15 September 2023
Dear leofs98 I am sorry to hear of your concerns, and would like to facilitate a timely response to your questions. But you have not provided your wife's name so I am not able to investigate this matter. In any case, it would not be appropriate for me to respond with personal information on an open forum like this. It would be helpful if you could copy this review, including your wife's name and date of birth, to contact.fernville@nhs.net, marked for the attention of the Patient Services Manager. Hopefully we can then provide a satisfactory response. I hope this is helpful. Yours sincerely Mark Jones Managing Partner
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Review titled One condition per appointment.Why.
Rated 4 stars out of 5
by Phillip Marsh - Posted on 04 August 2023
One condition per appointment is not a wise way forward and can lead to serious illnesses being missed as conditions can often be linked to find the real problem the patient has turned up with. This is also a waste of time to the surgery and patient as many appointments have to be made over a long time as waiting times between appointments can be several weeks. Better to assess the whole patient’s needs at once.
Visited July 2023
Review titled Fernville Surgery
Replied on 08 August 2023
Thank you for your comment, Mr Marsh, The doctor must have enough time to deal with a patient's problems safely and effectively. It is also important to avoid undue delay to other patient's appointments. For these reasons, wherever possible, we try to provide a dedicated appointment slot for each unrelated problem. As many as necessary. GPs are trained to manage complex presentations and are expected to ask the right questions to identify any linked conditions. It is their clinical responsibility to ensure that serious illnesses are not missed. We will always offer an urgent appointment for any problem that cannot safely wait for the next available routine appointment. I hope this response is helpful. Thanks again. Mark
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Review titled Bring back online doctor appointment’s system
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Phillip - Posted on 11 July 2023
Need to book an appointment with a doctor but need to wait until tomorrow to phone, wait in a queue hoping to get an appointment.Then thought the online booking system was so good they need to bring it back. Saves your time and their administrative time answering phone. They should only put doctors on appointment system this time to stop people booking a nurse instead of a doctor or vice versa. A good time saver bring the booking system into the 21st century. Please consider a good system again.
Visited June 2023
Review titled Fernville Surgery
Replied on 13 July 2023
Hello Phillip, Following earlier comments on this issue, we added an item explaining the appointment booking system to our website: https://www.fernvillesurgery.org/practice_news/updating-use-of-direct-bookable-appointments/ Even if we restrict direct bookable appointments to doctors' appointments only, these still can be and were used inappropriately by some patients. Unfortunately, in optimising the system to make best possible use of limited resources, it seems we cannot please everybody. Thank you again for taking the time to comment. Mark
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Review titled Online booking for appointment stopped
Rated 4 stars out of 5
by Phillip marsh - Posted on 18 June 2023
The online booking service for doctors and nurse appointments has been stopped. Please reconsider this decision as it was very helpful and could be used out of surgery hours. You did not have to phone the surgery and be kept waiting on the phone. It would also help the receptionist with less calls and allow them to do other things. I was told some people were booking a nurse when they wanted a doctor. Remove nurse appointments and use for doctor appointments only. Make it more easier to use and advertise the service more. I found this such a good time saver for you and all concerned.
Visited June 2023
Review titled Fernville Surgery
Replied on 19 June 2023
Dear Mr Marsh Thank you for taking the time to let us know how this change has affected you. We have received similar feedback from other patients, so it is certainly something we need to think about. Overall, we are striving to make the best use of very limited resources. Our approach has been to introduce systems which help patients find the most suitable type of appointment, or guide them to other sources of help where these are appropriate. The online request form has been very effective in this, as other patients have commented here. We turned off the online booking service because, as you say, some patients were using this to book inappropriate appointments which did not meet their needs. Not just nurse appointments but doctor appointments too. This resulted in a loss of appointments which could otherwise have provided valuable health care. But I hear what you say, and can see this decision has removed an option you found helpful. I've shared your comments with our planning team for consideration as we make further changes. Thank you once again for your very thoughtful comments. Mark
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Review titled Online booking for appointment stopped
Rated 4 stars out of 5
by Phillip marsh - Posted on 18 June 2023
The online booking service for doctors and nurse appointments has been stopped. Please reconsider this decision as it was very helpful and could be used out of surgery hours. You did not have to phone the surgery and be kept waiting on the phone. It would also help the receptionist with less calls and allow them to do other things. I was told some people were booking a nurse when they wanted a doctor. Remove nurse appointments and use for doctor appointments only. Make it more easier to use and advertise the service more. I found this such a good time saver for you and all concerned.
Visited June 2023
Review titled Fernville Surgery
Replied on 19 June 2023
Dear Mr Marsh Thank you for taking the time to let us know how this change has affected you. We have received similar feedback from other patients, so it is certainly something we need to think about. Overall, we are striving to make the best use of very limited resources. Our approach has been to introduce systems which help patients find the most suitable type of appointment, or guide them to other sources of help where these are appropriate. The online request form has been very effective in this, as other patients have commented here. We turned off the online booking service because, as you say, some patients were using this to book inappropriate appointments which did not meet their needs. Not just nurse appointments but doctor appointments too. This resulted in a loss of appointments which could otherwise have provided valuable health care. But I hear what you say, and can see this decision has removed an option you found helpful. I've shared your comments with our planning team for consideration as we make further changes. Thank you once again for your very thoughtful comments. Mark