Wood Lane Medical Centre - Ratings and reviews
Reviews
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Review titled Impossible to get an appointment
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Mike Head - Posted on 09 April 2024
Having spent 3 hours trying to call to get an appointment (I kept getting cut of after 30 mins waiting)I was told that there are no appointments available to be booked and that I would have to book online at 4 o’clock (this is not an option for me as I do not have access to the internet at that time on any day. I will now have to find an alternative doctor surgery that is actually willing to see patients. This is a hassle that I do not need all I need is to see a doctor not even urgently but this practice is denying me that basic right. Shame on you
Visited April 2024
Review titled Wood Lane Medical Centre
Replied on 09 April 2024
Good afternoon Mr Head, Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback following your experiences today. I'm sorry that you weren't able to book a routine appointment however our receptionist did provide you with information on when our routine appointments release and how these can be booked. During my follow up call with you today, I have also provided information on the various options available to our patients in order for them to access routine clinical and administrative assistance - via PATCHS or booking a routine appointment either online, over the telephone or in person. Our routine appointments release at 4pm each day for booking in 2 weeks’ time and this is to ensure patients can see or speak with a clinician in a timely manner. I'm sorry that we were not able to accommodate your request at this time however I would encourage you to go online or call back at 4pm when further routine appointments will be released. If you require any urgent assistance, please contact the surgery or you can now book a limited number of urgent telephone triage appointments online – these release each weekday at 8am. Thank you once again for your feedback. Nicola Falcon Practice Manager
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Review titled What is going on?
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 25 October 2023
I have been with this practice for over 20 years. Up until recently the service has been brilliant. However, I can’t get a routine appointment for at least four weeks, and the GP of my choice has no appointments available for the foreseeable. Patchs is a complete nonsense, trying to locate help through this is impossible, as it shuts down when it’s reached it’s quota of enquiries apparently. The complete nonchalance of the reception staff doesn’t really help matters either, especially when you are looking for solutions.
Visited October 2023
Review titled Wood Lane Medical Centre
Replied on 27 October 2023
Good afternoon, Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback following your experiences with Wood Lane Medical Centre. I’m sorry to hear that you were unable to book a routine appointment with the GP of your choice for a least 4 weeks and that our online consultation service (Patchs) is not always available. As demand on NHS services continues to increase, we are currently working with colleagues from the Digital Transformation Team to look at ways in which we can improve access for our patients. This will include improvements within the appointment templates, re-introducing the ability to book some appointments online and consistent access to Patchs. I hope that our reception team were able to assist or signpost you accordingly. However, if you would like to discuss this further please contact me on the surgery number (Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays or Fridays). Thank you once again for providing your feedback. Regards, Nicola Falcon Practice Manager
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Review titled Impossible to contact
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 08 November 2023
Having had to transfer to this practice (due to the previous practice deciding to give up) my repeat prescriptions were not transferred across. I tried and tried to call but to no avail, I was permanently on hold - I was allegedly number 1 in the queue for 30 minutes. Ultimately I had to stop work to visit the centre in person. Not one person in the waiting room, only one person behind the counter, on her own phone. She resolved the matter in less than a minute. Bizarre that I have had to spend 30 mins on a never answered phone line, then spend 20 minutes walking to and from the centre, for a simple request. How are people who can't physically get to the centre ever going to be dealt with?
Visited August 2023
Review titled Wood Lane Medical Centre
Replied on 27 February 2024
Good afternoon, Thank you for providing your feedback following your experiences with the surgery last year. I apologise for the delayed written response but wanted to reassure you that your feedback had been noted and shared with the team for learning opportunities. Following a review of our processes and the implementation of many improvements to our telephones, appointment system and information we provide on our website, I hope that your experiences are not repeated, for yourself or any other patients. I would encourage patients and service users to continue to provide their feedback, both positive and negative, either via NHS Choices or by submitting a Friends and Family test via our website. This feedback can then be reviewed to identify any issues or common themes for us to address. If you would like to discuss this further, please contact me on the surgery number. With many thanks, Nicola Falcon Practice Manager
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Review titled Woeful service from reception staff and practice in general
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Mrs Adebakin - Posted on 13 June 2023
I’ve been attempting to get a prescription for antihistamines to relieve my hayfever for the past 5 days. The patches system is ineffective- you have to login at exactly 730am to have a chance of a callback (even then it’s not guaranteed). On Friday I called asking to keep my place in the queue and receive a callback. I received no such call back On Monday I was in a queue of 24. After a number of hours I finally got to the front of the queue and the receptionist told me I didn’t need an appointment and instead to email the prescription email address. I told her that didn’t seem the correct advice but he insisted. Today (Tuesday) I received an email response saying I needed to call for an appointment and it was inappropriate to email the prescription email (ie I was correct and have a better understanding of practice policy and procedures than someone who’s employed by the practice). I am now back in a phone queue of >30 people attempting once again to get the appointment I’ve been asking for since Friday. It’s clear to me that a lot of training is required by the reception staff but all by the practice in general. The receptionist are the face of the practice and the lack of consistent and correct information doesn’t fill me with confidence. I appreciate the NHS is under strain but effective training and communication should be a foundation. Unfortunately Wood Lane practice doesn’t have it.
Visited June 2023
Review titled Wood Lane Medical Centre
Replied on 15 June 2023
Dear Mrs Adebakin Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback on your experiences with the surgery. I am sorry to hear that you were unable to contact the surgery using the Patchs online consultation facility and instead contacted the surgery via telephone to seek some assistance. You were given the option to keep your place in the queue and request a call back however you advise that this call back was never received. You called the surgery again on 12th June and were held in a lengthy queue before getting through to the reception team. You gave a brief summary of your enquiry for hay fever medication and were asked to send in an email to our prescriptions email address requesting this medication. Unfortunately, your email was returned by our prescription team advising you to book a telephone call with a GP for review. I would like to apologise for this confusion and delay in dealing with your enquiry. I have forwarded your comments to our Reception Manager so that we can investigate this further to ensure staff are providing the correct information to patients. I have also reviewed our telephone system and asked our software provider to investigate the reason why reception were not alerted to your call back requested. I apologise that you were held in a lengthy queue while trying to seek assistance and to assure you that we continue to review our current processes and pathways for patient access to try to manage demand. Once again, I would like to thank you for your feedback and hope that I have addressed your concerns. However, if you would like to discuss this further, please contact me in the surgery on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays or Fridays. With thanks, Nicola Falcon Practice Manager
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Review titled Fantastic practice
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Mrs Brown - Posted on 03 July 2023
I’m really grateful for the whole team at Wood Lane. I have two young children and have been able to access care the same day whenever I need it. The call back system is great so I don’t have to stay on hold. I’ve been offered same day appointments if needed or the doctor and I have spoken on the phone and I’ve sent photos and prescriptions have been given efficiently without the need to be seen. I’ve used the app for repeat prescriptions without problem. My only desire for improvement would be for patches to work more consistently (it didn’t allow me to ask for help today so I called instead). Given the intense stress the NHS is under the service you provide is outstanding. Every doctor I have seen has been kind and helpful and the reception staff are also incredibly helpful in what I imagine must be a really stressful role. Thank you.
Visited June 2023
Review titled Wood Lane Medical Centre
Replied on 10 July 2023
Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback following your recent experience with Wood Lane Medical Centre. I’m pleased to hear that our telephone call back service worked well for you, keeping your place in the queue with one of our receptionists giving you a call back to deal with your enquiry. We offer telephone triage and routine appointments each weekday and also have access to an enhanced access service which offer additional evenings and weekends appointments in local surgeries. Wood Lane Medical Centre is able to offer various pathways for patients to contact the surgery – by completing a Patchs online consultation via our website, by telephone or in person and we continue to review these to ensure they are effective. Unfortunately, from time to time, we may need to reduce the number of Patchs available to help manage demand but will always continue to provide telephone and in person access to patients and service users. Thank you once again for providing your positive review of our service. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any assistance in the future. Kind regards, Nicola Falcon Practice Manager Wood Lane Medical Centre
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Review titled Poor on line service
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 09 June 2023
The website states that the quickest way to get a response is to use the link to the on line “E consult” banner, but there isn’t one. When you follow the link to the patches website for on line consultation this states it is only available for a short period during the morning but wasn’t available in Friday 9th June and stated that the consultation option was not available until Monday 12th June so I’m now number 43 in the telephone queue. If you want people to use on line services, please ensure they are available to use
Visited June 2023
Review titled Wood Lane Medical Centre
Replied on 15 June 2023
Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback on your experiences with the surgery. I’m sorry to hear that the information on our website was directing you to complete an eConsult instead of a Patchs and that you were unable to complete a Patchs on 9th June but were advised that this facility would not be available until 12th June. You then tried contacting the surgery via telephone however you were 43 in the queue. The surgery has recently migrated to a new website provider and we are currently reviewing the information now available to patients and service users which was transitioned across from our previous website. Unfortunately, it appears that some information pulled across was out of date – such as information regarding eConsults instead of Patchs, clinicians working at Wood Lane etc. We are currently working to identify and update any outdated information and I can confirm that all references to eConsult have now been updated to Patchs. We continue to review all access pathways for patient to try and manage increasing levels of demand against limited NHS resources. Online consultations are very popular with our patients and as such the availability to complete these varies according to day to day demand. I would like to apologise for the lengthy telephone queues which can occur at peak times during the day. This is one of the areas we are looking to implement improvements and continue to advise patients of our call back service which will keep your position in the telephone queue. Once again, I would like to thank you for your feedback which will help us to review our current processes to make any necessary improvements. If you would like to discuss any of this further, please do not hesitate to contact me in the surgery on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays or Fridays. With regards, Nicola Falcon Practice Manager
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Review titled Not a good service
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 23 February 2024
Was currently with this practice for many years went in and saw many doctors with symptoms of chest pain and high blood pressure told on many times was anxiety and depression. Switch practice sent for tests to discover had hernias,throat EoE problems and very high blood pressure from harefield hospital.
Visited February 2023
Review titled Wood Lane Medical Centre
Replied on 27 February 2024
Good afternoon, Thank you for providing your feedback following your experiences with Wood Lane Medical Centre. I’m sorry to hear that you were experiencing ongoing symptoms which you feel were not fully addressed while you were registered with the surgery. I would encourage any patients who continue to have symptoms, despite being reviewed by a clinician, to book a further appointment. Your feedback will be shared with our team as a learning opportunity. With thanks, Nicola Falcon Practice Manager