Avon Valley Practice
43 Fairfield, Upavon, Pewsey, SN9 6DZContact details and opening times
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Reviews
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Review titled Good service
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Brian White - Posted on 11 January 2023
My monthly order of stoma products was delayed. When I checked with the supplier I was told that Avon Valley surgery had not approved the prescription. When I queried the surgery I was informed that no request had been received. Further contact with the supplier and the surgery eventually resolved the problem and my order is on its way. I would like to thank the receptionist (whose name I do not know) and the Doctor who signed my prescription for their speedy actions in resolving my problem.
Visited January 2023
Review titled Avon Valley Practice
Replied on 27 January 2023
Dear Mr White, thank you for your feedback. I will share with the team. We try our best every day and it's lovely to hear of your experience. Kind Regards Anna Morton
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Review titled Not answering the phone
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Neil Buckingha, - Posted on 30 January 2023
Both myself and my wife attempted to make an appointment by telephone. The phone just rand and rang, so, while it was continuing to ring I walked to the practice. I stood in the car park for 3 minutes and no one entered or left the building but the phone continued to be unanswered. Once I got the message that my call had remained unanswered for 6 minutes I entered and asked the receptionist if the phones were working. She advised me that she had been busy with ‘face to face’ so couldn’t answer the phone. As I stated, no one had entered, there was no queue and only two people sat in the waiting room. Basically the phones were being ignored. This is not good enough.
Visited January 2023
Review titled Avon Valley Practice
Replied on 17 March 2023
Dear Mr Buckingham Thank you for your feedback. I agree that this is not good enough. Please share with me the date, time and surgery you visited so that I may explore what happened. Nonetheless, one should not declare provision of service when failing to do so. I understand your trust and confidence in us as been broken. We will work to resolve this. In the meantime, please may I take this opportunity to share how we have developed our services to reduce the need for patients to contact us by phone as follows: 1. Appointment management - Daily walk-in clinic - Automated booking of follow-up appointments including medication reviews whereby the Practice contacts patients with the date and time of appointments - Enabling patients to cancel appointments by replying to the appointment confirmation SMS text messaging - Promoting patients to book appointments electronically using their online access to medical records or following URLs 2. Test results - Providing patients with access to their test results online - Automated booking of appointments to discuss results whereby the Practice contacts patients with the date and time of appointments 3. Referrals - Providing patients with access to their test results online - Advocating patients to contact the relevant referral management centre(s) rather than the Practice to chase referrals and appointment outcomes 4. Medication - Enabling patients to request online - Signing prescription requests within 1 working day of request - Dispensing medication within 2 to 3 days of request and informing patients by SMS text messaging that medication is available to collect *We failed to deliver this commitment in January resulting in patients contacting us to chase medication, predominantly by phone. This creates another pressure on our service that we struggle to meet. However, I am pleased to inform you that our dispensing service is back up to scratch. Patients are receiving their medication timely with the exception of manufacturer delays that are beyond our control. - Installing Pharmaself247 in both surgeries to enable patients to collect medication at their convenience without accessing reception Moreover, the NHS have announced new telephony services effective from 1st April 2023. We do not know all the details yet however I expect that our phone system will be updated within 24 months. Once this is confirmed, I will contact patients for their preferences regarding service delivery and access. I hope I have responded satisfactorily to your concern and have demonstrated our commitment to providing healthcare to all patients registered with Avon Valley Practice Yours sincerely, Anna Morton, Managing Partner
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Review titled Disabled Parking
Rated 4 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 15 January 2023
Whilst collecting my prescription from automated machine I noticed a large commercial van was parked in the disabled space which meant anyone with mobility issues could not access the actual path. No problem for me as I could walk across grass but wanted to make you aware. Surgery was closed as it was a weekend.
Visited January 2023
Review titled Avon Valley Practice
Replied on 16 January 2023
Thank you for your feedback. Works were being undertaken at the Surgery on Saturday and the service crew needed to place their vehicle as close to the front door as possible to transport kit. I understand the vehicle was moved to another bay at other times during their visit. Thank you for raising your concern and will discuss this with the works people to ensure time parked close to the surgery front doors is minimised throughout their visits. Kind Regards Anna Morton
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Review titled Feel let down
Rated 3 stars out of 5
by Graham Fastnedge - Posted on 01 February 2023
After a long period I have finally with the great help from an advanced nurse managed to sort my blood count somewhere near where it should be with the correct medication, ordered my medication 10 days ago and its still not at the surgery (01/02) was supposed to have been taken 2 days ago but I've run out
Visited January 2023
Review titled Avon Valley Practice
Replied on 17 March 2023
Dear Mr Fastnedge, thank you for your feedback. I have investigated and can see that you ordered your medication on the 22nd January and that it was dispensed on the 2nd February. I understand that this wait was too long and indeed, we have made every effort to dispense medication within 2 to 3 days with the exception of manufacturer delays etc... I see that you last ordered on 20th February and received notification on the 24th that it was ready for collection. I expect you to receive the same level of service when you order your next prescription. I apologise for the wait you experienced in January. Yours sincerely, Anna Morton, Managing Partner
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Review titled perscription
Rated 1 star out of 5
by david ferguson - Posted on 31 December 2022
i have ordered 2 items from you over a week ago to only have one item supplied this is again mucked up i have no medication again this is the 6th time this year its not been correct please contact me to discuss this situation i still have not received any reply to e mails sent last week to you
Visited December 2022
Review titled Avon Valley Practice
Replied on 27 January 2023
Dear Mr Ferguson Thank you for contacting us. Your prescription requests for two items, dated 29th November, was processed. One item was out of stock and therefore you received the items on different days, 5th and 6th December. You prescription was dated 7th November and therefore we understood you had a sufficient supply of medication. On 28th December, you requested medication for two items. The same item as ordered previously was still out of stock and therefore, we had to change the prescription. This action was completed on 30th December and dispensed the same day. We issued you this medication again on 3rd January when the item, previously out of stock, arrived. This was dispensed and I understand you have collected. There are many medications out of stock for varying periods of time. We try our best to source from multiple suppliers. We do our best to obtain medication as request and keep stock at optimal levels. Only as a last resort, do we arrange for alternative medication, such as a change in dose. However, this must be approved and prescriber by a GP or non-medical prescriber. This is a challenging task however please be assured to try our best. I hope we have responded to your concerns satisfactory. Kind Regards Anna Morton
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Review titled Delays upon delays
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 23 December 2022
Waited nearly 2 weeks for medication which was needed. First it had failed to be ordered by the staff, next it was delayed, then when it did turn up it was a different type to the normal so had to wait for a GP to sign it off. This took another 2 days. Totally unacceptable and very poor service. Only way to make a complaint is via this feedback as the surgery does not state how to make a formal complaint. Would not have minded if this was a one off but it is becoming more and more regular.
Visited December 2022
Review titled Avon Valley Practice
Replied on 27 January 2023
I am unable to investigate your concerns without identification. You can contact us via our website using the contact us function. In light of your feedback, we will review our website. Please share information with us so that we can investigate your concern. There are significant national issues with medication supplies. We do our best to source your medication from various suppliers and as a last resort, change your medication. Sometimes, suppliers provide alternatives however we cannot dispense these medications without a GP or non-medical prescriber reviewing your medical records and prescribing the specific medication. Unfortunately this takes time but is imperative to ensure clinical safety and effectiveness. Please get in touch should you wish to discuss your concerns further. Kind Regards Anna Morton
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Review titled No one answers the phone ever
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Michaela Anderson - Posted on 05 December 2022
So this happens all the time I try to call them. No one answers the phone after six mins your told to leave a message. This is horrible. I had to phone 111 to get them to make a phone appointment for me only for the practice not to call so now I’m chasing them again. I get they are busy but this is not good at all
Visited December 2022
Review titled Avon Valley Practice
Replied on 08 December 2022
Dear Mrs Anderson I am sorry to hear of your experience on Monday. I have investigated Monday having explored our telephone and appointment logs. I can confirm that you called us 7 times from 11.49 to 12.40 to ask why a GP had not called you at 11.30am. On two occasions, you left voicemails. It appears that 111 booked directly into our appointment system following your contact with them at 10.12 on 5th December. We do not have a record of you calling the Practice to request care prior to this time. 111 booked a same day telephone call for you. These appointments are not offered at specific times, rather we call you before the end of the day at 1830. I am sorry that 111 misled you by giving you incorrect information. We are not an emergency service and therefore do not have associated deposition times. Indeed, one of our GPs telephoned you in the afternoon and held an 18 minute consultation with you. From your contact with 111 to a consultation with us was 5 hours and 40 minutes. I understand that it is difficult to contact us, however we offer a mixture of same day care appointments to daily walk-in clinics, sit-and-wait clinics and telephone calls. Just for information, on Monday, we consulted with over 300 patients in 10 hours, this is an average of 2 minutes per patient. We also received 324 calls. The average ringing time was 4 minutes and 25 seconds with an average duration of 1 minutes and 20 seconds although the longest call lasted more than 10 minutes. Having seen that you had a telephone appointment with the GP, our admin team sent you a text on 6th December at 13.22 to clarify this and to ensure we had not misunderstood your requirements. I note you contacted the Practice today and was answered within a few minutes. You spoke with Jessica, one of our receptionists. I can confirm that she sent your request to the doctors working today. Please be assured that we are doing our best to provide care to all patients with varying health needs. Many thanks, Anna Morton, Avon Valley Practice
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Review titled practice repeat meds
Rated 1 star out of 5
by david ferguson - Posted on 04 November 2022
i have had many occasions with issues with cant get through to a receptionist however encountering my name wrong , wrong address apparently i moved this was news to me not being able to order meds now on 4 occasions as the system has not been updated again i have been ringing for 45 mins to one surgery and now 30 mins to durrington a complete farce
Visited November 2022
Review titled Avon Valley Practice
Replied on 14 November 2022
Dear Mr Ferguson, thank you for your feedback. I understand you spoke with Dr Green last week and have resolved the concerns. If however, you remain dissatisfied, please let us know so that we can investigate further. Many thanks, Anna Morton, Managing Partner, Avon Valley Practice
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Review titled Confusion and unable to get through on the phone
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 21 November 2022
I can never get through on the phone, in some cases it was ringing for over 6 mins with no answer. Keep being called in for blood pressure checks, which limits my ability to reorder medication when I’m running out. In the last case, a telephone appointment was changed at the last minute (the morning of) to a face to face, which I couldn’t attend due to work. It was for a blood pressure check, which I did 6 weeks ago, but clearly the notes on their system are not clear enough. It just wastes my time and I keep running out of medication
Visited November 2022
Review titled Avon Valley Practice
Replied on 08 December 2022
I am sorry to hear of your experience. Please contact us with your details so that we may investigate what has happened and respond fully. Regarding the telephone system, we receive a huge number of calls. Please leave a voicemail ordering your medication or requesting an appointment to measure BP, and we will arrange this for you, contacting you accordingly. You do not need to attend the Practice for a BP check if you provide 7 days of home BP readings. I have given you a link from the British Heart Foundation to help with this. https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/medical/ask-the-experts/blood-pressure-measurement/blood-pressure-monitoring Many thanks Anna Morton, Avon Valley Practice
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Review titled Covid Booster and Flu Injection
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by MR PETER SPENCER - Posted on 15 November 2022
I attended Durrington Surgery on Friday 11th November for my Covid booster and flu injection. I was dealt with very quickly and efficiently.
Visited November 2022
Review titled Avon Valley Practice
Replied on 17 November 2022
Dear Mr Spencer, thank you for your feedback. I'll share with the team. Anna Morton, Avon Valley Practice.