Idle Medical Centre - Ratings and reviews
Reviews
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Review titled Frustrating Practice
by P Graves - Posted on 18 April 2024
I have been a patient of this practice since being a small child. I am now 53. Never in all the years have I been as frustrated about this practice as I am now. I have high blood pressure and have type 2 diabetes. Following recent blood tests done I received the results online and then received a text within two days from the results arriving. The text message asked me to book an appointment to speak to a go regarding the results all of which came back abnormal. This is where the practice is a complete let down and where if you suffer with high blood pressure ypu become infuriated and stressed...so, the next morning promptly at 8.30 I rung the practice. Busy line straight away...busy line for the next 15mins. Finally after 80 attempts at getting through...i managed to get through to be told it would be a phonecard from a gp..rather than face to face. Ok...so when would the gp ring...within 48hrs I was told, no time slot just within 48hrs. I am now on 48hrs...I rang the practice just before it closed today 18/04/2024 asking if I had missed being called has I had not received a call...I was then told by the receptionist.. "well actually, its 72hrs not 48hrs, so you will receive a call either Wed, Thurs or Friday."Its Thursday so obvs it'll be Friday now when I get the call. I am worried, I want to know what the abnormal blood results mean for me, and 72hrs is simply not acceptable to wait that long for an explanation of my results....I could go to A&E wait 16hrs and probably find out faster doing that. But I won't, I'll wait for the GP to ring. But how is this good practice? If I would have asked for a face to face appt i would probably have been seen...but who knows? In the past even though its post covid, I struggle to see a doctor face to face now at this practice. I can't fault the staff, the nurses are amazing, the receptionists take a lot of flack...but put of frustration of being messed about by the Gp's. I honestly don't get why post Covid they deem this a better way of working...not seeing patients. GP practices across the county are making our A&E's stretched simply by not seeing their patients in a timely manner. Or giving them an explanation of results in a timely manner. Allegedly according to the voice message you get whe you eventually get through on the phone, you can book an appointment t through Patchs ..despite having a login and an active account...I have never been able to book an appt this way....I actually wonder if the GP consultation rooms have GP,'s in them... there are 8 rooms but I bet at any given time there's only 4 GPS in. The website is a joke, what they promise and what they say they do was perhaps true 8 years ago...and they brag a rating of good...but this was from May 2016 no review has been posted since then...as I suspect they haven't had a good rating since. Covid has messed this practice up...they're still stuck in pandemic mode and think this is best practice. It's not.
Visited April 2024
Review titled Idle Medical Centre
Replied on 19 April 2024
Dear Pauline, Thank you for your feedback. I am sorry you feel our service has failed you recently. I am Malcolm MacDonald, the Practice Manager. You have raised a number of issues which I will try to address. Following your recent blood test you received a text message asking you to make an appointment with a GP "within 2 weeks". This in itself makes clear that the matter was not urgent. We do try to endeavour to meet our 48hr call-back target but on this occasion we have failed and I apologize for this. The point about going to A&E for a blood test is somewhat spurious, we do not ask you sit and wait in the practice to get your results, simply to be available on your phone. Our phone system is, and always will be, very busy at 08.30. If your reason for calling is not urgent, which yours wasn't, then you are better waiting till a little later (after 10.00) and you will almost certainly get straight through. We are introducing a new phone system later in the year which will eliminate the engaged tone as well as offering a range of other benefits. We have adapted our model of operating to offer a range of appointment types and clinicians including Enhanced Access appointments in evenings and weekends both here and at other local practices. We currently employ 11 GPs (1 on maternity leave) who work a variety of days and shifts. There a minimum of 4 GPs and a maximum of 7 GPs working at any one time. You refer to our CQC rating of "Good" and question its validity. We have had 2 "remote" reviews since 2016 (this was a "physical" review). The last review was summer of 2023 and confirmed our "Good" rating. CQC have limited resources, like all parts of the NHS, and save their physical inspections for those organizations that are more problematic. I hope I have addressed your issues but please feel free to contact me at the practice if there is anything you wish to discuss further. Once again apologies for the issues you have had recently. Kind Regards, Malcolm MacDonald Practice Manager Idle Medical Centre
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Review titled Great practice, great organisation
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by S.Backhouse - Posted on 04 December 2023
Idle Medical Centre is a brilliant practice and very well organised. Whenever my children have been ill, I have had a telephone call from a Dr within a few hours, and been offered an appointment on the same day, if necessary. When I have been ill recently, I have been able to speak to a Dr by telephone, then been offered a face to face appointment without any trouble. I feel very grateful to have such a fantastic local surgery. Thank you.
Visited December 2023
Review titled Idle Medical Centre
Replied on 05 December 2023
Thank you so much for taking the time to post these wonderful comments. I know all our team will really appreciate them. Kind regards, Malcolm MacDonald Practice Manager
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Review titled Great service from receptionists and nursing staff
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 29 November 2023
There was a mix up whereby my HRT review was not logged fully with my BP results on the system - which triggered another HRT review being requested 4 months later. The reception ladies at the time were very friendly and put my mind at rest. My tel appt with a GP was not fruitful and wasn't helpful and suggested an inefficient way to deal with this in giving a 1 month prescription telling me I would have to get another BP test and then book in to have another HRT review with another GP - even after I said I would go get the BP results to him the same day if he could hold off on prescribing the short prescription, he said it was not possible to wait to prescribe a longer dose and to book with another GP. I went back a few hours later to get another BP check completed at the pharmacy as requested and went upstairs for them to log it. The reception staff were very understanding and went above and beyond to make sure that I was seen by a nurse the next day and enabled me to have a full HRT prescription given. I saw the nurse who was great and was then given a follow up call later by a lovely lady on reception to inform the prescription was ready. 10/10 for reception. Thanks ladies.
Visited November 2023
Review titled Idle Medical Centre
Replied on 04 December 2023
Thank you very much for this positive feedback. It is much appreciated. Malcolm MacDonald Practice Manager
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Review titled Falling levels of assistance keep declining
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 15 August 2023
The practice was a very good one 5 years ago but leading up to the pandemic, during and then post pandemic it's become an awful place to seek any assistance from. Everything is done via call back it is virtually impossible to get an appointment with receptionist used to assist in diagnosing your issue. I've lost count of the number of times we have received a diagnosis and medication based on a photo emailed over and/or from answering the General Practitioner quiestion over the phone to "what do you think it could be?" Recently while on holiday I was unfortunate enough to break my, the options I had were to either pay for surgery abroad or fly home and have surgery in the UnitedKingdom. The doctor abroad said both would be fine we would just need to make a decision. After checking with the airlines we could fly back the next day ot wait 5 days for the next flight. If we chose to stay and take the operation there would be a large amount of physio, medication etc etc that would be needed post operation, however I could not find any info anywhere regarding how and overseas operation may be treated once returned home, with my family with me, the amounts of money, and the time pressure I was attempting to make the most informed decision I could. So I called my Gernal Practitioners and explained the full situation to the receptionist and requested a call back just to talk through my options from a general practitioner as I could not find any information. I was assured my situation was stressful and not pleasant and of course the surgery would call back. What I received was a text message 10 mins after the phone call saying, we advise you follow the advice of local health practitioners. So not only did not bother to take me as a person in need of assistance worth speaking to but also such a quick assessment and dismissal highlights the absolute disconnect between the practice and providing any form of assistance.
Visited August 2023
Review titled Idle Medical Centre
Replied on 16 August 2023
Dear Patient, Than you for your feedback. I am Malcolm MacDonald, Practice Manager. I am sorry that you feel the service has deteriorated at Idle and that you did not get the assistance you believe you required. With regard to the overall service levels, we have just been rated in the top 10 practices in Bradford in the National Patient Survey. We offer same day face-to-face and phone appointments. Our reception staff are trained in care navigation and will ask questions to ensure you see the right healthcare professional for your needs. We are able to offer the vast majority of patients an appointment within 24 hours of them contacting us. A clinician may well ask you about what you believe to be the issue. This is not unusual and is a way of gathering information. With regard to your injury whilst abroad, we are not an emergency service. You would not phone us from an A&E department in this country to ask advice. The clinical issues were best dealt with by the clinicians locally. Your concerns about money, flights and ongoing treatment were questions for your travel insurance company. I ma sorry if this feels harsh but we have to use our limited resources in the best way possible. I would be happy to discuss this matter with you if you want to contact the surgery. Malcolm MacDonald Practice Manager
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Review titled Poor communication
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 26 May 2023
Partner rang practice this morning to explain medication had been misplaced, receptionist said to call into surgery and will get the doctor to release the prescription. Called into surgery to be told the doctor will not do the prescription. Sat for 2 hours waiting with no communication to be told the doctor is in the record and will give the patient a call. This is medication that can’t just be stopped. The receptionist are not helpful and do not want to go out there way to find out or help.
Visited May 2023
Review titled Idle Medical Centre
Replied on 05 June 2023
Dear Patient Thank you for your feedback. I am the Practice Manager. I am sorry if you feel that the Receptionists were not as helpful as they could have been. My understanding of this incident was that we were trying to help your partner who had mislaid some medication and needed some more issuing before the Bank Holiday weekend. The GP needed to speak to the patient before reissuing hence the delay. If you wish to speak to me about this then please feel free to call the surgery. Regards, Malcolm MacDonald Practice Manager
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Review titled Great Practice
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Steven Close - Posted on 13 April 2023
I cannot say enough about this practice. I moved to Skipton but thankfully they allowed me to continue with this practice as an out of area patient. If I ring for anything I get a call back 99 times out of 100 the same day and if I need to see a doctor then again it is usually that week or if its late in the week then early the following week. Receptionist always helpful and for a group of people with not the best reputation I will fight their corner. The same goes for the practice Nurses and all the staff at Idle Medical centre. First rate practice and if you live in the sticks you don't know how lucky you are to have this practice on your doorstep.
Visited April 2023
Review titled Idle Medical Centre
Replied on 17 April 2023
Dear Steven Thank you very much for these positive comments. It is much appreciated by everybody at the practice. Malcolm MacDonald Practice Manager
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Review titled Waiting all day for a call I was told I would be getting
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 18 March 2023
After having a full hip replacement I requested some tablets for the pain.I made the request on Tues.Thurs I got a text to call the surgery which I did.was told a doctor would call me on the Fri the day I had no tablets left.I rang at 4.45 to remind them I’ve not received a call and was told they would remind the GP and they would be calling.I rang again at 5.15 and was told it could be after 6 but I will be getting a call.I got no call and now left I lots of pain due to no pain releaf.I’m expecting idle surgery to reply saying get another surgery if your not happy.the people on the reception are fine the nurses that Change your dressings are great.the doctors just seem to be not botherted at all.
Visited March 2023
Review titled Idle Medical Centre
Replied on 21 March 2023
Dear Patient, Thank you for your feedback. I am sorry that you did not manage to speak to the GP on the day you requested. I believe I am right in saying that you have now spoken to the GP and he has explained that your request for medication was placed on a list that we will respond to within 48 working hours and not immediately. I apologize for this mix up and we will undertake some training with our Reception staff to try to avoid this in the future. If there is anything else I can help with then please feel free to contact me. Malcolm MacDonald Practice Manager Idle Medical Centre
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Review titled Inefficient appointment service
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 05 April 2023
Rang to get an appointment, told after over 60 times of calling that a doctor would call back. He did but told me to go to an and e . After 9 and a half hours in a and e I was given medication and told to go back to my GP who could refer me to the correct unit for care. It seems simple but apparently not, after telling the reception I needed a face to face all they could offer was a phone appointment. The doctor rang, said I needed to see a doctor face to face (no surprise! I told them that!) so I was to ring back reception and make an appointment. Well you can guess there was no appointments and I was to ring back tomorrow. How can two calls with a doctor, the second after been to A&E under their instruction be efficient? You are wasting your time, my time and the receptionists time. You are creating a situation that ultimately is causing more work, more calls and more appointments. I’m not sure how anyone can think the system works well? I’m also don’t understand why face to face appointments are so hard to get when that wasn’t the case pre Covid. You are causing yourself this situation and you need to review it, the experience you provide is appalling to say the least.
Visited March 2023
Review titled Idle Medical Centre
Replied on 17 April 2023
Dear Patient Thank you for your feedback. I am sorry that you do not feel our system is working for you. I would be happy to look into matters in more detail if you wish to contact me directly. On a general point, initial phone appointments are a more efficient way of using our resources than face to face. Malcolm MacDonald Practice Manager
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Review titled Uncaring Doctor and sad decline of a Gp Practice reputation
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 15 March 2023
I have a few underlying conditions and recently have experienced a few symptoms thst caused me concern. Particularly due to me having Hugh blood pressure. I rang the doctors at 8.30...after over 27 attempts for my call to be answered I finally got through at 8.45. I was told there were no more appointments and to rung back the next morning at 8.30. I rang the next day again at 8.30 over 30 plus attempts to get through i finally got through.The receptionist asked me my issue and i said i had a few one of which being a black spot i see in my eye. "She said oh well you can just go to specsavers for that"..what else? I mentioned my other concerns and asked if I could book an appointment a double one face to face with a doctor to enable me time to go through them. The receptionist said no thst only a phone appointment could be made and thst the doc would decide if a face to face would be necessary. I wasn't given a time but told a doc would ring me. I work in a factory and am not allowed to use a phone..I mentioned to my boss about this and waited on the call. The doc rang me and said that she could see i had mentioned a few issues I had. She said which one was i concerned about the most...I said well tbh all of them...I'm not a doctor and didn't feel that I should be the one to decide which needed to be dealt with first. She was quite abrupt with me and said look i have only ten minutes just let me know which one you want to deal with...I said well I did ask for a face to face appointment. She ignored this and said look you are waiting time which issue do you wa t to deal with. I got so upset and frustrated from her attitude and lack of empathy that I put the phone down on her. This GP practice has continued to run at low capacity following covid. Face to face appointments are none existent...since covid. I bet there are less than two GPS in that practice physically at any given time..the rest must just work from home. If you work...forget it...they do nothing to make it easy to see them. You have to have your phone with you at all times...they don't give you a specific time when the gp will ring you. On their website it states that you can book an appointment 3 weeks in advance...No you cant!!!..instead you 1st have to speak to a doctor on the phone...you only get a phone appointment on the day you ring as well...i have lost faith in a practice I thought was good pre covid...but now...no....they are the reason along with other gp practices behaving in the same way..that A&E's are so busy and stretched....its so diddifcult to see a GP face to face....at Idle Medical Practice ... I can't remeber when I last did. I would not recommend this practice to anyone...not now....10yr ago maybe...but not now avoid.
Visited March 2023
Review titled Idle Medical Centre
Replied on 17 April 2023
Dear Patient I am the Practice Manager. I am sorry for the difficulties you have encountered. Please feel free to contact me to discuss. Malcolm MacDonald
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Review titled Excellent Practice
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Alasdair Morrison - Posted on 15 March 2023
Having had to use the practice a number of times over the past year, I have to say that I feel they are doing an excellent job. All staff are friendly and helpful and the system they currently use to get an appointment with a doctor works quickly and well. When I hear from friends of the problems they have with other practices, I’m delighted that I’m with Idle Medical Centre.
Visited March 2023
Review titled Idle Medical Centre
Replied on 16 March 2023
Dear Mr Morrison, Thank you so much for this lovely review. It is so appreciated by all the staff here who do give their utmost to provide a good service. I will make sure they are all aware of it. It really helps to lift morale as it does feel sometimes as though Primary Care, and the NHS in general, is just being beaten from all sides (media, public, government). Kind Regards, Malcolm MacDonald Practice Manager