Maltings Surgery - Ratings and reviews
Reviews
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Review titled Do not register here!
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 19 December 2022
Absolutely appalling for a 21st century GP practice. You can only get an appointment if you call at 8am on a particular day - cannot book appointments any other way or in advance. If you call at 8.01, you are on hold for 2 hours and when someone picks up, they tell you the list is closed and to try tomorrow. A heavy sell to use other services such as 111 or urgent care. More concerningly, refuse some prescriptions which they should have done. Spoke to 111 and other GP surgeries and this is inconsistent with what is done anywhere else. One positive note is the receptionists are polite and apologetic. Not their fault that the practice is rubbish. Go elsewhere.
Visited December 2022
Review titled Maltings Surgery
Replied on 27 April 2023
Dear patient, Thanks for sharing your anonymous feedback in December 2022. It's a shame you didn't leave your name so we could look into why you were on hold for two hours as that seems extreme even with the unprecedented demand for appointments we were facing at the time and also your comment about refusing prescriptions. The only time we would not be able to issue a prescription is where a patient has been asked to contact us for a medication review or it's a request for a one-off medication. Even if it's something you've been prescribed as a one-off in the past, it still requires a consultation to make sure it's safe and nothing has changed with your health since the last time it was issued. Getting a timely response and appointment if you need one has become much easier since January this year. We've introduced a whole new online system so that patients don't need to ring up and hold at 8am. The service is available throughout the day, when we're open and most patients receive a response same-day. I do hope you've noticed a difference if you've needed us in 2023. All the best, Kara - Team Maltings
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Review titled Immpossible
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 29 November 2022
Cannot get appointment to see doctor hang on phone for ages then told go on line for phone callback which could be in 2 weeks time please tell me what are the doctors doing?
Visited November 2022
Review titled Maltings Surgery
Replied on 27 April 2023
Dear patient, Sorry to hear you had trouble getting an appointment at the practice in November last year. The team has been trying to provide as many appointments as is safe to do so with unprecedented demand across the entire NHS for the past three years which has meant some patients have not always been able to get an appointment as quickly as they nor we would like. That said, things are getting brighter this year. We introduced a new online system in January in response to constructive feedback from patients and we're happy to report it's working well. As you're marked anonymous, we're unable to check your individual concerns but hope if you've needed our service this year, you've noticed a difference. Kara - Team Maltings
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Review titled Getting an appointment is impossible
by equuleusfg57 - Posted on 21 November 2022
I have been trying to get an non-urgent appointment at the Maltings on and off for the last 3 months. I have tried calling at 8:00am on numerous occasions and get a recorded message saying the list is full for that day. I have spoken to receptionists on the phone, given a link to book which takes me to PatientAccess. There are no options for booking an appointment for my problem, in fact there are only 3 options Smear, Physio, and Flu Vaccination. I have gone in and asked how I get an appointment, and have been sent the same link. It is impossible to get an future dated face to face appointment. I have managed to get a phone appointment where the doctor has called me at a really inconvenient time. I have been a patient at the Maltings for 20 years and am completely at a loss as to what has happened. It seems they do not want any patients coming in for face to face appointments. The communication from the practice is non-existent and the website completely out of date as far as information about booking appointments.
Visited November 2022
Provided by Care opinion
Review titled Maltings Surgery
Replied on 27 April 2023
Dear patient, I'm sorry to hear you had so much trouble trying to get a routine appointment last November. Unprecedented demand for appointments meant some patients couldn't always get a timely appointment and we shared the frustration of that for which we're sorry. That said, the team have always provided face to face appointments where needed throughout the pandemic and it's now patient choice. Many patients have told us telephone appointments where safe to do so are much more convenient. Our website and booking system has now been completely overhauled since January 2023 and patients and staff alike report how good the new system is. We hope you've noticed the difference too. Kara - Team Maltings.
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Review titled Put me at ease
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 22 November 2022
I was referred by a clinic in Potters Bar to have the coil fitted. I was made to me relaxed and at ease. The whole process was easy and quick.
Visited November 2022
Review titled Maltings Surgery
Replied on 27 April 2023
Dear patient, That's really good feedback to hear and we know the coil fitting service is consistently commended by patients that use it. Thanks for taking the time to let us know how you found it last November. Kara - Team Maltings
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Review titled Flu and COVID booster appointments
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Linda - Posted on 20 October 2022
Well done for an efficient & easy to use booking service for both my flu and Covid booster. Both invites arrived way ahead of the NHS general reminders. Thank you.
Visited October 2022
Review titled Maltings Surgery
Replied on 27 April 2023
Dear Linda Pleased to hear you got your flu and covid boosters in a timely fashion - that's always our goal. All the best, Kara - Team Maltings
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Review titled Hopeless
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 07 October 2022
Walked in to book appointment only to be told have to phone at 8am or book on line. With my job not possible to phone. Long process to register for on line and then can’t make face to face appointment. Completely useless service for those of us who can’t sit by a phone all day awaiting a possible call back. Truly shocking state despite receptionist standing right next to the computer who could have taken seconds to make an appointment. Need serious overhaul of how they conduct themselves.
Visited October 2022
Review titled Maltings Surgery
Replied on 27 April 2023
Dear patient, Sorry we couldn't meet your needs back in October last year and we fully appreciate that not everyone can or should need to make appointments by phone. The receptionists don't allocate the appointments; that's always been up to the GPs when they assess each request that comes in be that by phone or online but again, we know the online service last year was not fit for purpose for many patients. That's why we worked hard to introduce a whole new system in January of this year where you can now request appointments through our website during the hours that we're open for a fast response. We hope you've found a difference if you've needed us since then. Kara - Team Maltings
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Review titled Dangerously reckless blind-eye turning storing up disaster
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 11 October 2022
The only way to book an appointment here is to call on the dot of 8am, wait on hold for anything up to an hour to speak to a receptionist, who will then triage you. This means you cannot achieve anything else meaningful at an absolutely key time of day for readying children for school or commuting to work. Of course, in dire emergencies you would cancel everything and sit by the phone at 07:59, but this is not the way to funnel those who wish to make non-urgent appointments. There is no online booking available online (though they will tell you there is, it displays a "not now" alert outside of the 8am-10am window). And if in your frustration, you decide to actually waste your life and walk to the doctors to deal in person, the receptionist will send you away and say "Sorry, I don't make the rules" despite having access at her left hand to a computer system which could book you an appointment. NHS oversight please urgently clamp down on this surgery's processes. Either they are intentionally creating a dangerous situation or totally cool about running the practice into the ground until everyone registers elsewhere and it has to close. I do not understand the logic behind the system. I have waited years for it to get called out for this and now I will reluctantly re-register my family to a further afield surgery in order to have access to a less ruthless, upsetting, draconian regime. It needs a wake-up call.
Visited October 2022
Review titled Maltings Surgery
Replied on 27 April 2023
Dear patient, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us in October last year. As your review was submitted anonymously, I'm unable to identify you and personally address your concerns relating to the receptionist and availability of appointments. That said, we know and fully accept how difficult it was for some patients to get timely routine appointments last year. Like all practices across the country, we were facing unprecedented demand for appointments, many needing urgent, same-day care and were trying to manage that the best and fairest way we could at the time with the staff and resources we had. Very challenging and equally frustrating for everyone in our team. We realise that not everyone can call at 8am nor should they have to to get an appointment so started the hard work of upheaving the existing system as quickly as we could and around caring for patients in autumn last year - no easy feat. Thanks to constructive feedback from patients and an incredible effort from the team, we launched a whole new system in January. The online system works well, and many patients have commented how much better it is. No more needing to call at 8am on the dot. If you and your family are still patients at our practice, I do hope you have also felt the difference. Kara - Team Maltings
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Review titled Like storming Fort Knox
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Uli Robertson - Posted on 25 October 2022
I was told last Friday to contact the surgery Monday 8 am to arrange a phone review of new medication later this week. When I rang at 8 am, the recording said the assessment list was full and to ring the next day! I held anyway for 30minutes ,then was told by the same receptionist from Friday that, the phone review could not be booked on the phone!!! I needed to do it online. She sent me a link which I tried to use. It took me another 45 minutes to find some kind of option where I could type in just what I was trying to contact the surgery for. I am relatively ok with online stuff, but may I point out that very many people over a certain age are not. I also am not very well at the moment and all this fuffing around was exhausting! I have been with the Maltings for 20 off years and was very happy with it. These days it is awful on various levels. Especially getting through and getting something sorted. I don't know when I last saw a doctor there.
Visited October 2022
Review titled Maltings Surgery
Replied on 27 April 2023
Dear Uli, Thanks for your feedback in October, it definitely sounded like one frustrating thing after the other which nobody wants when they're ill and we're sorry to hear the service was inconsistent for you. Since January, we've had an entirely new system that's working much better for everyone. Much slicker and much more responsive. We've been able to grow the team too so there's more healthcare professionals and a mix of skills that we can provide to patients - all in all a better service and not a moment too soon. We hope you've seen the difference. Kara - Team Maltings
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Review titled Struggle to get any focused attention and care
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 21 September 2022
I have been with the surgery for 6+ years and steadily the service has gotten worse. There is no empathy in the first to the post triage system which opens first thing in the morning, after suffering migraines for years I had an escalation, effecting my work, I called first thing when they opened, held for 30mins to be told no more appointments and maybe try booking online (system did not work), I called back next day and held and was told I was not an emergency - explained it is effecting my job now, was told to get medications over the counter in a very dismissive and ignorant tone-she did not check my records even though I explained and its clear that I am already on reactive prescription drugs. I have to continue to suffer and struggle through work for another week (I do not call the doctor lightly) and all I wanted was to be referred to private. There should be an online way you can request and receive (in a timely way) referals onto private as GPs are a bottleneck. I am now considering moving to another doctors surgery.
Visited September 2022
Review titled Maltings Surgery
Replied on 27 April 2023
Dear patient, Thankyou for leaving this anonymous feedback in September 2022 and I'm really sorry to hear you had a frustrating experience getting an appointment especially while juggling a migraine and work. Never a good combination. Had we seen your review and your name back in September, we could have looked into your concerns and listened back to the call you had with the receptionist as that's certainly different from what we'd expect to hear about our team. Despite getting hundreds of things right every day, we always appreciate the opportunity to learn more about what we don't and resolve any issues our patients may encounter. Appointments at the practice are now handled using our new online system and we're pleased to see it's proving much better for patients, often with a same-day response. I do hope you've noticed a difference if you've needed us and please don't hesitate to contact us directly if you have any concerns or issues in future. We'll be happy to help. Kara - Team Maltings
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Review titled Great response to an acute problem
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 05 October 2022
Once I had been triaged, I was given several options for an appointment (at different Practices) and was seen the same day. My appt was on time and the Dr was excellent and professional throughout.
Visited September 2022
Review titled Maltings Surgery
Replied on 27 April 2023
Dear patient, Glad to hear we were able to see you nice and quickly, at a place of your choosing, last October for this appointment. Thanks for sharing your experience. Kara - Team Maltings