Reviews

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1. Review titled Bad practice

   ★

   Rated 1 star out of 5

   by Anonymous - Posted on 20 March 2023

   I would just like to know why you cannot get an appointment except same day. You try to telephone but can't get through. When you do get through no appointments left as been given to people who queue. When and why did we change to queuing. Why are appointments given to those who queue and not by phone. What if you work or don't drive or are unable to attend in person due to a physical ailment. Why is the seating still social distancing but not in hospitals. I think it's ridiculous and burdens an ever busy NHS. It's an appalling state of affairs. I also wonder why time is wasted when you are offered a telephone appointment when clearly you have stated that your complaint is physical and needs to be seen in person. Clearly wastes my time and the doctors who then say you need to make an appointment so they can physically examine you.

   Visited March 2023

   Report as unsuitable

   Review titled The Dovecot Surgery

   Replied on 22 June 2023

   Dear Patient I apologize for the inconvenience and frustration you experienced regarding the unavailability of appointments at our GP surgery and the patient access due to the telephone system. As a valued patient, your concerns are of utmost importance to us, and we appreciate you bringing this matter to our attention. First and foremost, I want to assure you that we genuinely understand the significance of timely access to healthcare services. We recognize the impact it can have on patients' well-being and the importance of providing prompt medical attention when needed. The issue with regards to the phone unfortunately are longstanding and we have been going through a process to get these changed and brought up to an acceptable level. I appreciate this as described by yourself is an issue that has caused problems for a while. We have finally been confirmed we have funding to facilitate a completely new telephone system which will be up to the standard we need it to be. This will improve patient access greatly. When the new telephone system is installed, we are also making sure there is more staff available to answer the telephones during the morning rush and making sure the receptionists on the front desk can have the patient's full attention and not be expected to answer calls there. With regards to telephone calls instead of face to face appointments these are convenient for a lot of ailments and patients who cant get into the surgery. To make sure a telephone appointment is appropriate we will ask a lot of questions to enable us to place your request in the correct appointment or direct to another service that can help. I hope this helps to explain the position we are in and the ways we are trying to resolve the issues you have mentioned. Kind Regards Maggie Howes Practice Manager

   Report as unsuitable

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