The Meads Medical Practice - Ratings and reviews
Reviews
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Review titled Big thank you!
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Dayo - Posted on 29 April 2024
I want to thank doctors for their help in authorising prescriptions for an infection that didn’t want to give up! Everything is back to normal. Thank you so much!!
Visited April 2024
The Meads Medical Practice has not yet replied.
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Review titled Trying to get an appointment is almost impossible
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Debbie - Posted on 14 November 2023
3 weeks of calling at 8am, excess of 100 calls each day to finally get through to be told sorry no appointments call back tomorrow. Try calling at 10am also for routine appointments to be told today finally I can book an appointment for 4 weeks time for a phone call with a GP. Been told by 1 receptionist that it looks like the Dr wants me to have a certain treatment to be told by another that's not the case and he just wants a chat about my issues. 1 receptionist tells me she agrees I do need to be seen/spoken too sooner rather than later, another tells me Dr has marked as not urgent and although my appointment is booked I can keep calling every single day to try and get one sooner if I want. I understand surgeries are struggling but at what cost to the patients? Why is it still so hard to get an appointment? I'm asking for a phone call not a half hour face to face appointment! I know I'm not the only patient to the surgery but my god when you feel awful every single day and you just want some answers and help it becomes draining and frustrating. Yes COVID is still around but the surgery is still running to COVID lockdown rules to a degree. Can't book an appointment at the desk, must call and try to get through each day. Not so easy when you work full time as well as have a family. Not everyone sits at home with hours spare each day to do this task. One receptionist, although is lovely to speak too, seems to give out maybe too much information or what she thinks the Dr wants to speak about whilst others just give the "not my problem" attitude "call back tomorrow we have no availability today". I get your all busy but surely enough negative reviews must show you things are not working out and patients are not happy. Whether the GP says my need is not urgent or not, respectfully hes/she's not the one living each day with double vision and crippling headaches. 4 weeks for a telephone call is not a reasonable time frame to wait. Please review your appointment system.
Visited November 2023
The Meads Medical Practice has not yet replied.
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Review titled Excellent practice
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Charlene GODBOLD - Posted on 20 September 2023
I have nothing but praise for this practice. It comes with the best GP's, nurses and teams. I have to contact the surgery regularly about care for another family member and I can always get an appointment or access to medication. Admittedly the phone system can be timely but with the patient/doctor ratio in Swale, it's expected. They seem very up to date on referrals and admin which leads to better care and getting access to further treatment.
Visited May 2023
The Meads Medical Practice has not yet replied.
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Review titled Impossible to get appointment
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 13 March 2023
If you're think about joining this surgery - dont. You can never get an appointment. If you call at 8am for an urgent appointment you go into a automated queue, which doesn't get answered until about 8:20 when you're told all appointments that day have gone. Try tomorrow or go to a&e. The whole point of doctors surgeries is to alleviate pressure on a&e not use them as a default. Routine appointments are released on a Monday at 10am. If you miss the 10am slot cos you know, you're sick, then tough luck. You can have to wait a whole week to call again at 10am. Who came up with this half-assed system? God knows how you are expected to cope if you have sick baby or looking after the elderly. You'll get no help here!
Visited March 2023
Review titled The Meads Medical Practice
Replied on 21 March 2023
Dear Patient. Thanks for taking the time to review our practice. We are sorry to hear that we have not met your expectations with regard to booking an appointment with us. The provision of appointments is a constant concern for the practice, juggling the need for “on the day” appointments whilst addressing the demand for patients who also need to book “in advance” for ongoing health concerns. We allocate a number of same day appointments every day, dependent on the clinical staff we have available, and these are released at 8.00am Monday to Friday. We are aware that we are very busy during this time and have three staff members answering the telephones permanently. The system holds 10 patients in a queue at any one time so the appointments are filled very quickly. If the line is engaged, it is because we are speaking to other patients on the phone but we ask that patients please keep redialling until they are connected. Once the allocation of same day appointments has been filled, we begin to give patients details of how they can access alternative services which have been commissioned locally. These services are in place to complement GP services, which do unfortunately have a finite capacity dictated by the number of staff available. We do advise that if the matter is a medical emergency you dial 999. Recruitment is an ongoing challenge nationally although we do currently have an advertisement in circulation for a new GP. Our appointment system is in no way perfect and we are acutely aware that patients are frustrated with us. The demand post-Covid has soared and we are very anxious to reach patients who really need us. The number of appointments we can offer is finite, and subject to the clinical resources we have available to us. Our team is supported by regular locums, and we are continually advertising for additional GPs but without success so far. I hope that does explain some of the rationale behind why we work as we do, and the pressures we face, along with practices nationally. We are so sorry that the system of appointment allocation has proved challenging for you. We are constantly reviewing how we operate, and work with our patient participation group to review our systems. We also welcome suggestions from any of our patients if they feel they can offer a solution. We hope that that we have been able to explain to you our booking process and apologise once again for the difficulty you have experienced.
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Review titled Rude receptionist
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Annette Russell - Posted on 07 March 2023
There was a mix up with repeat meds so went in to explain only to be looked at with disgust because I had a small puppy in my arms. I was on my own so no other choice but to carry him. She wouldn’t even listen to my explanation of only having 2 tabs left just said I can’t deal with you as you have a dog
Visited March 2023
Review titled The Meads Medical Practice
Replied on 21 March 2023
Dear patient. We were very sorry to hear of your recent experience when you called in to see us to resolve your medication issue. Unfortunately we are unable to welcome pets (other than guide or therapy pets) in the surgery due to the possible susceptibility of other patients, or staff, who may be acutely unwell, allergic or immunosuppressed. It is a source of great regret that this was not explained to you with more empathy and we have discussed this with our reception team. We are always contactable by telephone or email, or via our website if you do need to talk to us and are unable to come in without your puppy.
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Review titled Appointments Impossible
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 26 August 2022
I had an opticians appointment and it was discovered I had an urgent eye problem. A urgent referral was taken straight to the surgery - it said I should be seen at a clinic withing 7 days. A week later I called to see what was happening - nothing. It took them about 10 minutes to find the letter. The optician called me back in twice more and I asked her to let me have the name of a private consultant. It has cost me about 300 pounds so far. I received a clinic appointment after about 6 weeks. I also have a problem with my blood pressure which is consistantly high and I thought might be causing a persistent cough. I eventually had a telephone appointment after waiting 2 weeks. I have altered my medication slightly but to no effect and no reduction in cough. I keep phoning to try to get an appointment but after about 45 minutes trying obviously all the appointments have gone. I have had the cough for a long time but it has got worse this year and I obviously need to find out what is causing it. (I had it before I had Covid) I know the NHS is on it's knees but the covid cases are low and mostly not serious. This surgery always seems very quiet and mostly has blood testing or childrens clinics so I don't really understand what the doctors do. It used to be a really good practice and I would have recommended it to anyone new to the area but sadly not any more.
Visited August 2022
The Meads Medical Practice has not yet replied.
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Review titled Personal and professional service
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Joan - Posted on 30 August 2022
The Advanced Nurse Practitioner that I had a telephone consultation with today demonstrated personal and professional care when dealing with my concerns and questions. She has provided me with NICE evidence to help me decide on my treatment plan. Thank you! My anxiety is somewhat allayed.
Visited August 2022
The Meads Medical Practice has not yet replied.