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The Ridge Medical Pract. - Ratings and reviews

Reviews

Displaying 1 to 10 of 13

  1. Review titled A disgrace

    Rated 1 star out of 5

    by Anonymous - Posted on 20 October 2023

    Impossible to make an appointment, very unprofessional staff. The security guard very rude and aggressive. An absolute disgrace of a doctor surgery. Can’t get through the phone lines or book an online appointment trying for weeks . Finally go down and met with incompetent staff.

    Visited October 2023

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    Review titled The Ridge Medical Pract.

    Replied on 21 October 2023

    Hi I am really sorry that you have struggled to get through to us on the phone this week or be able to get an appointment. We do have lots of appointments available every day but sadly the demand for them is still far outstripping the capacity that we have. We get a fixed amount of funding from the government to deliver GP services and that only buys so much capacity and we spend as much as we can on front line staff. Everything is a balance - if we employ more staff to answer phones (which makes it quicker to get through) we have less to spend on Doctors so have less appointments available when you get through. We do our best to balance all these things as best we can and to assess people as best we can to make sure we see those most in need. There are on line consultations available (through Patches via our website) and we try to make some available to book online but its the same issue - not enough capacity to come close to meeting demand. I am sorry that you found our staff unhelpful when you did come in - that should not happen. I'm not quite sure who you saw as we don't have a security guard (only caretakers who wouldn't normally interact with patients) - we are working hard to make sure that patients are looked after well by our staff - but often people blame the receptionists for us not having enough appointments - they can only work with the capacity that we have and once its all used up there is little they can do - though they do try their best. Once again - we're sorry that you found it so hard to get seen - but we are seeing many many people every week! Regards Nick Nurden Business Manager

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  2. Review titled Dreadful unintelligible phone message.

    Rated 5 stars out of 5

    by Gerald Anderson - Posted on 04 November 2023

    Received a message from The Ridge which was left on my answering machine. The message was totally incomprehensible. The caller made no attempt to speak clearly. Consequently you had to write to me.

    Visited October 2023

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    Review titled The Ridge Medical Pract.

    Replied on 06 November 2023

    Hi Gerald Thanks you for taking the time to feedback to us and I'm sorry that you felt let down by the answerphone message that we left. We have been able to look into your record and see who will have called you and have raised with them the importance of speaking as clearly as possible. However, in general I would say that we do not leave specific answerphone messages as we cannot be sure that this would be confidential to you so we would tend to only leave a very generic message such as “This is a call from The Ridge Medical Practice, sorry we haven’t been able to speak to you today, nothing to be concerned about and we will try you again later.” to ensure that we firstly do not break confidentiality and secondly to not worry a patient when the issue is non urgent and they may not be able to speak to us for a while. Please, in future, if you have feedback about our service that will help us improve please do speak to one of our managers when you are in the practice and we will always take this on board and try to do better - and it can really help to hear this first hand from you - rather than trying to really understand what has happened from a web post. Again - apologies that you feel let down by us this time and I hope we can do better next time. Regards Nick Nurden Business Manager

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  3. Review titled Appalling telephone system

    Rated 1 star out of 5

    by Anonymous - Posted on 19 September 2023

    On hold today for 36 minutes from 4:25pm listening to a countdown of my position in the queue from number 22 to number 1 - then absolutely nothing - the line went totally dead….!! Appalling in this day and age to treat medical callers in this manner!!

    Visited September 2023

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    Review titled The Ridge Medical Pract.

    Replied on 20 September 2023

    Hi I am really sorry that you had an issue getting through on the phone. This issue with the phone system does happen just occasionally and we have had it extensively investigated by our system supplier and no fault in the system can be found - it is a relatively new digital system and by far and away the majority of people get through fine, but we do appreciate just how frustrating this can be when you have hung on for so long. Please be assured we are not happy about this and continue to try and find the fault (the latest theory we are working on is that it is related to length of time that you are hold from some mobiles that seem to cut off but that is yet to be confirmed). It may not have helped but there are also other ways to contact the practice - if it is repeat medications required these can be requested on line via SystmOne online or via the NHS app, you can request and e-consultation via Patches (link on our website) which may save you calling. The other issue is that we continue to be significantly overwhelmed with demand. GP practices are paid a fixed amount (set by government) per patient per year to provide your care and that only buys so much clinical time, and we try to spend as much of that on providing clinical care which limits how much we spend on reception time to answer the phones which does at times mean a long wait on the phone - if we reduced this by having more reception staff then the number of available appointments would be reduced! Again - our apologies for the issues that you had trying get through yesterday - we get your frustration - and hope you have more success next time. Kind Regards Nick Nurden Business Manager

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  4. Review titled Administration issue

    Rated 4 stars out of 5

    by Anonymous - Posted on 22 June 2023

    You get good service from doctors and nurses when you to get an appointment. My issue is that the online records are not complete. On two occasions I have had blood tests the results are not recorded on systonline. I was told by the receptionist that since merger with another surgery there has been a glitch. I originally complained about four months ago about this and it seems their information tech staff are not able to sort this glitch. My records were fine before this merger. It seems the problem is regarding blood test results not being recorded whilst other data is recorded. When is this going to be fixed? I like to see results of tests so that I do not have to ring in and wait an hour on the phone. Thank you

    Visited June 2023

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    Review titled The Ridge Medical Pract.

    Replied on 23 June 2023

    Hi We are sorry that you having this issue at the current time we understand the frustration it is causing. Unfortunately the cause and the solution to this is totally out of our control and we have been struggling to get this sorted for the last 6 weeks! The issue has been caused following the merge of the former Horton Bank Top practice with the Ridge on the 1st April this year. At the end of April the 2 separate patient databases were merged into a single patient database (the Ridge one) which meant that the practice code for the Horton Bank practice ceased to exist. It was soon identified that this meant that Horton bank patients who accessed their record via the NHS App could no longer get access (as they were linked to the old practice code which no longer existed). The NHS App is a national system run by NHS digital over which individual GP practices have no say and no influence - nor is it a system that we run in any way! We have been chasing them ever since to try and get this issue resolved. We have just this week managed to get them to resolve the issue which now means those patients are now able to access their record again via the NHS APP. However this will mean them deleting the App from their device and reinstalling again from scratch - not ideal but there is nothing we can do to influence a different approach! We have prepared some step-by-step instructions on how to do this and have posted these on our website and today will be sending a text message to all those patients affected with a link to those instructions. Once re-established we will then need to make a manual change on the system that will allow patients to view the historical parts of the record that you wish to see. If you access your records on line via the S1Online system (App or web link to the patient record system supplier) then your access should have been unaffected by the merge process, it is only those that use the NHS App that have been affected. We are really sorry for the inconvenience that you have had - we hope you can be sorted very soon, this has been out of our hands and we have been trying to get it fixed as quickly as possible. Regards Nick Nurden Business Manager

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  5. Review titled Horrible service

    Rated 1 star out of 5

    by Parveen Akhtar - Posted on 08 May 2023

    I have a repeat prescription which I am still waiting for over a month after requesting. Initially I wanted an appointment because blood pressure readings are required for my medication and i do not have the equipment. I was told i could not get an appointment on repeated occasions and eventually did it online after getting hold of the equipment via a pharmacy. Medication did not arrive after two weeks and I phoned up do ask about the delay and was told it would be with you in 48 hours. It has still not arrived after a further 2 weeks and repeated calls telling me it should be with me in the next 48 hours. Disgusting service.

    Visited April 2023

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    Review titled The Ridge Medical Pract.

    Replied on 09 May 2023

    Hi We are really sorry that you have had so much difficulty in getting your repeat prescription sorted out. Clearly on a public forum we are unable to comment on individual situations and cannot respond specifically without you getting in touch with us. In these situations we do want to understand why there have been issues and to learn from them so would encourage you to get in touch directly with our care navigation team who will look into this, or you could raise it formally via our complaints process which really helps us to learn and improve our service. However - some generic comments re prescriptions - whilst I accept you wanted a blood test as well, in line with NHS guidance we are discouraged from taking repeat prescription requests over the phone as this tends to lead to errors in the issue of medication. Patients have a number of ways of requesting repeats which are far more reliable - you can send in or pop your right hand side of your previous prescription in to the surgery, you can request this on line (either via the NHS App or using SystmOne online), or you can submit a request for an e-consult via our website - all of which saves the need to ring in at all. With issues like this it would be helpful for us to learn where the issue has occurred - it may have been missed in our system or delayed for some other reason. Sometimes they can get lost between us and the pharmacy (a technical glitch in the NHS spine system) or it could be a pharmacy error or an issue with supply at the pharmacy - so while it may be our mistake it may also be something that is beyond our control. Again, I apologize for the hassle you have had - please get in touch and we will do our best to sort this out quickly for you. In future please do not wait so long before contacting us or your pharmacy to see where the prescription has got to - it should normally be sorted with 48 hours (2 working days) so please get back in touch if it isn't. Kind Regards Nick Nurden Business Manager

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  6. Review titled online system

    Rated 1 star out of 5

    by Anonymous - Posted on 09 March 2023

    I applied to have access to your online system and duly filled in the online form, I did get a link to join however trying to use that link proved impossible. what is the address to get onto the online system, why does it have to be so evasive ?

    Visited March 2023

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    Review titled The Ridge Medical Pract.

    Replied on 10 March 2023

    Hi We're sorry you have had difficulty get sorted for on-line. We will try to help but not quite sure which system you are trying to connect to - we have a few options! Please do contact the practice and we will help you to get this sorted out. Many of the online systems that we use are run and managed by others (our patient software supplier or NHS digital) so we don't set the registration process up. If you are trying to set up SystmOnline, the direct address for which is this - https://systmonline.tpp-uk.com/ or can be accessed via our website Home - The Ridge Medical Practice Bradford, West Yorkshire and then search “order a prescription”. We have just tested both routes and they are working now. Or it could be the new PATCHs service which is already available for patients to register for but we haven’t made live to accept e-consults yet, 3rd April is the planned date for that, and the patient should see a message from PATCHs to tell them that. This is new software we using from April to do e-consultations replacing the current software we have been using. We recommend the other option of the NHS App, for smartphone users, which is the best all round option to see records, submit e-consultations, order prescriptions and see your Covid Vaccine history as well as lots of other useful features around NHS Advice to patients. There is a link and information about that on our website homepage too. Failing all else, if you are able to visit any of our 3 sites then one of our Care Navigation team will gladly help and how them how to proceed and can of course contact any of our 3rd party colleagues if a technical issue is indeed highlighted. Kind Regards Nick Nurden Business Manager

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  7. Review titled 2 hours and still can't get through

    Rated 1 star out of 5

    by Shamila khan - Posted on 01 August 2022

    Ive been with this practise for years.. At 1st one of the best practises in bradford but now they are rubbish.. You can never get through to anyone on the phone.. They are always engaged or busy etc... And it's so convenient that you are blaming the mobile phones/service provider for a problem that is only linked to you having too many patients that you can't cater for... 1 week of calling and not managed to get through.. Disgusting service

    Visited August 2022

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    Review titled The Ridge Medical Pract.

    Replied on 02 August 2022

    Hi Thank you for sending us feedback and we're sorry that you find it so hard to get through on the phones to us. The challenge is that demand for our care is increasing significantly all the time but our funding is not increasing and we only therefore have the same number of staff to try and do more. This means it is getting harder to reach us and harder to get an appointment. We do have a genuine issue with the phone system that seems to to very occasionally cut off callers from mobiles when they have been on the line a while - we have tried to find the cause but have been unable to so far - but we do still speak to many hundreds of callers every day to deliver care. We do have a lot of patients but we have no control over this as we are not allowed under our NHS contract to refuse to register anyone who wishes to join us - we have to sign up anyone who wishes to join. We understand and share your frustration in trying to get through to us - and are trying to do all we can to make things better and have a system to ensure that those who most need our care can get it when they need - without so much hassle. We hope to make things better - again sorry that you find this so hard. Kind Regards Nick Nurden Business Manager

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  8. Review titled Unsafe practice

    Rated 1 star out of 5

    by Anonymous - Posted on 14 February 2023

    Over a series of visits for both myself and my son I experienced incorrect equipment and procedure being used during treatments. After observing similar incidents over multiple visits I escalated this to the practice explaining I am a senior nurse and work as a lecturer at university teaching nursing and pharmacist students clinical skills. The response I received was patronising and dismissive denying any wrongdoing and basically telling me I was incorrect because those in question said so, and almost word for word asking I know so much why didn't I confront them. A shocking response but after being with this surgery all my life, and knowing the doctor who wrote the response, I am unfortunately unsurprised. He told me to go to the CQC. I had written this letter to try and improve their practice thinking feedback would be welcomed, apparently not.

    Visited July 2022

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    Review titled The Ridge Medical Pract.

    Replied on 20 February 2023

    Hi Thank you for your feedback and we are sorry that you have felt that your care has been unsafe in recent visits and that you felt our response to your written complaint was dismissive. I have now had the opportunity to review both your original complaint letter and our response to it and to talk to some of the people involved, which is why it has taken me a while to respond to your posting here. Firstly I would stress that we do complaints seriously, investigate them very thoroughly and are always using them to look for ways to improve the care that we give - and giving safe care is paramount to us at all times. The matter that you raised with us regarded the needle that was used in a vaccination appointment. This has been thoroughly looked into - we clarified the correct procedure that should be used and this was reviewed with all of our vaccinators (not just the one that was involved with this appointment). We were satisfied that our defined process is the correct one and that all of our vaccinating team are fully aware of this and follow it. If on this occasion the wrong needle was used then it was an isolated error, as the matter was only raised with us 9 months after the incident occurred the clinician, who does a lot of vaccinations, quite naturally cannot recall the specific appointment. We are however satisfied that all our nurses are aware of the correct procedure and that this is routinely followed. We did not deny wrongdoing in our response we simply said we couldn't be certain what happened on the day (due to the time lapsed) and offered a credible scenario that may have happened. As a result and to be sure it does not happen in future we have done refresher training with all the team just in case - that is taking the complaint very seriously and taking steps to make sure it doesn't happen again. We did not tell you to go the CQC, in fact the CQC were not mentioned in the complaint response letter at all. However, at the end of the letter to you, there is a standard paragraph wording which sets out the options open to you should you be unhappy with our response to your complaint - these include NHS England (who commission GP services from us) and the health ombudsman. This is a standard wording which we are obliged to include in complaint responses by NHS England in that exact format. We apologize again that you have felt we did not take your feedback seriously or investigate it thoroughly - I know that we do indeed do this with all complaints and am satisfied that this happened in this case also. I hope that you are now reassured that we did this and that now, as then, we deliver safe care at all times and continually strive to maintain this and still do better. Kind Regards Nick Nurden Business Manager

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  9. Review titled Great Practice

    Rated 2 stars out of 5

    by Chloe Gorman - Posted on 16 June 2022

    Great practice and great nurses and doctors but can't ever get through on the phone line for Appointments or results tests back. Phone line Is always busy and always cuts you off. Really need to improve the phone line service

    Visited June 2022

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    Review titled The Ridge Medical Pract.

    Replied on 17 June 2022

    Hi We are trying to manage phone calls as best that we can. This cutting off issue has been reported and thoroughly investigated by our phone system maintainer and we are assured there are no faults with it - we think it is linked to some phone suppliers which cut off after a certain period - we continue to try and identify an issue that can be resolved to solve the problem. It does take a time to get through and have your call answered. We have as many people on the phone as we can answering but can only have so many - for every extra person we have answering the phone it directly translates into less clinical capacity and people who can provide care - we can only spend the money we get from the NHS to run the practice once. We are sorry that you have so much trouble getting through, we are aware and empathise with you and are trying to do all that we can to improve things but there is simply not enough capacity to do everything that we would like to do. Kind Regards Nick Nurden Business Manager

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  10. Review titled Trying to get an appointment makes me so anxious

    Rated 1 star out of 5

    by Anonymous - Posted on 05 June 2022

    I get terribly anxious whenever I know that I need to try and make an appointment for myself or one of my children. I begin work at 7.30, supervising children before my full day of teaching starts. I simply can’t ring at 8.15, to hear the endless engaged tone before finally getting through and being caller number 30. The whole process can take nearly two hours that I don’t have. The online consultation is only available for a few minutes - I often can’t access it before it is closed. The service is simply unusable for most working people. I can not stress enough how much difference it would make if the online consultation was available all day. I have read responses here, and know that you say this isn’t possible, but other surgeries do manage it. Please, please could you review this and try to keep it open for longer?

    Visited April 2022

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    Review titled The Ridge Medical Pract.

    Replied on 06 June 2022

    Hi We do understand this issue and the upset that it causes you - and other patients. We are looking very hard at our whole access system and how we can make sure sure that that most need our care are able to get it when they need it - with a lot less stress and hassle in the process! We simply can't leave on line consultations open longer than the current cap that we have in place. Dealing with an on line consultation is generally a similar amount of work for the Doctor (on average) as a face to face consultation - by the time they have accessed your record, considered the issues, very often need to contact the patient, made a decision and written it up. We are currently doing 50 on line consultations a day - a GP typically will have 15 appointments in a morning or afternoon session - so we have 3 GP sessions a day managing on line consultations, if we increased the number of online consults then we have to take another GP session away from face to face to work - where we are also struggling significantly. We simply do not have the staff (or the funding from the NHS to employ more staff) to be able to meet the needs of all our patients - we are constantly trying to do more with what we have and juggle it to suit everyone's needs but it is just not possible to close that gap. Recent data published showed that while the number of GPs working in the NHS since 2019 has declined GP practices are seeing 10% more patients now than we were at that time. Sorry we can't do more - we hope you understand that we are trying to help where we can. Kind Regards Nick Nurden Business Manager

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