Including Station Road and Queens Square branches.
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254 responses from the local community
What’s the point
1
Submitted by Anonymous25th August 2022
I have a doctor, I can never see my doctor. Why do I need a doctor if I have to go to walk in centre and A&E? Is it forbidden to see anyone that is trained in medicine or am I just being over hopeful? No wonder Hingham Surgery has been voted best in Norfolk. They can see a doctor if urgent, not Attleborough, they can see a nurse when required, not Attleborough. Think the best solution is to ask for my records and keep them at home for the walk in centre and class that as my doctors surgery from now on
The online system for booking appointments is not fit for purpose on any level.
The form itself is buried within layers on menus when it should be on the home page, this is the primary function most users want to access. That the form may only be accessed and populated within office hours shows a gross misunderstanding of the needs of those that surgery is there to support and shows a fundamental lack of understanding of how to manage a process that requires a timely response.
When clearing these significant hurdles, administrative staff are inconsistent at best and obstructive or rude at their worst although the level of care provided once available is of a higher standard.
The practice should and could be an important cornerstone of the local community but until a time that its management is brought up to the minimum standards expected in the modern world, significant improvement is required by those in control of process and decision making. Very poor service overall
Both myself and my husband's recent experiences of this surgery have been very disappointing. What was once a good service has now become a service that in our personal experience doesn't even care about us, the patients. We have actually given up even contacting the surgery, even though we both have reasons to see a Dr as the chances of being seen, in person, by a real doctor are pretty non existent. My husband was referred to the dr by a hospital consultant, asking for the dr to see him two years ago. The dr has never seen him, just spoken with him on the telephone. There is no follow up from the surgery to check medication (which was prescribed over the phone, with no face to face consultation). The poor receptionists can't make appointments for you to see the dr - this is only done by the dr himself so the chances of ever seeing one are remote in our experience.
A failing practice and with over 4000 new homes to be built in the town, not including the surrounding area, as we see it, the chances of ever having an appointment to see a dr again are non existent.
I wonder how many patients will suffer tragic consequences of no longer being able to access an appointment with their dr. I fear it will be multiple.
I am a teacher so unable to access the website during the day. By the time I get home the website is closed so I’m unable to make an appointment. Cannot get through on the phone and when I do they say I have to make an appointment on line. It’s infuriating. My father who is 77 has had numerous blood tests and phone conversations but has never been invited in to actually see a doctor face to face. I have asked the Practice Manager to call me 3 times and have never had a response. Systems do not work and it is isolating people who are potentially very ill. When you do manage to send an email in your have to wait 3 days for a response, let’s hope and pray someone is not dead by that point.
I have had some reasonable experience with surgery, but also a few very bad, it's not working for people as it should, people are being let down often. I was given appointment when they were not open! I didn't know till I turned up. I have also been turned away saying they are just too busy to deal with me, I have been left very worried and upset on a few occasions, my doctor left and I wasn't informed or offered a choice of another doctor. Attleborough cannot cope now with needs for doctors so with 4000 more homes will be unbearable and I suspect unnecessary deaths and suffering
Can never get an appointment.
A lot of the time you go online to book a request and it says the requests are closed due to staff shortages etc
When it is open it takes over 3 days for them to reply / messages saying it will be reviewed in 3 days time.
One day My daughter had an obvious water infection but I knew they would want a sample in before 12 (as previous) , I did the request an appointment thing online and went in to drop the sample off before I went to work.
They refused to take the sample and said they won’t take it unless requested. I explained that I know they will request one , I’d done the form but dropping the sample in before I go to work or I won’t be able to get it there.
They still refused to take it.
later the dr requested a sample, by then I was at work and unable to leave so my daughter had to suffer with her symptoms an extra day that could or been avoided if they had of taken the sample.
Submitted by Collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff31st July 2022
They're overwhelmed. They need help. They're doing what they see is best but failing in duty of care to patients. People are frightened, they can't contact the surgery you have to beg. The GP should be giving reassurance and be a part of the community. I am sympathetic they are up against it but over the last two years they have desensitised. We are people who are worried and need their support. If we don't see face to face we have lost that contact and we shouldn't be apologising for contacting and feeling like I am being unreasonable.
Submitted by Collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff31st July 2022
The website is not intuitive, the process you have to go through is difficult, it defeats the object of doing things online. My elderly parents struggled to use it and couldn't work out how to make an appointment, you have to click through several things before you get to the right page. The language is also very clinical, it needs to be more inclusive. It's also very difficult to get through on the phones with long queues. When you do eventually manage to get through there's no appointment availability and you never get a call back. For me personally it felt like there was no interest in my issues after I'd had chemo. I had a test done on my sperm count and all I got was a text to tell me that my count was zero. It was insensitively handled. I'd even have been happy with a phone call to tell me.
Submitted by Collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff31st July 2022
I have always had a really good service, I think the staff are amazing - just wonderful. Everyone is polite and helpful. I use the online system and it works for me.
Reply from Attleborough Surgeries
Thank you for leaving such a positive review about our staff and for sharing your good experiences when accessing our services via our on-line arrangements. The on-line system allows us to manage much greater demand and does provide much greater flexibility and speed for our clinicians to be able to respond to patients and then to be able to progress appropriate care management arrangements. It is great to read how well you have found this system.