I've called the surgery twice in the morning last week, then yesterday too. I gave up trying to get through the first couple of times as I was 34th and 28th in the queue and got fed up with waiting. I came into the surgery in person and explained my situation, the receptionist then offered me an appointment for today. The staff that work here do look after their patients really well, it's just unfortunate that accessing the appointments is so difficult. I have to use the bus service to get to the surgery. The only issue is that if I have to get a bus before 9.30am I have to pay to travel as my bus pass can only be used after 9.30am.
I am a carer for my mum. I have a number of criticisms about the surgery. Access to appointments in an emergency is incredibly poor and there is little flexibility around appointment times, my mum is elderly, frail and has poor mobility so when I am lucky enough to get through to the surgery ( after being on hold for ages) and then offered an appointment within the hour or nothing else that day it can be stressful to get my mum ready and and brought to the surgery. We rely on taxis to get to the surgery as the bus service is no longer suitable. My mum has COPD and is well overdue her annual check, the surgery cancelled this last year and I can't get her appointment with the COPD nurse as there are no appointments available. My mum is still waiting for her flu vaccination. The continuity of care since the merger is not as good, you see so many different people and there are times with new staff you don't always have the confidence to share all your problems.
When I need to be seen on the same day, I go to the surgery and queue outside about 7.45 in the morning, this is because I've found trying to get through on the phones is impossible first thing in the morning. I use the online booking system to make pre bookable appointments, but there is a long wait for these and it's difficult trying to see the same doctor for an ongoing medical condition. This can be annoying as I end up repeating my medical history over and over. The nurses are very good at caring for their patients. Since the surgeries merged, I think patients are really aware of the pressure on the surgery and the high demand for appointments. There is also an impact on people like me who don't drive, I can walk to this surgery but the bus service to the others from where I live isn't so good and if I have to get to the surgery early, my free bus pass isn't free to use before 9.30am so I have to pay extra money.
I tried to get through to the surgery Friday last week and Monday morning this week, and gave up as I was kept on hold for so long. Today I came to the surgery at 7.30am to queue outside so that I could get an appointment and lots of other patients had done the same. It's really not ideal when you are unwell but you feel there is no option as you are desperate to be seen.
It is so frustrating trying to contact the surgery, the phones are constantly busy and you are held in a queue waiting to speak to someone, I tried to call last week and was on hold for nearly 40 mins, this is not ideal when this is from a mobile where I have a call allowance package! The care that the doctors and nurses offer is really good, sometimes I have felt a bit "rushed" out of the room. I order my prescriptions using the POD system, again I have found that this can be time consuming on the phone. The car park at the surgery is too small and not fit to accommodate the level use from patients.
When you visit the surgery the receptionists are friendly and welcoming. As an older person I enjoy the face to face contact with people so go to the surgery in person to make appointments. The surgery has got a lot more patients now than it used to have which means you do have to wait longer for appointments. In an emergency they are generally ok at giving you an appointment or advising you what to do or where else to go. My only issue is the limited parking at and around the surgery. I have mobility issues so I drive to the surgery but find it increasingly difficult to get parked nearby.
I'm aware that there has been a merger with surgery and a couple of other ones. However, in my opinion this has had a detrimental affect on the quality of care at the surgery. The communication about the merger to patients was poor. Recently I booked an appointment to see a GP at my surgery ( the one where I have always been seen), when I arrived for the appointment I was told by the receptionist I should be at one of the other surgeries, nobody told me this when I booked and so I consequently missed my appointment. More recently, I find it's easier to come to the surgery to make appointments as the phone lines are so busy, but if you need an emergency appointment it means getting up and getting to the surgery early. I am a diabetic and heard that I should be having annual checks on my eyes and feet, but to my knowledge this has not happened. The care from the GP's and nurses is good, but you have to see so many different doctors that you end up explaining the same thing time and time again.
I've given up trying to get through to the surgery in the mornings if I need to be seen as the phone lines are so busy. I go to the surgery in person before 8am and wait outside, there is quite often a queue of about fifteen people waiting outside at this time. When you are ill this is not ideal but if you need an appointment you do what it takes to get one. The staff are all friendly at the surgery and the nurses are fantastic, particularly Frank. The car parking situation is a nightmare.
It is so difficult to get an emergency appointment at the surgery. If you call first thing you end up waiting in a queue for about half an hour and then on occasions by the time I get through there are no appointments left. On occasions in this instance I'm then offered a callback from the person on duty, once when this was offered I didn't get a call and so later that day ( after 4pm) I rang the surgery to chase up the call and was told it would now take place the day after. On another occasion when I was offered a callback I had a rash that I was concerned about ( and had explained this to the receptionist), when the doctor called back he said I needed to be seen in surgery and would have to call the following morning for appointment. I find that the best option if I need an appointment the same day is to go to the surgery before 8am and queue outside ( which isn't ideal if you are unwell). This I've noticed happening more and more and there is quite often a queue at the door by 7.30am. The care generally is ok, although I'm overdue my diabetic check as my last appointment was cancelled by the surgery.
I called this morning and after waiting about 25 minutes in the queue I was offered an appointment for my daughter with the Nurse Practitioner. My daughter has been unwell for a couple of days and I've tried to treat her at home and with advice from the pharmacist, but she is not improving, so I have bought her in to be seen. As a family we try to avoid using the surgery any more than necessary as we are aware how busy they are and generally most ailments will clear up at home after a couple of days. I was shocked to see the notice on the wall about the amount of missed appointments!