East Harling Surgery

Feedback

• efficient and helpful

  4

  Submitted by Anonymous 22nd November 2023

  Rang for an appointment to see somebody re sudden deafness. 2 week appointment with nurse and seen on time. Efficient and helpful - told what to do to alleviate the wax. This did not work and was referred by the surgery for ear cleaning at Broadland. Quick appointment. Again excellent service there too. What could be improved? Quicker original appointment, as worried by total deafness suddenly. I had a choice of where to go - Wymondham or Broadland. I took the first appointment available which was furthest away - would have been easier if closer.

  
  
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• Fantastic staff, but no GP appointments

  2

  Submitted by Anonymous 20th November 2023

  Appointments cannot be requested online, you have to wait in a phone queue for 20 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes to be told they have nothing available for 4 weeks and no way of booking further ahead. You are directed to the Norwich walk-in centre 26 miles away. The walk-in centre cannot help with ongoing issues, so you have to wait or pay to see a private GP. I need a medication review so my repeat prescription has been cancelled until I see a GP. It is an ongoing nightmare to arrange an emergency prescription. I pity the poor reception staff who try so hard to help but have nothing to offer.

  
  
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• insufficient workforce

  1

  Submitted by Anonymous 16th November 2023

  My husband and I have been needing the services of the surgery since my husband's diagnosis with prostate cancer in May 2023. There have been countless bodges with medical staff not available for blood tests and injections. Office staff have always been very helpful but it is obvious that they are working under constraints of an insufficient workforce. What could be improved? Improve relationships between staff and partners so staff stay longer. Improve staffing levels - especially doctors, paramedics, pharmacists and nurses. Ensure staffing levels are maintained when staff are on leave, are sick and at change-over times when staff are leaving and starting. This just requires a bit of forward planning. Bring in locum doctors and nurses when surgery is short staffed. Improve waiting times for appointments - this would be achieved if the previous 4 points were addressed. Improve waiting times on phone.

  
  
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• Problem getting through

  4

  Submitted by Anonymous 15th November 2023

  Last time I visited the surgery it was for an annual review. My blood was taken etc, the usual procedure and the was no problem. The only time I needed to consult the surgery was an attack of shingles. Luckily I had had the vaccine. It was a problem getting through for an appointment and medication. In the end I went to our local pharmacy and they kindly managed to sort it out for me with the doctor. My daughter in law is a nurse so she confirmed shingles and also the pharmacy. Time is important with this.

  
  
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• concerns about the practice

  1

  Submitted by collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff 13th November 2023

  Who is now on the staff? Prescriptions take too long, it is not a reliable service - sometimes there is no GP to sign. They use wrong phone numbers despite frequent reminders to staff. They send emails and we don't always pick those up. They give out poor information like - yes your prescription is with the chemist when it is not. Training is taking place on the front desk while people are waiting. Sometimes a recorded message will say there is no appointment - ring again tomorrow (before you can even speak to anyone). Using the Walk In centre is not ideal if you have no transport.

  
  
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• very good

  4

  Submitted by collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff 13th November 2023

  I saw Steve - he really enjoys being here and seeing people like me. He was very good

  
  
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• They are very good to me

  5

  Submitted by collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff 13th November 2023

  I have been in an out of hospital for the past three months. They are very good to me. Between the hospital and the surgery I get looked after very well. I just came down today to drop something off. If I can't get down they come to me. I had a covid and flu vaccine and they came to me for that. If they want me they phone me.

  
  
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• Really Congested

  3

  Submitted by collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff 13th November 2023

  It is really congested - I recently tried to get an appointment. I tried to call but after 40 minutes waiting I came up here to try and make an appointment. I was second in the queue and had to wait 15-20 minutes. I know you have to give a description but it takes a long time. The staff - everyone here - are wonderful, but I put off appointments because of the congestion to get in. It puts me off if not urgent and then it becomes urgent. It is a lovely surgery but it needs more funding.

  
  
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• Something has to be done

  2

  Submitted by Collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff 13th November 2023

  Gradually the surgery has gone down hill. This started before covid. We had one of the best surgeries in the area for miles and we felt so lucky, it was brilliant. But the doctors don't stay, we've had some really good ones but they all leave. We've lost at least 8-10 staff, doctors, nurses, practice nurses, all good people. Simon the practice manager is brilliant, we really felt he was on board with the patients. Instead of seeing doctors we just have nursing staff, they're lovely but its not the same as seeing a GP. I had an appointment to see a doctor but on the day it was a nurse practitioner and I ended up with the wrong diagnosis. I ended up being rushed back in a week later. Sometimes you need a doctor and you just can't see one. I'm not blaming the team, they're just doing what they're told. When we had two public meetings none of the partners attended, which we felt was really bad. We feel we'll end up losing our surgery, something has to be done. The low rating isn't blaming the people who work at the surgery but how it's being run.

  
  
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• most impressed today

  5

  Submitted by collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff 13th November 2023

  Today we had a few appointments one was on time and one was ahead of time. The new male receptionist is considerate, kind and I am most impressed today.

• Reply from East Harling Surgery

  Thank you for taking the time to provide this feedback. We are delighted to hear that you are pleased with the service you received from our staff.