East Harling Surgery

Feedback

• 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.

  
  
  Leave a provider response

• 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.

• I spent hours on the phone trying to contact

  2

  Submitted by collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff 13th November 2023

  I have been very ill this year. The worst part has been contacting this surgery. I have spent hours of my life trying to get an appointment. When I am here the doctors and nurses are all lovely. I am surprised there are not more Do Not Attends as you can't get through to cancel. I spent an hour trying to check my appointment time. You never see your own doctor. making an appointment 0 Stars car park 0 stars nurses/doctors 5 stars.

• Reply from East Harling Surgery

  Thank you for taking the time to provide this feedback. We continue to work hard to minimise telephone call waiting times. However, the very high volume of calls received at peak times does mean that some level of call waiting is inevitable at times. In respect of patients cancelling appointments, there are several ways in which an appointment can be cancelled, in addition to telephoning the Practice. These include using the link on the text message sent with the appointment booking/reminder, or utilising the Practice's website.

• Can't get a Doctors appointment

  2

  Submitted by collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff 13th November 2023

  They got my prescription right first time today - they were good today, staff were polite and helpful. The staff and pharmacy are 5 star as a whole. But you can't get a doctors appointment. Every day you ring up but they have urgent only so you self medicate and I am worrying and just hoping the symptoms pass. I spent £1500 on private medical care to get things done. I am fortunate I can do this. It is worrying. They also need a bigger car park.

• Reply from East Harling Surgery

  Thank you for your feedback. We are very pleased to hear of you positive experience in respect of our Dispensary Team. In respect of the car park, whilst we offer car parking at both Practice sites, car parking provisions are over an above the mandatory facilities that he Practice is obliged to provide.

• My worry is people are leaving things

  2

  Submitted by collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff 13th November 2023

  Superb service from phlebotomist Pauline. I have no complaints there but she is retiring. You used to be able to do repeat prescriptions through patient access and that is not working now. I have to walk to the surgery and hand in a slip with a note. It is five days from handing a prescription in to collecting medicine. You can't get an appointment to see a doctor easily. My worry is people are leaving things and things are not being picked up that should. I come from a generation of people who put up with things more than we should, for example I have terrible shoulder pain but have not tried to contact as will keep putting it off. Also I have a routine blood test but they never say if it is ok. A little communication would be great.

• Reply from East Harling Surgery

  Thank you for providing this feedback. Please do speak to our Dispensary team in respect of your repeat prescriptions, as there are multiple options available to patients in this respect. In addition to GPs, we have a number of other healthcare professionals who work at the Practice, including physiotherapists.

• A lot of staff have left

  1

  Submitted by collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff 13th November 2023

  Pauline is the gem of this surgery and she is retiring. A lot of staff have left. The practice manager is even leaving. They are taking on new patients but not providing a service. Some days there are no doctors at either surgery. I have not seen the partners for a long time.

• Reply from East Harling Surgery

  Thank you for this feedback. We continue to work tirelessly to provide the best possible level of care to each of our patients, including he provision of a Duty Doctor based at one of our Practice sites each weekday (excluding Bank Holidays).

• There is never a doctor available

  1

  Submitted by collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff 13th November 2023

  When I want to see a doctor - every time - there is never one available/ I don't talk well as I have had a stroke. Communication is terrible there it is just all terrible really. You just don't see people. I am very disappointed, but not that disappointed that I want to leave the village.

• Reply from East Harling Surgery

  Thank you for taking the time to provide this feedback. Please do contact the Practice to discuss the most appropriate communication channel for you.

• There are no doctors about

  1

  Submitted by collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff 13th November 2023

  Today I came in for an appointment for myself but there are no doctors about which is disgusting really. Communication is not good at all. One tells you one thing, one says another. They put words in your mouth. And if doctors were happy they would stay.

• Reply from East Harling Surgery

  Thank you for your feedback. We continue to look at new channels to communicate based on each patient's preference. News about the Practice is circulated via a monthly Practice Newsletter, via our website and Facebook page, and also in discussions with our Patient Participation Group (PPG), which meets every 4-6 weeks.

• Terrible service.

  1

  Submitted by Anonymous 12th November 2023

  I rarely have cause to go to the doctors but recently I now fear the thought of being ill in east harling. It took 3 weeks for an appointment with a very painful swollen foot, I was told I had Gout and just given some info, when I read it I knew I couldn't have it so I waited ages for blood test results and eventually insisted on an appointment, it's far too long to write but basically I had to book an x-ray which turned into a nightmare of mistakes on there behalf, it took me and my husband going to the surgery an having an argument with management. Eventually I did get an x-ray and found I had a cracked bone that had healed itself due to the 6 weeks of making my first call to this terrible surgery, this is just a small part of my experience, this surgery needs looking into , no wonder staff constantly leave as they don't want to be connected to a surgery with such bad feedback.

• Reply from East Harling Surgery

  Thank you for taking the time to provide this feedback. We read each piece of patient feedback carefully as part of our striving to consistently improve the care we provide to each of our patients.

• Told to stop medication

  1

  Submitted by Collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff 8th November 2023

  You can't get appointments. I had test results and I was told over the phone to stop taking my thyroid medication by a receptionist. The doctor said they'd tried to ring me 3 times but each call was a minute apart. I wanted to be told face to face why my medication was changing. And if it's a serious need then I should have been referred to an endocrinologist. I stopped taking them even though I didn't want to. When you go into the surgery there's no doctors. All the doctors leave. The practice nurses were great but they leave. It's alarming. My husband had open heart surgery in February. The surgery was very good with that. When he came out of hospital they suggested he see a nurse for the stitches. He got a small infection and the first appointment they could offer was 2-3 weeks time. The practice nurse saw it on the system and rang us up and they dealt with it. The cardio rehab told him to go to the doctor for an ECG on a Friday, the surgery told me to call back on Monday because there was no doctor on the premises. I went to the hospital in the end in case it was serious. The doctor didn't call until two weeks later asking me whether I still needed the ECG.

• Reply from East Harling Surgery

  Thank you for the feedback. We are very sorry to hear that your experience of the Practice has not ben satisfactory. In respect of telephone v face to face appointments, we always try and offer our patients the choice of these options.