Submitted by Collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff12th July 2024
I'll be generous and give them a three!
Reply from Harleston Medical Practice
Dear Patient
Thank you for your feedback. Patient feedback provides us with a valuable opportunity to reflect on patient care and make improvements to services where possible. Comments and suggestions for improvements are always welcome. Please contact us at nwicb.harleston.reception@nhs.net if we can be of assistance.
Yours sincerely
Maria Flood
Managing Partner
Not enough doctors
2
Submitted by Collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff12th July 2024
It's a problem getting an appointment. You have to phone at a certain time and you're not allowed to call after 10am. There's long queues and then they call you back to see what you want before you can get an appointment. Sometimes they don't call back until ten to eight at night. There's not enough doctors and they're building more houses. It's alright when you do get to see them. It's good they do blood tests there now so you don't have to go into Norwich.
Reply from Harleston Medical Practice
Dear Patient
Thank you for your feedback. Patient feedback provides us with a valuable opportunity to reflect on patient care and make improvements to services where possible. Please note that patients no longer need to contact us before 10am for access to GP advice. You are free to call us after 10am and we will add you to the GP list the next. We only ask patients to contact us before 10am for issues they would like same-day help for. In the last few weeks, we have recently upgraded our telephone system. At busy times, patients are now able to opt to hold their place in the call queue and receive a callback when they reach the top of the queue. Our average call waiting time is under 3 minutes. Our GPs are often working until later in the evening to ensure that we can continue to meet all demand for the day. This is to avoid us having to tell patients that there are no available appointments. We currently have 6 GPs working at the practice and as patient numbers increase due to housing development, the practice will receive additional funding for those new patients to allow us to secure further resources. I am pleased that you have had a good experience when you have seen our GPs. We have offered phlebotomy services for many years and we continue to do so for the convenience of our patients. I am pleased you find our phlebotomy services beneficial.
Once again, thank you for providing feedback.
Yours sincerely
Maria Flood
Managing Partner
Generally OK
3
Submitted by Collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff12th July 2024
I don't need the surgery often. My son has used it more and been well looked after. They're generally OK.
Reply from Harleston Medical Practice
Dear Patient
Thank you for your feedback. Patient feedback provides us with a valuable opportunity to reflect on patient care and make improvements to services where possible. I am pleased to hear that your Son has had a positive experience when accessing our services.
Yours sincerely
Maria Flood
Managing Partner
No problems
4
Submitted by Collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff12th July 2024
It's not too bad. I phoned up this morning and got an appointment today, this is a normal experience with there. I prefer face-to-face appointments but some things can be done over the phone. I've got no problems with the doctors.
Reply from Harleston Medical Practice
Dear Patient
Thank you for your feedback. Please do let reception know if your preference is for a face to face appointment and they will ensure that the GP is aware of this request when assessing how best to meet your need. On occasion, it is possible to meet patients needs by telephone, but we do recognise that face to face appointments are often a preference. Finding an appropriate balance helps us to ensure that we can offer patients timely access to GP advice. We appreciate your understanding on this matter.
Yours sincerely
Maria Flood
Managing partner
Mixed experience
3
Submitted by Collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff12th July 2024
It's a mixed experience, it depends on the doctor. I fell over and ended up with elbow bursitis. I was told to go to A&E but they said there was no fracture and to see my GP. The GP said it needs lancing but sent me to a musculoskeletal physio and they also said it needs lancing by a GP. I went back and they said they wouldn't lance it, just to leave it and it will be better in 6-12 months. It's still tender and swollen now 18 months later.
Reply from Harleston Medical Practice
Dear Patient
Thank you for your feedback. I am sorry to hear that the issue with your elbow has not resolved. Please contact me at nwicb.harleston.reception@nhs.net and I will be happy to arrange an appointment for you to be reassessed by a GP.
Once again, thank you for providing this feedback. I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely
Maria Flood
Managing partner
Dispensery is so very very bad
3
Submitted by Anonymous22nd December 2023
An emergency script. I was told I would have to wait six days for rhe goods. I spent an hour finding a chemist rhat had rhw goods. I went back to ask for the script to be sent electronic to anorher place. They then deceided to gontact the doctor for an alternative. No check on address. Poor poor service avoid at all costs. The attitude of the dispensery staff is awful.
So many complaints about this surgery and it’s duty of care but nothing happens or it’s swept under the carpet. People have felt abandoned, ended up in hospital, care homes…. Regular medication not supplied. So many issues.
I have developed a condition about eight months ago. I have been struggling with pain management and the mental consequences of this issue very badly. Being woken up in the night from the pain, being sent home from work and to top it all off, no one at this GP will attempt to listen to me. I have called countless times about talking to a doctor about my issue rather than the receptionist doing it for me and getting the information totally incorrect, resulting in the wrongful prescription of antibiotics MULTIPLE times wasting NHS resources and my money for useless prescriptions. I managed to get through ONCE and had a short conversation with the doctor which supposedly led to a referral which I have heard nothing about. I even tried typing my problem on the online form and still no progress. I have literally been begging for help, giving very little detail of tests they have done multiple times which have all come back negative. I have even told them what I think my issue could be after doing hours of my own research because of the lack of interaction I have been allowed to have with a doctor rather than a receptionist (who have all been rude apart from one who was very sympathetic with me and tried her hardest to get me help, unfortunately no progress still)
In a lot of pain and with a fever, I called the surgery, got a same day GP appointment with no problem. Dr Morrison took one look and sent me off to A&E for emergency admission, likely surgery. He was spot on. From seeing him to being admitted to a ward at the hospital was only 5 hours. Had emergency surgery the following day.
Believed I had flu but was showing other symptems and was concerned that it was not clearing up, infact getting worse, and living on my own simlly wanted to see dr , have chest listened to etc. But bloods taken on a Friday and still no reply. Tried hard to simply get an appointment but must ring at a certain ti e and wait for dr to call. In mean time, no voice to talk to recption, but very little care.
When i first called in was told i was just 2 late , 2 mins after 10am, and tried to explain i had been in a que , but told i should have been phoning since 8.30am. As i was so ill i called a s soon as i could manage.
This has taken so much of my ti e and the practice ti e with no conclusion as yet. In mean ti e i am still ill and not sure what i have.
Not happy as time wasting for all