Address: The Holt Medical Practice, Old Cromer Road, Holt, NR25 6QATelephone: 01263712461Website: www.holt-practice.nhs.uk
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88 responses from the local community
I Don't Understand Why I Can't See a GP
3
Submitted by Collected by Healthwatch Norfolk Staff31st May 2022
I think it's declined recently. When I call and ask to see someone I never get a GP, it's always a nurse of some kind. I had to go back three times for the same issue as the nurse just get prescribing me pain killers that weren't fixing the root of the issue. I want to be able to see a GP, not a nurse. I don't understand why I can't see a GP.
Several things have happened to make me leave this review for what was once a pleasant and helpful practice.
Firstly, the callous way my husband was treated whilst he was dying of lung cancer. A GP came on a house visit and said he couldn't come in because he smelt cigarette smoke, and the only advice he gave was to stop smoking and sent him to Cromer hospital for another chest x-ray. There was no empathy or kindness in that man.
Next, I had an ear infection which then burst my eardrum so I was bleeding from my ear. I called the surgery, explaining that I am not very mobile so cannot get to the surgery easily. They told me to take a taxi to Melton constable to be seen that afternoon. I explained that my daughter could bring me to Holt two days later, but the doctor said there was no point, as that would be too late, and wouldn't allow me to book an appointment for then. Instead my daughter took me to the walk in centre in Norwich, who saw me and prescribed me the antibiotics I needed.
Now, the surgery is saying it takes 14 days to process a repeat prescription. To try and make things easier for myself I wanted to set up a delivery through Lloyds direct, but they say that I need to speak to the GP to get them to transfer it to them. Fine. Today I spent an hour on the phone, spoke to the receptionist who said I needed to speak to the pharmacy, they put me through, and the pharmacy just hung up on me. So not only can I get a prescription for two weeks, I can't even speak to someone about finding a way to rectify that. Terrible, frustrating service.
Submitted by Collected at Healthwatch Norfolk Event29th March 2022
I find that it can be difficult to get hold of the surgery. It's hard to reach them on the phone. I think the phone intro message is far too long. I don't have a problem with the triage system now I know how to navigate it. I think I have to wait too long to see a doctor. Last time I called for an appointment it was a four week wait.
Submitted by Collected at Healthwatch Norfolk event10th March 2022
I find that the staff are amazing and very patient. They've been a great help to me. I have had some issues with my repeat prescriptions recently, but I think that's due to changes in staff.
Submitted by Collected at Healthwatch Norfolk event10th March 2022
I've never had any problems and thankfully I don't have to use it much. I can't fault their Covid vaccination programme. It was a very steady flow and well managed, couldn't have gone any better.
Submitted by Collected at Healthwatch Norfolk event24th February 2022
On the whole the staff are all very helpful. They're efficient and polite. I didn't know my GP had retired until I called to make an appointment with them, but they got me a face-to-face appointment with a new GP and I liked her. I do wish the appointments were a bit longer, you can feel quite rushed.
From the initial phone call the while experience was very positive. My husband had an appointment with Thomas the paramedic. He went in on time and the whole appointment was carried out with efficiency. Treatment was issued, a blood test organised and a follow up phone call arranged for the following week. Well done, we felt cared for and listened to.
I made a complaint about a doctor, hand delivered the letter, it took six weeks to get a reply and they did nothing. This doctor wrote totally different information on my medical records than what I was told in my consultation and it's not the first time this has happened. One doctor wrote "there is nothing to see" tha doctor didn't examine me and I had been in pain for 9 months, I went private and was diagnosed within ten minutes with a piriformis injury. There is a long list of failings from this surgery, writing me down in my medical records as a "no show " to an appointment, when I had signed in and waited 40 minutes to see that particular nurse, I then ended up seeing a doctor who told me " can we keep this brief" I understood that the nurse had an emergency, but to put me down as that I didn't attend when I did and even got a prescription off that doctor is unbelievable.
I had a phone appointment and the Dr never called, when I rang reception, she told me that she'd done her job so she wasn't bothered that I didn't get my call. Just recently I had a phone appointment, again no call, this time I was at work waiting for the call, I called reception who told me the doctor was with a patient and I could have another appointment in two weeks, having waited two weeks for that appointment I said no, I will not wait another two weeks, she was very unprofessional and couldn't grasp that not only she and the doctors work. 45 minutes after my appointment time the Dr called, this was not convenient for me as I was working and had no idea of when I might get that call.
At the surgery we have to go through a process with mask wearing, hand sanitising, temperature etc and then you go into the Dr's room, they have a pair of gloves on already, they have touched the door handle, then touched the keyboard and then touch your face, this is unbelievable, how many patients have touched that door handle on their way out, as I did. Masks should be worn over the nose. If you expect patients to adhere to the covid rules maybe that should be passed on to the doctors.
Heading should read “not wearing masks properly” but not enough space. I was in a room with 2 doctors and neither of them wore their masks properly and had their noses exposed. I saw a poster in the pharmacy showing how to wear masks properly and told the dispenser that was a joke as even their GPs don’t wear them correctly. She said I should report this so I am! Just about everybody I know says the phone system is dreadful. It goes on and on and we have to hear about unprecedented number of calls, staff trained to handle calls, press this, press that, then when you’ve done that press something else. It is DIRE! I cannot believe that this is the best they can do. Then after all that they tell you that you are 15th in the queue! Surely they should tell you this as soon as you get through THEN explain all the other mainly unnecessary information.
We are on vacation in Norfolk and I got a problem with my leg injury that occurred some days prior to travel. The practice resonse was superb. I spoke to a doctor within an hour and my wound was seen by a nurse and dressed again within 3 hours. Brilliant service. Well done to all involved and many thanks