Oak Street Medical Practice
Feedback
-
Covid 19 vaccination communication
30th January 2021I am well over 70 ( 75 in two months time ) and therefore in Group 4 which the government has promised will be vaccinated by February 15th. As instructed I have been waiting and hoping to be contacted, hearing constant reports of considerably younger under 75’s being vaccinated in many areas. I have also repeatedly checked the practice website for information. I don’t know if I have overlooked the Covid 19 request form on the Oak Street website which I have just discovered or whether it has only just appeared. If it is was there previously, then it is very poorly signposted, given all the other information asking patients to wait to be contacted. It is also confusing as there is no information asking patients to get in touch. I do appreciate how hard all staff at the practice must be working, but the point of a website should be much clearer communication.
-
Reply from Oak Street Medical Practice
Dear Patient, Oak Street Medical Practice is very sorry to hear that you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from the practice. We would be very happy to address your concerns with you personally. Please complete a form on the practice website using the \"Suggestions, Comments and Complaints\" tab and we will respond. Yours sincerely, Oak Street Medical Practice. -
new joiner
26th January 2021Very efficient online- very quick to reply. Doctor's call and follow up as promised and very efficient
-
Reply from Oak Street Medical Practice
Dear Patient, Thank you for your kind and encouraging feedback. It is very much appreciated. Regards, Oak Street Medical Practice -
Trying to get a blood test
23rd January 2021I have just tried to make an appointment for a blood test with a nurse but the form to do this does not come up at the weekend. This doesn't make sense as I was asked by letter to do this and why should weekends make a difference when you submit a form for a blood test. Perhaps you should say that you only accept requests during office hours.
-
Reply from Oak Street Medical Practice
Dear Patient, Oak Street Medical Practice is very sorry to hear that you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from the practice. We would be very happy to address your concerns with you personally. Please complete a form on the practice website using the \"Suggestions, Comments and Complaints\" tab and we will respond. Yours sincerely, Oak Street Medical Practice. -
Reception sent a lovely and immediate reply.
11th January 2021There is a new online facility to Ask the Practice a Question (COVID-19). I try to stay happy and positive with humour so I asked "When I have logged in I notice I can no longer check certain items I previously relied on (Book Appointment, Future Appointments, Past Appointments "Note: Grey links represent features which have been disabled by Oak Street Medical Practice"). Have I been a naughty boy? Is there a new way to check my Future Appointments?" I marked my question to confirm "that my enquiry is not urgent, and it may take up to 2 working days before I receive a reply." There was an immediate reply which really made my day. What a lovely team! "Oh bless you, it\'s not a punishment I promise! We have had to disable everyone's for the time being, due to covid. We have to be in control of appointments to limit patients coming in to the surgery, that's all. To check upcoming appointments, just contact us this way and will we get back to you. I have checked this now and you have one upcoming appointment, [date & time given] with the nurse."
-
Reply from Oak Street Medical Practice
Dear Patient, Thank you for your kind and encouraging feedback. It is very much appreciated. Regards, Oak Street Medical Practice -
“Unavailable “
6th January 2021No response to text message re flu vaccine, no response to telephone calls, unavailable to ask any questions at the surgery.
-
Reply from Oak Street Medical Practice
Dear Patient, Oak Street Medical Practice is very sorry to hear that you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from the practice. We would be very happy to address your concerns with you personally. Please complete a form on the practice website using the \"Suggestions, Comments and Complaints\" tab and we will respond. Yours sincerely, Oak Street Medical Practice. -
Professional, efficient, prompt and caring
21st December 2020This practice seems to be ahead of the game compared to ones my friends go to. Efficient issuing of flu vaccines. Prompt response to request for appointments. For a long time they have used highly skilled nurses and other staff to free the doctors from some tasks. I think it is well run because it has to deal with thhenvariety of inner city needs. Dr Estifanos is very organised and caring. I have been a patient since 1991
-
Reply from Oak Street Medical Practice
Dear Patient, Thank you for your kind and encouraging feedback. It is very much appreciated. Regards, Oak Street Medical Practice -
Completely unsatisfactory, extremely unhappy
14th November 2020The new system online is not fit for purpose. They do not answer the phone. If I was an elderly or psychologically vulnerable person who the answer message says will be spoken to if you hang on, I would be very worried, as they do not answer, we have tried many times. I have also contacted the surgery several times using the online system. I do not want to put my issues down in a message to a receptionist. The reason for this is that when I do, I am always sent to NHS website. This is OK, but when I go to the website I am told to contact my GP as the problem has been going on for weeks. And so I end up in a vicious circle I cannot get out of....I try to contact the GP again, explaining that it is recurring, and I get, again told we do not treat that. It is as if they don't want the problem to exist. What if (highly likely) a GP knows that there may be something else going on, something linking these symptoms together, or something more that needs investigating? I can never get that far, and worry terribly for other people who may have much more serious conditions who are now not being seen in the flesh. WHY? Why can we not sit in front of a GP to have our concerns and worries explained and empathised with, and maybe even referred on to specialists? I had an eye test - wearing a mask - why can I not see a GP? I expect most GPs would agree, and I expect most of them really don\'t like this new online way, after all they probably trained to be able to care for humans by looking them in the eye and interacting with them. What about the many mental health patients who need human contact and talking to be diagnosed and helped? I am so angry with the government for forcing this onto us. I would also like to know if it is just Oak Street or the same everywhere. Friends at other surgeries seem to have much less trouble. By the way, the GPs at Oak Street are absolutely exceptional in their care and attention when, the the old days, I could actually see one. A couple of examples from Oak Street This morning my husband attended for a flu jab clinic - a man at the front of the queue was told he wasn't on the list even though he had had 2 text messages to be there. The receptionist was adamant that the must come on Wednesday when he had already informed them by email he could not as he had to work. He ended up walking away. He could have had the flu jab in the time it took to argue with him, ruin his day, and affect his wellbeing. And how did they know they wouldn't have tipped him ever the edge by dealing with him in this uncaring way A few weeks ago I had to go to the surgery to get a form filled in for my husbands exemption certificate so it could be sent off to be renewed. The receptionist came to the door (we were both wearing masks, but she was wearing full PPE, scrubs etc). Her attitude from the start was antagonistic, she did not want us to be there. I explained politely that I just needed a GP to tick the correct condition box and sign the for please, as I had been asked to do come there for this. She went away and then returned with the form for me. In the box "position if not GP" she had put her name, and then she had signed it. I asked her if she could please put the answer to the question "position if not GP" in the box at which point she became very aggressive and said she did not need to. I explained that I needed the exemption certificate as soon as possible and needed to get it sent off. She went away and scribbled PCA and shoved it back in my hand through a crack in the door. Not a pleasant experience. I cried on the way home. I did not make a complaint because on the website there was no email address for the practice manager or anyone else. A third example - I have been contacting them regularly since March about recurring hearing loss. The online message comes back see NHS online, I do that, it says see GP if recurring, I ask for ear wash or GP appointment, they say no we are not doing that anymore. I am left hanging at a dead end again. This is nowhere near satisfactory and is starkly different to the experience I would have had before if I had been able to book an appointment using systmonline and see a GP. The system has completely dehumanised us. I fell totally uncared for. I am sure that, if my GP knew about this she would be horrified. She has always said - come and see me if you need to talk. Now I don't think a GP even sees any of these messages. It is frankly disgusting. I am very concerned that this will lead to a explosion in undiagnosed serious medical conditions, as well undue mental health issues related to the stress of knowing that contacting the surgery is going to be difficult, and knowing that you will get nowhere. And what about people who already have mental health issues - I dread to think. Re ratings below. They are based on my experience since March. The GPs are excellent, kind, caring and empathetic and always have been. I think that is why this new way is such a shock.
-
Reply from Oak Street Medical Practice
Dear Mrs Hudson, Oak Street Medical Practice is very sorry to hear that you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from the practice. We would be very happy to address your concerns with you personally. I will write to you within the next two weeks following further investigation. Dr C C Dent Oak Street Medical Practice. -
Impossible to get appointment
6th November 2020Tried to call and no one answers the phone. Tried several times and then the cleaner answered the phone and said no one was working today, Friday 06/11/2020. Filled in email and got a reply to follow link. When followed link it directed me to Consulting Room and message saying they were closed
-
Reply from Oak Street Medical Practice
Dear Patient, I am very sorry to hear of the difficulties that you have experienced. On Friday the 6th November we were in the unfortunate position of having to urgently \"lock down\" the entire practice in response to a Covid-19 case and exposure. This required evacuation of the practice in order to carry out a \"deep clean\" operation on the premises. (Hence the cleaner answering the telephone) Fortunately no further cases were identified and no patients were exposed to any risk. We were able to re-open the practice on the next working day. We are aware of problems with the current telephone system and are installing a new system early in 2021, Covid-19 restrictions allowing. Regards, Oak Street Medical Practice. -
Bright Arboreal new Webpage - Lovely People
3rd November 2020During lockdown I have had a series of routine appointments. Despite having to throw the surgery into reverse gear due to Covid the staff have remained positive and upbeat. Their innovations have been superb and requesting medicines or booking an appointment (in particular with Systems Online and the new oakstreetmedical-norwich.nhs.uk site) has become almost easier than phoning or queueing at Reception. When you are ill it is easy to list the negative and grumble. I want to thank Oak Street Medical and accentuate all that is so good about this friendly bunch.
-
Reply from Oak Street Medical Practice
Dear Patient, Thank you for your kind and encouraging feedback. In such difficult times, this is extremely supportive and a welcome boost for morale. Our team of doctors, nurses, pharmacist and administrative staff really appreciate the fact that you have taken time to write your message. Dr C C Dent -
Very disappointed
31st October 2020I have had a couple of experiences lately that have concerned me; my daughter's flatmate was very poorly with some red flags for sepsis, but was told that she needed to go to the WIC, the WIC wouldn't let her in as she had a temperature. When I phoned back I was told that you were only 'a GP's surgery' - are you not offering primary care anymore? Is Covid the only illness we are concerned about nowadays, you remember sepsis, very popular a couple of years back, on the side of ambulances that sort of thing... Then my step daughter has had a simple medication request, wanting to return to the medication she was taking, we having a third go, it keeps falling into a black hole, meanwhile she has been in pain. I know it is difficult for primary care at the moment, but you should try being a patient....
-
Reply from Oak Street Medical Practice
Dear Patient, Oak Street Medical Practice is very sorry to hear that you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from the practice. We would be very happy to address your concerns with you personally. Please complete a form on the practice website using the \"Suggestions, Comments and Complaints\" tab and we will respond. Yours sincerely, Oak Street Medical Practice.