I don’t often leave negative reviews, but unfortunately I had a poor experience this morning with Orchard Surgery. I was told by the GP to book an appointment for my daughter this week for a review, and the receptionist seemed to have no enthusiasm to help. I explained the reason for the appointment and when it was needed for, and my daughters details, and the response I got was “okay”. There seemed no willingness to find a suitable appointment, and although it got made in the end, it felt hard work to get it! Luckily this is something I find easy to look over, but for less confident callers I feel this could have been a very off-putting attitude towards a patient.
I rang the surgery with a medical problem early in the day and was told that I would receive a call back that day. It didn't come. I spent an uncomfortable night and as the surgery is closed all weekend - I had to resort to ringing 111 the next day. They were very efficient and arranged to have the antibiotics I needed sent to a local pharmacy. I have been a patient with Orchard Surgery for over 40 years and there was a time when I could always see my own GP. I have a lovely GP now but sadly there is no point in even asking to see her as GPs seem to be largely out of bounds to their patients. It is becoming a worry to need medical help these days.
It takes ages to get through on the phone to make an appointment. At the start of the call it says you can book an appointment on line so i tried that and it says sorry we are fully booked. My mother is 89 and is having heart related issues and its virtually impossible to see a doctor. I have a great deal of sympathy for the NHS but this is very poor service.
After numerous attempts to get an appointment by phone, I then tried asking for a Doctor to call me back, only to be told that I can have a telephone appointment 11 days away. How much pain do you have to be in to see a Doctor these days. Its no wonder people go to A&E for help.
It is impossible to book an appointment or speak to anyone. Why have online services for appointment booking that are never open. Absolutely ridiculous. Why can't you email the form for non-urgent appointments at any time and then wait for a response? It's an appalling, shameful service, god help anyone that needs to see a doctor in this area
The is a Doctors surgery. It seems all have changed and the only great contact is once you get to a Nurse practitioner. Following Cardiac problems I was told to dial 999 " they are better at it" However no follow up from the surgery and no attempt to try to get follow up from the consultant.
Trying to get an appointment is impossible unless you have a letter from the Doctor signed in blood.
However the most confusing thing about this surgery is the fact that they have got all these online consultations, they have web contact forms BUT...
Everything is switched off at 6:00pm - Why is this ?? There is no one available to talk to , it's entitely reasonable to allow them some time off as GP's now earn more money than ever before but work less hours than ever before and never and I mean never leave the surgery to see a patient but why not leave the contact forms runnoikng so at leat people can write down the problem and the practice staff can get a heads up before they start with Live enquiries.
I think that maybe they need a practice manager with compassion, care and a little bit of administrative skill rather than a Doctor who really should be better employed elsewhere.
They may have way too many patients as Dereham keeps growing with no care for the dire infrastructure but that does not mean that there is blame elsewhere.
"Inadequate" does not begin to cover it!!
PS it's not attitude they need to worry about - it's behaviours!
Since covid you are unable to obtain any kind of appointment. Surely it's time to go back to some kind of normality. In May I logged on to order repeat prescriptions but I found I was unable to do as it stated my medication needed to be reviewed by a clinician and to make an appointment. I used the appointment request form on Orchard Surgery's website to request this, I received an acknowledgement of this request both my email and text which told me they would respond within 6 hours. No response received. I telephoned after 3 days, on hold for 70 minutes, I explained to the receptionist that I had not heard back about an appointment but was told that I was not a priority so currently I could not have one and I would hear in due course. I waited another 3 weeks and called again this this time being in a call queue for approximately 80 minutes. I was again told I was not a priority, I explained that I was only doing what I had been told to by them but the response was to fill in the 'text box' on the medication order form with what I needed instead. I duly did this and then received a text from Orchard Surgery saying that before I could order my medication I needed to have a medication review with a clinician. I phoned again being on hold for an hour and I was finally given a telephone appointment for several days time, no allocated time but to be waiting with my phone as they GP would call anytime between 9am and 12:00 noon. I cleared my work diary and had my phone by my side, no phone call came. I called the doctors, long hold time yet again, to be told that the GP was behind and he may have time to call in the afternoon instead. I told them I had meetings booked in the afternoon but I was told there is nothing they can do about this. This whole situation has now been going on for nearly 9 weeks. I'm going around in circles. I don't want to take up a GP's time but the surgery won't let me order my medication without a review, but then they tell me I'm not a priority appointment so cannot have a review, and then when you finally get an appointment the GP doesn't call. It's so frustrating! No wonder they have just been placed into special measures. These telephone appointments are so unhelpful to people who work, you can't necessarily answer the telephone at any time, an allocated time slot works much better.
Reply from Orchard Surgery
Thank you for your feedback.
We have taken patients comments on board and improved our website response to ensure we reply within the required timeframe. This saves time trying to get through on the phone and also reduces the number of calls we are now receiving.
We also have appointments available with Nurse Practitioners and Healthcare Assistants available from 7:30am on some days to help cater for people who are working.
Kind regards,
Orchard Surgery
Trying to get an appointment
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Submitted by Anonymous26th June 2022
I have been trying to make an appointment now for over one week. Whenever I go to the website it says that there are no more appointments that day. It doesn't give me an option to book for the next day or week (and I can understand the reasoning) but there needs to be a solution. How else can I book a non-urgent consultation?
Virtually impossible to contact the surgery, my query was about an important prescription following corneal surgery earlier this week. Dreadful service really. Gave up in the end. To do it online I must certify it is not urgent - but it is.