School Lane Surgery

Feedback

• Got an appointment easily

  3

  Submitted by Collected by Healthwatch Norfolk engagement team 11th March 2024

  I rang up and got an appointment easily today, however you should be able to ring and book any time of the day and in person. Should be like before when you could book for other days. The website is also very slow.

• Reply from School Lane Surgery

  We're glad you found it easy to book an appointment. Currently we are operating NHS England's suggested approach to booking appointments. This means that all requests for an appointment have to be triaged. At School Lane this is done in a dedicate GP led hub where all requests are triaged, the urgency is determined, and an appointment offered based on the details provided by the Patient. We are actively recruiting for more Drs, and one has recently joined the team with another joining next month. We also have an Advanced Care Practitioner who will be joining the team in May. So, we hope to be able to increase the appointments offered to our patients. Thank you for raising the website issue, we will contact the providers and highlight this with them to look into. Thank you for your feedback. Regards M. Rolph Business Manager

• Can't fault them

  4

  Submitted by Collected by Healthwatch Norfolk engagement team 11th March 2024

  Can't fault them. The GPs and receptionists are ok although there's sometimes confusion between them and the pharmacy.

• Reply from School Lane Surgery

  Thank you for your positive feedback. We are sorry to hear that there have been some issues between the surgery and the pharmacy. If you would like to contact us directly via the Feedback form on the website, we will have a look into this for you. Your input is valuable to us. Regards M. Rolph Business Manager

• Brilliant

  5

  Submitted by Collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff 11th March 2024

  People don't realise how many patients they've got to deal with. Nine out of ten times they see me the same day. They're very good. There's several GPs who have been here years so there's continuity of care. The system in place where more trivial things are sent to the pharmacy isn't working though. I was advised to go to the pharmacy and the pharmacist didn't really look at it properly and then sent me back to the doctors.

• Reply from School Lane Surgery

  We appreciate your understanding of the challenges we face with patient volume. I am sorry that you have had an issue where you have been passed back to the surgery from the pharmacy. The system whereby we refer certain conditions to a pharmacy is called "PharmacyFirst". In some instances where a pharmacist reviews a patient, if they feel that the issue does require a GP they will refer the patient back to us. Thank you for your feedback and we will monitor any patients referred back to the surgery and work with local pharmacies to help ensure a smooth process for patients as much as possible. Regards M. Rolph Business Manager

• The system is a nightmare

  2

  Submitted by Collected by Healthwatch Norfolk engagement team 11th March 2024

  It's almost impossible to see a GP. So difficult if you have a full-time job as you can't get on the phone and reception say you can't book in person. When I see a Dr. it's excellent, the quality of the personnel is good but the management is not good! The system to access appointments is a nightmare. I was in A&E over Christmas and they told me to see a GP if I became unwell again, but I can't get in through the system and they won't make any exceptions. I feel I'm going to have to go to hospital just to be seen.

• Reply from School Lane Surgery

  We apologise for the inconvenience you've faced in accessing appointments or seeing a GP. Currently we are operating NHS England's suggested approach to booking appointments. This means that all requests for an appointment have to be triaged. At School Lane this is done in a dedicate GP led hub where all requests are triaged, the urgency is determined, and an appointment offered based on the details provided by the Patient. The situation is not unique to School Lane unfortunately. The increased demand faced by primary care, along with the lack of suitable funding and limits on GP training places, coupled with more staff leaving the service to work elsewhere means that we have to try to provide the best service possible to patients whilst taking all of these factors into account. We are actively recruiting for more Drs, and one has recently joined the team with another joining next month. We also have an Advanced Care Practitioner who will be joining the team in May. So, we hope to be able to increase the appointments offered to our patients. We will share this feedback with the Managers and Partners of the surgery and look at ways to continue to improve for all patients. Thank you for your feedback. Regards M. Rolph Business Manager

• I felt comfortable and safe

  4

  Submitted by Collected by Healthwatch Norfolk engagement team 11th March 2024

  Today I'm happy but that's not always the case. Today my 3pm appointment was cancelled but a GP rang me straight away and got me in for 10am. The Dr. listened to everything, all my history, did an examination and I didn't feel rushed. They were a junior Dr. as well but just as good and knowledgeable as the normal GPs. She understood my symptoms and seemed to be experienced. If you feel rushed and palmed off then you don't trust them but I felt comfortable and safe. She's looking into the cause as well as helping me with treatment now, which is how it should be. The receptionist I spoke to was brilliant. She listened, didn't speak over me and genuinely wanted to help. My experience isn't always good, it depends who answers the phone or what Dr. you get. Receptionists often speak over you and don't listen. I ended up in hospital with sepsis on a drip in ICU as I hadn't been able to get an infection treated.

• Reply from School Lane Surgery

  Thank you for your feedback. We are glad to hear that you have had a positive experience and we're sorry to learn about your negative experiences in the past. We are always keen to hear from patients and their views so that we can continue to improve as much as possible. We'll review the issue you expressed about staff not listening and ensure consistent quality in patient care. Your feedback helps us improve. Thank you for sharing. Regards M. Rolph Business Manager

• People are excellent, system isn't

  4

  Submitted by Collected by Healthwatch Norfolk engagement team 11th March 2024

  Today it's been good, the people have been friendly and helpful. In general I really dislike how they do the appointments - you send an online message and wait for a call back and sometimes it feels like it's not important enough. I've waited 6 hours before and missed the call, and when I rang in to say I missed it I was told I had to wait 'til the next day and start again. The email notifications from their website can be overwhelming as I'm not sure how to clear them? I'm happy with the people. If you get to see a Dr or talk to the receptionists they are excellent most of the time. The system is not!

• Reply from School Lane Surgery

  We're glad you found our staff friendly and helpful. We understand your frustration with our appointment system. Currently we are operating NHS England's suggested approach to booking appointments. This means that all requests for an appointment have to be triaged. At School Lane this is done in a dedicate GP led hub where all requests are triaged, the urgency is determined, and an appointment offered based on the details provided by the Patient. We are actively recruiting for more Drs, and one has recently joined the team with another joining next month. We also have an Advanced Care Practitioner who will be joining the team in May. We hope to be able to increase the appointments offered to our patients. We will share this feedback with the Managers and Partners of the surgery and look at ways to continue to improve for all patients. Thank you for your feedback. Regards M. Rolph Business Manager

• Great Service

  5

  Submitted by Anonymous 5th February 2024

  I had an issue and completed an online form. I was messaged back and offered an appointment. All very efficient and quick. I know that the GPs often get a bashing but this has never been my experience with this surgery and I know that they always do their best.

• Reply from School Lane Surgery

  Thank you for sharing your positive experience! We're pleased to hear that our online form system worked efficiently for you, and you received a prompt appointment. Regards M.Rolph Business Manager

• Helpful and caring staff

  4

  Submitted by Feedback collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff 31st January 2024

  The staff are very helpful and caring. They advised that I fill in an online form as it opens earlier so you do not have to wait in the queue on the phone. When I have phoned up I was 13th in the queue but I still spoke to someone within 30 minutes- so it's just the way it is. The receptionists are helpful and I didn't feel like I was bothering them. One thing they could do to improve would be if you are able to book an appointment in person. But the staff are doing the best they can. My relative had an appointment the other week and whilst it was an hour late the doctors were good and they didn't feel rushed.

• Reply from School Lane Surgery

  Thank you for your positive feedback! We appreciate your understanding regarding the phone wait times and are glad to hear that our staff has been helpful and caring. We recently changed our telephone system and are looking at further improvements early part of this year. Your suggestion about in-person appointment booking is duly noted, and we're always looking for ways to enhance our services. We're pleased your relative had a positive experience during their appointment. Your support means a lot to us! Regards M. Rolph Business Manager

• Staff are lovely

  4

  Submitted by Feedback collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff 31st January 2024

  The staff are lovely and the surgery is good but it is hard to get an appointment on the phone and you are then told to phone back as they don't open until 8:30.

• Reply from School Lane Surgery

  Thank you for your positive feedback about our staff and the quality of our services. We understand the challenges with phone appointments and apologise for any inconvenience. We recommend trying our online forms, open from 08:00, as some find it a more efficient way to contact us. However, we respect that some prefer the phone, and we're actively working on improvements to reduce wait times with our new phone system. Your understanding and patience are appreciated. Regards M. Rolph Business Manager

• The surgery have helped me so much

  5

  Submitted by Feedback collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff 31st January 2024

  My husband had a hip replacement and then his dementia worsened. The surgery have helped me so much. The doctor rings back straight away and I have no problems. Although they do keep saying I need physio but I think an injection is better. Other than that they are good.

• Reply from School Lane Surgery

  Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We're glad to hear that our team has been helpful in supporting you. We appreciate your feedback regarding the recommendation for physio, and we value your input. If you have specific concerns or preferences, please feel free to discuss them with your doctor during your next appointment and based on their clinical assessment, I am sure that they will advise the most appropriate course of action, whilst involving you fully in your care. We're here to help in any way we can. Regards M. Rolph Business Manager