St Stephen's Gate Medical Practice

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• A Great Practice

  5

  Submitted by Anonymous 2nd October 2021

  I've needed help from the GPs several times over the last year. They have always been responsive, compasionate and willing to help despite the huge pressures they have been under over the last few years. I am very grateful for their care.

  
  
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• why can't I speak to a GP?

  1

  Submitted by Anonymous 9th September 2021

  I realise that it is a difficult time for the surgery but I have twice asked on line questions about my chronic leukaemia and have not got answers on line let alone spoken to anyone but the receptionist. It is not her fault she is not a medical expert but why can't a GP ring me back? It is very frustrating and I have been a patient Newmarket Road Surgery for 30 years and the doctors there were wonderful . Feel very forgotten.

• Reply from St Stephen's Gate Medical Practice

  Send me details and I will look into it. James Foster, Executive Manager

• Not easy to make contact

  1

  Submitted by Justin 2nd September 2021

  My neighbour who is 87 years old has been trying to get through to someone at this practise and is at the moment still on hold, she doesn’t have access to the internet and your auto attendant messages don’t help and now she is sitting there waiting to speak to a highly trained operator who isn’t answering the phone, it’s been about 20 minutes already and still listening to on hold music. This practice is not user friendly for older people who actually needs to speak to someone and not listen to your automated robot messages, you should try and do better!

• Reply from St Stephen's Gate Medical Practice

  Our median wait is eight minutes, We have doubled the number of receptionists in the last two years and urge people to use the website for non-urgent matters. Unfortunately this is a reflection of the demand the surgery is facing.

• Secretary very rude

  1

  Submitted by catalina gheorghe 27th August 2021

  I called the medical practice when Council decided to cut trees on Union Street and my children where having breakfast.i was asked to speak bit louder cause she was not able to hear me properly,which i did.I called to asked why on my medical record shows a cancer screen test and a scan...and she said that after she asked another secretary what to do,they decided to not put me through with a Gp which can explain me why now i am suspected for cancer or at least to give me more info.she said i talked to loud,she will noy give me her name and she hang up.

  
  
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• Appointment booking system is shocking

  1

  Submitted by Anonymous 18th August 2021

  I have been requesting doctors appointment for months but everytime I request it via their extremely useless web interface they reply back with a message to re-contact them after few days. Moreover, the message disappears after I read it so completely useless their too. This is extremely frustrating as they are the only ones who can book the appointment. I can appreciate the staffing issue during covid but the appointment booking service is appalling. It will be good if appointments can be booked from NHS app or even phone call as it was possible to do so many months ago.

• Reply from St Stephen's Gate Medical Practice

  More than 120,000 appointments were booked in the last year so the system itself works. Contact me and I can investigate what has gone wrong in this instance. Thank you James Foster, Executive Manager

• negative notices

  3

  Submitted by bishop 17th August 2021

  At the request of the surgery I attended for a blood test today. The clinical side of things was very efficient but someone needs to reconsider the number of negative notices which greet patients at the door. 'You MUST wear a mask', 'do not lean on the counter at reception', 'Abuse will not be tolerated'. check in screen 'OUT OF USE', 'NO specimens after 12.30', I have been a patient at St Stephensgate Surgery for nearly 14 years and have always felt welcome and reassured. Not this time. Obviously the current situation makes it necessary to introduce some measures in a clinical environment but I felt bullied and stressed. The odd 'please' and 'welcome' would not go amiss especially as more vulnerable patients are already apprehensive.

  
  
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• Rudest staff

  1

  Submitted by Anonymous 15th July 2021

  Staff rude from receptionist to nurse... never been spoken to in the way this particular nurse spoke to me.. can I remind this medical practice that it is their duty to care for their patients . Also nearly impossible to get an appointment and when you finally do treated like we shouldn’t be there.. rude to my kids also!

  
  
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• Serious lack of patient/medical practitioner

  2

  Submitted by graham day 16th June 2021

  After being a, satisfied, patient, for more than 25 years, My doctor retired and I was 'palmed off' with different doctors - never seeing the same on more than twice. I found a good relationship with a nurse practitioner who had a good manner and who seemed to be more knowledgeable than the doctors. Eventually she guided me to an excellent doctor (friendly and helpful). Now I am again 'palmed off' with inexperienced people whom I have little confidence in.

  
  
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• Never got back to me on an appointment

  1

  Submitted by Anonymous 14th June 2021

  Asked for appointment cancer related as I’ve had cancer … after 3 days no one got back to me … apparently after ask online again and wait to see if they bother to respond … … seems that the receptionist now decides if you need to see/ speak to a doctor or not

  
  
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• A fantastic practice.

  5

  Submitted by Rachel Lewis 3rd June 2021

  I have had a few encounters with doctors and nurses at the practice and they have been so helpful. The staff are kind, courteous, professional and willing to help despite being busy and under pressure. A particular positive experience was when I phoned up about some ear discharge my baby had, I had a phone appointment within an hour, then a face to face appointment. There was then a query about the prescription at the pharmacy which was dealt with by the practice swiftly. A really positive experience with good follow up care.

  
  
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