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Thorpewood Medical Group

Address: 140 Woodside Road, Thorpe St Andrew, Norwich, NR7 9QL
Telephone: 01603 701833
Website: www.thorpewoodmedicalgroup.nhs.uk

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  • Reply from Thorpewood Medical Group

    Dear Anonymous I am not sure exactly to what you are referring when you mention 'long wait times', so will try to cover 3 possibilities: 1) We do not operate a strict '10 minutes and you're out the door' policy - so sometimes clinics do overrun where a patient has unexpected needs or wants further explanations from the clinician. We do advise delays of over 20 minutes on the screens in the various waiting areas, setting expectations on how long the wait time may be. 2) Sometimes there are long waits to see a specific GP rather than one of the wider team, or a locum GP brought in to cover unexpected absences. Normal GP appointments are released 2,3,7, 14 or 28 days in advance - for Locum GP appointments these timeframes may be varied depending on when the Locum GP availability is confirmed. It is absolutely right that patient choice for continuity of care is available, but that may result in a longer wait to see that one clinician, especially in times of unexpected absence such as we have been experiencing in the last few weeks. In such times, the GP Partners have to cover the On-Call GP role more frequently, so see less routine appointments, but have been making up for that by adding in extra sessions on normal non-working days. 3) At peak times (such as first thing in the morning, especially on a Monday) there might be a long wait to have an inbound call answered. We have re-engineered the staffing of the reception team a few times on the back of call monitoring data - but the inexorable rise of demand on the UK GP Service means that there may be still be delays at times. At times we can have upto 6 receptionists answering calls at any one time. Apologies from me on behalf of the practice for any delay you have encountered. The Partners have looked at using a call centre to take the inbound calls (here in the UK, or even further afield), but patient feedback is that they like talking to local receptionists who get to know Thorpewood patients and can relate to local addresses, situations etc. As such a move to a call centre is currently viewed as being detrimental to customer service rather than I hope these points help cover your post in at least some regard. Ian Wilson Practice Manager

  • Reply from Thorpewood Medical Group

    Dear Anonymous Thank you for your feedback on Thorpewood Medical Group. It is great to learn that you are very happy with the care provided, and feel able to rate us 'five stars'. Thank you again for taking the time and trouble to provide feedback on our services on the Healthwatch Norfolk forum. Ian Wilson Practice Manager

  • Reply from Thorpewood Medical Group

    Thank you Ashley Your comments about being responsive, and the kind five-star rating, are much appreciated. I hope that we can continue to provide that service going forward for many years to come. Thanks again. Ian Wilson Practice Manager

  • Reply from Thorpewood Medical Group

    Dear Anonymous Thank you for your feedback; I am sorry to learn that you could not recommend us. I would like to apologise for the long wait you encountered. We have normally 3 or 4 receptionists answering the phone, and in the past have looked at using a callcentre to take calls on our behalf. The Partners moved away from this as an option as they felt that it was better to have our own staff, who are aware of local patients/local needs, answering the phone rather than a remote call centre in another part of the UK or even wider. We constantly monitor call wait times, and if there was a significant feeling amongst our patients that an offsite call centre would be beneficial to their needs, then I am sure the Partners would reconsider their previous decision on the back of this patient desire. Ian Wilson Practice Manager

  • Reply from Thorpewood Medical Group

    Dear Anonymous Thank you for your comments/rating of Thorpewood. We do work on the latest NHS thinking on the whole team caring for your needs; however, please do ask for your preferred GP when booking an appointment, as the reception team will always try and book the appointment with a preferred clinician. As to the car parking situation, we have approached Norfolk County Council, who own the 'green space' opposite the surgery, 3 times to look to use it for a larger surgery car park facility - unfortunately, each time the County Council have declined the practice approach. Ian Wilson Practice Manager

  • Reply from Thorpewood Medical Group

    Thank you for your kind comments regarding the registration process and online services. Yours sincerely Carol Postle Patient Services Manager

  • Reply from Thorpewood Medical Group

    Thank you for your positive feedback regarding the filtering system we use at the practice.

  • Reply from Thorpewood Medical Group

    Thank you, we are so pleased you had a positive experience with our practice.

  • Reply from Thorpewood Medical Group

    Thank you for your response to the service we provide, we are sorry you feel unable to access the clinicians at the practice. We do have early morning appointments (from 8.10am) and also Saturday morning clinics aimed at those patients who do find it difficult to get to the surgery Monday - Friday. We also have online appointments available at various times during the day, to access these in the first instance please register for online services by bringing photo ID to the surgery.

  • Reply from Thorpewood Medical Group

    Dear Anonymous Thank you for your kind words about the care you have received from Thorpewood and the five star rating you have given us. I am really glad to hear that you can get the appointments you need, and have had the urgent referrals made given the severity of your medical needs at that time. Thank you again for your kind comments. Ian Wilson Practice Manager