Submitted by Healthwatch Norfolk staff on behalf of person20th August 2024
My doctor seems to be with it. They do take care. She went a bit beyond. It's not so easy to get appointments but since Covid it never is. My doctor did agree to see me. They will see people if needed.
Submitted by Collected at a Healthwatch event7th February 2022
There is a long telephone message about Covid before you even get to talk to someone, then it is hard to get an appointment. Luckily I don't need to go very often as my medication is on repeat and I have no problem picking it up from the pharmacy.
after requesting an online consultation and being informed "has reached capacity" for the day last Monday and was advised to go walk in centre which is not an option. eventually got an appointment on the Wednesday and witnessed the receptionist being so rude to a lady. Returned this morning for a review appointment at 8.30am (first appointment of the day) and was still waiting at 8.50am and the very same receptionist was so abrupt and her mannerism is bordering on rudeness. Needs a lesson how to speak to people appropriately.
I contacted Trinity Street surgery this morning (Monday) requesting antibiotics for sinusitis. I was happy to be contacted by email, telephone or in person. I was told at 10:33 that the surgery was unable to deal with this request as they had 'reached capacity for the week'. I was advised to go to the walk in centre however I have underlying health problems (two autoimmune conditions) and do not feel it is appropriate for me to be exposed to Covid and other viruses which I would be in the waiting room. I am shocked that at 10:33 on a Monday morning a GP practice has no capacity for the whole week? Shouldn't they be under special measures? I will be reporting this as a serious concern to the CQC.
I have been trying for some days to get a new prescription I have been given changed from 28 to 56 days inline with my other prescriptions. There seems no way for me to do that other than coming into the practice and speaking to a receptionist. Why is there no messaging system? Why can't I send an email? Testing to explain to a receptionist behind a screen is very difficult and very unsatisfactory
Having been away from the UK and wanting to have a check up given that I'm a cancer survivor, I asked if it were possible to have a basic health check up, test my blood is okay and blood pressure. I don't even think the DR had checked my records to see that I had cancer in the past and that it's good practice to have yearly check ups, instead I got told to eat 5 pieces of fruit and veg and questioned why I even came in. No excuse for this service.
I was contacted by the surgery to arrange a telephone conversation with an elderly aunt whom I care for. I gave her telephone number and arranged a specific hour for the call to take place. The call didn't happen so I went to the surgery to ask what was happening and was told that the appointment had ben deleted as the doctor was dealing with students that day . No one contacted us to let us know the cancellation. Another appointment was made for the following week. Again after waiting an hour and a half for the call and my elderly aunt becoming more and more agitated I went to the surgery, good job where she lives is not far away from the surgery, and was told by the receptionist that the call was still on the doctors list ,but, she was running a bit late. So I went back to my aunts home to wait for the call. 2 hours later still no call.Went back to the surgery to find the appointment had been deleted AGAIN without being informed. I had an upset and agitated 90year old aunt and had wasted 3 and a half hours. Surely common courtesy would be to inform us of the cancellation. Also I have now been informed they no longer have my aunts telephone number on their system . What is going on. If it wouldn't upset my aunt I would move her to a different surgery. Not happy!
What is the point of having an online service to book appointments when you can actually only access it during surgery opening hours? Today I have an issue which needs to be seen quite urgently to ensure that on ongoing problem doesn’t become a possible hospital holiday but no I have to contact them again when I’m at work. Maybe I can do it during teaching in school - oh no it will be at least 1pm before that opportunity arises and I expect I will only get an automated reply . Last time I cancelled my request 4 days after asking for an appointment online because I had to be admitted to hospital. We all have to just get on with it … as schools have all lockdown … but you still can’t get a service from GPS ,we’ll I say GPS but actually once you manage to see someone the service is good but getting any help here is horrendous.
My son had his asthma review with a practice nurse whose mask was dangling around her mouth, with her nose completely uncovered, throughout the appointment. Particularly for a child with asthma, it's frightening he was exposed to a frontline healthcare worker who is presumably herself exposed to risk all day from multiple individuals. I didn't feel comfortable raising it with her. We both wore masks throughout. She did tug her mask up a couple of times, but it wasn't tied and just slipped straight back down to her mouth or chin-level.
Afterwards, I tried to book a flu jab as the practice had advised me to by text. I'd previously tried by phone but never get through. The receptionist refused to book me an appointment unless I would confirm if I could access a car and go to the Bowthorpe site. I didn't register with a local practice two streets away to use a car and cause pollution.
I've previously liked this practice (though the same receptionist has been curt and unkind previously) but am now looking to move the family somewhere else. I'm sad to do this as the GP I've seen has been really excellent.
There was also no sanitiser in the automatic machine by the door. We reported this to the receptionist and she shrugged and pointed to a pump by her desk but clearly wasn't going to bother to do anything about the empty one.
This is re: the Trinity street surgery. They insist that all contact is made through their online form, but not only is the form locked when the surgery is closed, but they do not unlock it on time in the mornings, so you are left for a long time refreshing the page. If you do try to call the surgery, they have an extremely long message you have to sit through, telling you to use the online form. Very poor accessibility.