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"Something needs to change! "

About: West Malling Group Practice

The appointment system does not work. It has been like this for several years and something needs to change. I call each morning at 8:15 on the dot and can never get through. When I finally get through I'm told there are no appointments left. I have been going round in circles and it's causing me a lot of stress. It's luck of the draw which receptionist you get. There is one in particular who is rude, unhelpful and it feels like she goes out of her way to be difficult. I had an MRI in February and my results have been back for some time. I was told the first appointment to see physio was 20th March. I'm in a lot of pain, which is worsened by work and I need to know what the issue is so that I can make necessary changes. I have been calling and emailing the surgery trying to get the results. Emails are ignored and I cannot get through to the surgery in the morning, but if I call any other time of the day I'm told to call the next morning. Then today I was told that I wouldn't get an appointment for test results anyway and would need to make an advance appointment. I was in tears of frustration after ending the call. I suffer with anxiety and the worry of not knowing what is wrong with me is making me ill and affecting my mental health. I have a meeting with occupational health tomorrow and they have requested medical reports. This could have been a great help as they could have assisted me with my work set up etc if they knew what the issue was. I'm not asking for a lot. The results are just sitting there and could be emailed to me very easily or a doctor/nurse could give me a quick call to discuss the results. I've been left feeling frustrated and upset by this experience. I do not recommend this surgery and if there were other options locally I'd be changing surgeries.

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Responses

Response from West Malling Group Practice last month
West Malling Group Practice
Submitted on 20/03/2024 at 15:21
Published on nhs.uk at 15:21


We are sorry to learn of your experience. The demand for appointments is high and there are times when we are unable to offer an immediate appointment. Staff have been trained to care navigate / sign post patients to an appropriate, alternative healthcare providers when necessary.

Patients are able to communicate with the practice via the "contact us option" or online triage facility on our website in preference to the practice generic email address which has an automatic response advising patients how to contact us.

We are also in the process of modernising our appointment system to a total triage model to help us better manage the ever increasing demand on our services.

We note you have now spoken to a member of our clinical team and hope you are feeling better.

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