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Appalling

Story from nhs.uk

"Appalling"

About: Harvey Group Practice

I have been a patient here for my entire life and I have always been happy with the service I have received until the last 18 months, processes are not followed, booking an appointment is the most frustrating, I requested a repeat medication only to go backwards and forwards for over 10 days with messages only to now be told to book a telephone appointment, when you click the link it says no appointments available, medication runs out, no interest in resolving the issue. Booking requests for my children only to be met with ridiculous bureaucracy telling me my under 16 children have to give permission for me to book on their behalf, the ridiculousness of this is, that when they are due for routine checks they message me when supposedly I don't have permission!!!! This is no longer a service and there is no excuse for it, you are just pushed from pillar to post with no ability to have a conversation and resolve your issues, it just adds to frustration and anxiety at a time when you should be supported, this leads to people either just giving up (as in my case) and hoping there isn't anything serious wrong after all or ending up in A&E for issues that should be resolved by a GP and overwhelming the system there because they can't get the support they need from the local GP. Absolutely would not recommend this practice given the service I have received.

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Responses

Response from Harvey Group Practice last month
Harvey Group Practice

Submitted on 13/05/2025 at 08:45
Published on nhs.uk at 08:45

Dear Patient,

Thank you for your feedback. We are truly sorry to hear about your recent experiences and the frustration and distress this has caused you. We fully understand how important it is to feel supported by your GP practice, particularly when dealing with medication and care for your children.

Firstly, we apologise for the delays you’ve experienced with your repeat medication request and the difficulties encountered when trying to book an appointment. Due to the recent bank holiday, our appointment availability has been significantly reduced, which unfortunately has added to the delays and impacted our ability to respond as quickly as we would like. We sincerely regret any inconvenience this has caused.

With regard to access to your children's records and appointments, we appreciate how confusing and frustrating this situation must feel. Unfortunately, NHS guidance now requires that young people aged 11 to 16 provide consent for a parent or guardian to access their medical records and make appointments on their behalf. This is a national policy designed to protect the confidentiality rights of adolescents and is not a change initiated by the practice. We understand this can seem inconsistent, especially when automated messages for routine checks are still directed to parents. We are working to improve communication around these processes to avoid further confusion.

We are very sorry that you’ve been left feeling unsupported. Your feedback is extremely valuable to us, and we are actively working to improve our systems and communication to ensure our patients receive the care they need in a timely and compassionate manner.

We would really like the opportunity to investigate this further for you and help resolve any outstanding concerns. Please do contact the practice directly at your earliest convenience on 01727 831888.

Kind regards,

Harvey Group Practice

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