"Incompetence "

Dear Patient,

Thank you for your comments and feedback. We are sorry that you have been disappointed with your recent experience of the NHS referral process. We appreciate this can be very frustrating and upsetting.

When completing an online request for an appointment here at Walnut Tree Health Centre it is important to detail your symptoms so you can be allocated the most appropriate clinician for your needs. When attending your appointment, whilst the clinician will read your booking notes, it is once again important to go through the symptoms with them directly so they can use their best clinical judgment to consider your symptoms and choose an appropriate action.

You detailed that the Paramedic you saw here at Walnut Tree Health Centre prescribed Pain Management Medication and gave you the information for the Community Physiotherapy service which is accessed via Self-Referral. Whist we appreciate you had already discussed your symptoms here at Walnut Tree Health Centre, external services will ask you to disclose those systems once again, likely with more targeted questions as they are the specialist in that area and have their own triaging process.

We understand wait times for community and secondary care, following a GP referral, can at times be distressing for our patients. Unfortunately, Walnut Tree Health Centre are not able to influence wait times in community and secondary care services however, should your symptoms be unmanageable whist waiting for your appointment we would be more than happy to book you a review appointment with a clinician and explore possible ways to assist you in the meantime. Alternatively, patients can contact the department they have been referred to directly to discuss the possibility of expediting an appointment if felt it is needed. Services may also run cancellation lists that patients can request to be added to.

Unfortunately, as you have shared your feedback anonymously, we are unable to look into your issues specifically however we do invite you to contact the surgery directly, where our management team, including myself, Reception Manager Naomi Carey and Practice Manager Clare Briars will be happy to listen and assist you. You can call the surgery on 01908691123 or email walnuttree@nhs.net.

Please be assured we take all patient feedback seriously and time bringing your issues to our attention is much appreciated. We share and discuss patient feedback as a team on a regular basis, with a view to exploring our current systems and how we can improve upon them.

Thank you

Kylie Jordan

Deputy Practice Manager