"Repeated mistakes at my GP practice"

I've been a patient with my GP Practice for over 8 years. There is a couple of great doctors who are very knowledgeable

The main issues with the surgery are how they are constantly losing my prescriptions and how this is dealt with by front line staff. I have a chronic illness that means I will have to take steroid treatments for the foreseeable future and on several occasions, I've ordered my medications to then arrive 48hours later for collection and be told there's no script request on file. Mistakes happen and I would be absolutely fine with a simple error in an obviously busy environment, The issue for me is the way the front desk staff have dealt with this situation...Instead of having one bit of empathy for someone with serious illnesses that need their medication they tell me it will need to be collected the next night regardless of how essential that medication is.

On a few occasions I've had arguments with these members of staff because I feel upset that I have to pay a hefty price for something that is no fault of my own. On some of these occasions I have told them I will not leave until I receive my prescription which is met with hostility, I have had warnings sent to me by the surgery for disruption regarding this. The sad thing about it is they will never apologise or admit any mistakes, A bit of decency would go such a long way to resolve these issues.Someone to acknowledge that mistakes happen and they are sorry for the distress that this causes.

The last unfortunate situation was for a hormone related prescription I ordered on Thursday for collection on Monday, when I collected my script on Monday the chemist informed me that there was a supply issue and I'd need to get a new prescription for a different brand. I went back to the doctor and was told that was no problem and would be able to collect it the next morning, I went back to the doctors the following day to be told it wouldn't be ready today and to try back on Wednesday. I refused to leave that waiting room until a doctor had done the prescription. This whole situation resulted in raised voices on both sides of the reception desk and in the end, they did an identical prescription to the first one anyway. I had to find the last chemist with the medication in stock which was a good couple of hours bus journey, I also got a warning in the post about that interaction with no admittance of any mistakes on their part and told that my medication wasn't an essential medication and missing it for a few days won't have negative effects, they also said in this letter that they have a 24 hour policy for prescriptions so I had no right to be upset, completely glossing over the fact it had been 24hours since the receptionist told me it would be done.

On several occasions, my specialist has advised me that I should never stop these medications suddenly or miss a dose as this will have a serious implication on health especially mentally, apparently that opinion is not shared by the practice. My specialist also stated in a letter to the GP that I should always have access to a sick dose of a particular medication if I'm ill, under 2 weeks after that letter the GP refused my sick dose. When I complained no wrong doing was found by their own investigation. This surgery has some genuinely caring and extremely good doctors which I suppose is the reason I haven't left but in all honesty, anytime I've been ill in the last year I haven't gone to them because I feel let down by some of the other staff members and my anxiety with it all is too much to deal with. Having panic attacks every time I go into the building just makes going to the doctors too painful now.

Every time I complain they find themselves innocent of any mistakes so what’s the point in complaining anymore. I I'm so sad about the whole thing, A simple apology for their own mistakes would have defused the majority of these incidents, front desk staff speak one way to me during these incidents then completely change their demeanour as soon as a Doctor gets involved leaving m looking like an irate patient for no good reason.