"Appalling, incoherent service "

It will be no surprise to the Medefer Admin Team that I leave this extremely negative review. This is one of the most incompetent and appalling admin teams I've ever experienced and who ever contracted this service should seriously re-consider replacing the staff, or serious re-training for the safety of patients.

Having worked in a NHS admin team myself delivering sensitive results, this admin team do not have the efficient skills to hold people to ensure a smooth patient journey. I have had such a long, frustrating experience with this service that I have zero faith in it and even question if my diagnosis of an auto immune disease is correct.

Many of my complaints echo the same messages of previous reviews - no communication from the service, promised phone appointments from doctors (organizing my whole work day around it) that never happen, having to truly chase the service for my diagnosis - I think I had to speak to 5 different people before I could speak to a doctor, not having any follow up resulting in self-referral to the community dietitian and BONE Dexa scan which should have been Medefer. I have actually laughed with my GP and phlebotomist who have both agreed with me how incompetent this service is. I know they are empathizing with me, but this service needs to do better. Mostly recently I called up the service for my blood test results (from well over a month ago, maybe 2 now) and asked for my blood test results. The woman who answered the phone honestly just couldn't deal with my request of retrieving the info. She kept putting me on hold and had no idea what to do to the point where I said "I don't know how else to communicate to you that I am calling up for my blood test results". When I got to speak to someone more senior they said they hadn't received my results as I hadn't gone to one of their clinics they have a contract with - when I specifically called up previously to ensure if I went to my local blood clinic that would be OK (I was assured it would be fine and even on the request form it says it's fine to do so.) After this phone call, I received a letter saying I had been discharged from the service because they had requested my bloods multiple times with no response - I had never received such requests nor had my GP.

I have emailed four times, no response, to only call now and the admin assistant dismissed my concern and said someone else would reply to me because they deal with it. No structure, no communication in this team. Absolutely no sense of duty of care or dedication to the patient care. I may sound self-righteous, but I actually love the NHS and rarely/ basically NEVER criticize it, but the accumulation of bad experiences with this incoherent service has left me with no faith.

I am still waiting my blood test results and my GP has gladly referred me to another service.

I hate to think how vulnerable people would access this service

Do not recommend at all.