"Not great"

Thank you for your feedback, which is very important to us and we take very seriously and try our up most to respond to and update our processes accordingly.

I am sorry that you feel our receptionists do not meet you in a way you expect. I do regularly monitor their work (observation and telephone recordings). I also provide training on resilience and patient contact.

I do often find that we are battling with a historical nationwide view of GP receptionist, I can assure you our receptionist work here to support our patients. Their role does include dealing with you politely and professionally, and if this not the case, I do need to know at the time, so I can support the individual concerned and provide appropriate feedback.

There are a number of ways to access our services, which is not always a GP appointment. You can access on line appointments if you have registered for that with us, as well as the NHS app. You can use Dr Link an on line triage service via our website. The appointments you are offered by our receptionists will be in line with the condition you are presenting with and its urgency. We have a variety of appointments that can be offered, the urgent access on the day appointments in the main will be triaged by a GP, otherwise in addition to MMP appointments there are now also out of hour appointments available at our Comberton Hub on both a Tuesday evening and a Saturday morning. I have today taken the phones during breaks, and have been able to offer appropriate appointment times for all the call I have taken. If you have an issue in the future, please do ask to speak to the Practice Manager and if I am available I will review your needs.

In relation to waiting times, I understand your frustration. We base our appointment times on the average time required, however we have no control over what patients present with, often what seems a minor illness can turn out to be a significant mental health issue, or people present with a list of conditions. Our receptionist if they are able to get the information from the patient will often take a decision to book double appointments. Our GPs are fully aware of the time they have, and have to use their skills to negotiate their way through the appointment time carefully depending on what is presented to them. I do ask our receptionists to monitor the appointment system throughout to day, and I to try to do so, in order to keep waiting patients informed of any delays.

We do run a patient participation group meeting on a quarterly basis and often discuss patient access and ideas for changes please do consider signing up to be involved in direct discussion with the Practice at these meetings.

If you would like to discuss any issues with me direct, please do contact me at the Practice. Regards Hannah (Practice Manager)