"Not all bad in these unprecedented times:"

Yes t has been a nightmare, at times, throughout the pandemic to get through to the practice, I have experienced, a number of times, what others have said in their reviews especially regarding being held in a lengthy queue (No.17) and then being cut off when got to No.1 - extremely frustrating. Things seem to have improved significantly since the new phone system has been operational. Yes, there have also been times when I have felt the need to complain over the past couple of years however I must say my complaints were dealt with professionally and every effort was made to resolve my concerns.

When I have got through to the 'right people' I am happy with my current treatment. I have used the surgery recently for myself and my mother which involved communication with receptionists, a nurse and a GP. To be honest I was expecting a lot of stress and anxiety trying to get appointments as I have experienced this in the past however all communication was far more positive than I expected from the onset. No long wait on the phone trying to get through, chirpy receptionist who was extremely helpful, as was the ones I dealt with when at the practice. The nurse was brilliant with my Mum who is deaf, and the GP I saw actively listened to what I said and followed up with a referral. So, all good and credit where it is due.

I want to acknowledge the difficulties that all NHS services have had to endure throughout the pandemic, also the frustrations that ALL staff have undoubtedly had to put up with, having said that there are some staff at APS that really would benefit from additional training in customer service, I think it is such a shame if a service receives an overall bad reputation due to the few that let it down. I have been with this practice for 51 years now and as frustrating as things have got for me at times, I am still there. Thank you to those staff who continue to do their very best - You know who you are :-)