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Unacceptable wait for an appointment

Story from nhs.uk

"Unacceptable wait for an appointment"

About: St Andrews Medical Practice.

There is always a 6 week wait to see my GP, which is totally unacceptable. If you phone for an emergency appointment at 8.30 they are all gone by 8.40! Reception staff talk over you or hurry you when trying to explain something critical to them on the phone and if you leave a message for the GP they only put basic things down and not what you have actually said or asked for. It is particularly frustrating if you have a speech problem or cant get your words out , one receptionist goes so fast they barely give you a second to answer or get your words in order. I do not like the attitude of some receptionists on the phone, some seem to think you are making an appointment to see them rather than the GP and I do not wish to share intimate details of my complaint with a receptionist. Prescriptions often have things missing or taken off without informing you and it is your fault if this happens. Then you have to wait for 48 hours for a new prescription to be issued. Most of the GP's are nice and kind but one looks down their nose at you and looks at you in disgust. The scales in reception need to be screened off as people going upstairs can see everything and the waiting room is very very hot.

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Responses

Response from St Andrews Medical Practice. 7 years ago
St Andrews Medical Practice.

Submitted on 21/04/2017 at 12:10
Published on nhs.uk on 06/03/2018 at 20:31

Thank you for your comments and I'm sorry that you've had a negative experience with the Surgery.

There is always a longer wait if you want to see a particular Doctor but we do have earlier appointments with other Doctors.

There are also telephone appointments, extended hours appointments and you can register for appointments online.

Due to patient demand, some days our urgent appointment are all booked within 10-15 minutes but this is not a usual occurrence and we are always able to offer an alternative such as a 'Hub' appointment at another Surgery within a day.

It is Surgery policy that receptionists ask what the nature of the urgent problem is so they can direct you to the appropriate member of staff and also to identify that the urgent appointment is appropriately used.

If you feel uncomfortable sharing intimate details then you would not be expected to elaborate.

I am sorry that you have experienced problems with our Reception staff as this is not the level of service we strive to offer and we provide ongoing training for all members of our admin team.

It is not usual for items to be missed off prescriptions and I would urge you to contact the Surgery directly to discuss this.

Thank you again for taking the time to comment as feedback is always important to us.

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