"Things are really improving"

I've had cause to visit the practice several times over the last six months, and as a longstanding patient of Regent's Park Surgery, I can honestly say that things seem to be improving with regards to the admin processes at the surgery.

Although it is not usually possible to see the same GP at short notice, it has always been possible to book, online, a last minute appointment with a GP, if the need has arisen, even when the surgery was transitioning from the merger last year. I would really recommend that people use this route if they need to be seen within a few days. It would be really helpful if the practice continues to post new batches of appointments online, regularly.

This service allows for the same GP to be seen, as long as you are prepared to wait a couple of weeks or so, and are flexible in the choice of timeslot.

I would also recommend that patients call after 3pm if they have a non-urgent query, because this seems to be a quieter time in terms of phone calls.

The practice staff have also been very helpful in arranging prescriptions as needed. In particular, the ladies on reception recently spent a large amount of time on a Friday evening sorting out a prescription of mine which had been lost through no fault of the practice, ensuring there was no break in medication. For that, and other recent helpful communications with myself and my partner, I am truly grateful.

Although there are still teething problems with systems in place, I would encourage other patients to be pragmatic and understanding whilst the practice continues to identify possible improvements, and to be mindful that apparently uncompassionate or short tempered reception staff may in fact be under a lot of pressure due to being the first point of contact.