"Training required for admin staff to improve..."

A lot of the admin staff have excellent people skills but there are also a couple that really let the practice down. They are rude, curt, accusatory, unhelpful and ill-informed, which is never fun to face when unwell + anxious. Further when the practice is busy they do not seem to then make an effort to speed up their work to handle the backlog. Instead I have seen + heard admin staff gossiping + laughing - why aren't they jumping in and helping their overloaded colleagues? Better admin staff training + organisation of practice are required as well as more efficient, transparent admin procedures.

Even with the new telephone system it can be impossible to get through and after a whole morning of it the music becomes awful. Surely the system can give an indication of what number caller I am, waiting time + even when best to call so that I can assess whether to wait. Don't then just dare turning up at the practice as that may involve standing in a long queue only to be told (at times rudely) that you HAVE to use the telephone system to make an appointment.

Poor information for patients on practice procedures. Thought I'd found what I needed on the website where I requested a call back from the nurse. After not hearing anything for a few days visited the surgery and asked at reception only to be rudely told that it was the old system and I should have been using the new one. One would expect that the website is kept updated on all relevant information. A fully updated, informative website could help save queries being directed to the reception or general enquiries.

Tell us online when the practice experiences its busiest times so that patients can make an informed decision to call at a time more appropriate.

Massive waiting times for appointments at times - there have been occasions when I have had to wait over 15 mins for an appointment + one time almost 45 minutes. This seems highly unfair when a patient who is over 5 minutes late can lose their appointment or be struck off. It is generally impossible to ask reception as the queue at the desk is so long. With a building that has two reception desks, you'd think there could be more separation of function. Even with the current config it's impossible to drop off samples at the assigned place without a massive wait. On several times I have been ignored by the receptionist as I've stood embarrassed grasping my uncovered sample in front of the entire waiting room. It shows a complete lack of respect or care for a patient's dignity.

Lack of follow up on tests + results missing in patient records - I go see the GP and he can't remember what tests he's requested and results always seem to be missing. I have had several urine tests that have gone missing + had to be repeated. Is there any one in the practice responsible for chasing tests up or is the onus completely on the patient? Is there a proper documentation management in place to ensure proper work flow, accuracy + security of data?