VIRTUAL MEETING COMMENTS 28.09.2015
We are grateful for the care that we received from everyone at the surgery.
Staff very kind and caring and are efficient.
Staff are good at listening to patients.
Continuity of care from one Dr is appreciated and is beneficial to both patients and for the doctor too. The only downside I can see at the moment is the ability to get an appointment with ones chose doctor.
The surgery continues to provide a good service; however, the most frustrating aspect is the telephone service. It is time consuming and sometimes the end of a long wait we are instructed, by an answering service, to “please hang up” which seems unprofessional. The Home is fortunate to be located in an advantageous position; however, if you are not, patient lives could be placed at risk
Things going well:
Online appt booking and repeat prescriptions seem to be working much better, especially the link between the repeat prescription being submitted electronically and then getting to the right pharmacy for collection.
The reception staff continues to be really helpful, patient and understanding. One new lady was especially helpful on several separate occasions.
Very impressed by assistance provided by Angela to me regarding my young son and his allergy/repeat prescription needs, in her practice manager? role. (Think she actually has a different title but seemed to be akin to that role after departure of previous holder.)
Things that could be improved or done better:
Appointing another permanent GP (instead of lots of locums) and a new nurse practitioner (unless latter has already happened since last surgery visit in August). It is such a shame to see so many different locums listed when booking online appointments, you always have to start appointments with medical history. Our family have experienced some very good ones and some great GP registrars but the latter never seem to be offered a permanent post and continuity of care is rarely possible. For long term health conditions, especially mental health, it can be difficult for patients to have to constantly repeat history and levels of understanding vary.
If GPs are going to cite CCG policies to patients I think it would be helpful if a copy of said policy is available for the patient to take away or at least view in full online but this certainly wasn't the case with one particular issue I had relating to paediatric dietary advice and prescription policies. If I hadn't pursued the issue after our appointment I’m not convinced we'd have received the support we needed.
If a patient's repeat prescription is rejected I think there should be a commitment for the surgery to contact the patient asap (by phone/letter/email) - either the back office or the GP who rejected it - to explain the action taken and why. A patient should not have to wait until they go to the pharmacy to collect a long standing, expected repeat only to then discover the rejection. This can cause significant delays and hassle to a patient that is really unnecessary.