Share review of Ringmead Medical Practice
Every channel of communication seems to be closed - it certainly isn't accessible. Covid has been a big issue but we have all had to learn to work with it and around it. Long phone calls to the GP surgery... listening to long repetetive messages which are mostly irrelevant before selecting any one of several numbers... finally getting to the correct department and the message states the calls will only be answered between 9 -12 - knowing I have to go through it all again the next day, and then to find the prescription clerk hasn't done what she said she would... not on one occasion but on two, two weeks apart. There is no quick phone call - each of three times trying to resolve one issue and losing at least 30mins of time each time (this being at least one and a half precious hours of my time) ... and time is precious when you work full time, travel a 4 hour return journey every week to care for YOUR patient (a parent with dementia), live your own family life AND try to keep your parent healthy with no help, only hindrance from the surgery (and GH Lloyds Pharmacy.) Every turn is a battle, yet I am doing my very best to keep said parent/patient healthy so that we don't need to bother the GP at this difficult time. The end result... should have saved myself 1.5hrs as I'm still where I started a month ago and a lot more stressed. Unfortunately the elderly and vulnerable have all the same problems as pre Covid times... the difference now is there's no accessible support.
I'm struggling as an able person trying to keep one vulnerable person healthy... I hate to think how your other vulnerable patients are coping if they have no one strong enough to support them. I am at my wits end.