The Integrated Care Partnership

My 79-year old mother and 85-year old mother are both patients at this practice. Over the Christmas period I noticed a marked decline in their general health and ability to care for themselves. They were no longer able to travel to the GP surgery and I live 150 miles away. So, I called reception first thing on the New Year bank holiday and after explaining the problem to the receptionist, within minutes I was able one of the GPs phoned back to discuss my concerns. He then organised a home visit by a paramedic from the practice two days later. The paramedic did an excellent job in assessing my parents and puttying them at ease and in taking blood and urine samples and making a provisional diagnosis of UTI in both of them. The GP immediately wrote up antibiotics, which were started within a few hours of the home visit. The paramedic recognised the problems my parents were having with self care and the activities of daily living and contacted social services that afternoon to arrange an urgent visit and assessment the following morning. That afternoon the paramedic phoned me and that evening the GP phoned me to give me updates and discuss my parents' problems. I cannot speak highly enough of the professional and timely response provided by this practice!

I always get looked after very well by the Drs here who are excellent, particularly Dr Ruby, Dr Dale and Dr Crabtree. However sometimes one particular receptionist can be a bit snappy and blunt, which is why my scores are lower. However today I am waiting for a Dr to call me as I’ve filled in the online form and it is an urgent matter. I have done a urine sample and all I need is a form to be filled in by the GP and the sample needs to be in by midday. I called at 8.00am and was told to wait for a Dr to call back but decided to take my sample down to Fitznells at 9.30. I was told by the Receptionist that I would have to wait for a GP to call me. I think that other places such as dentists and hairdressers have now opened so why can’t Dr surgeries? I’m feeling rather frustrated that it’s hard to get face to face appointments and my condition that needs urgent treatment is yet to be dealt with. It’s probably not just me feeling this peeved.

Still struggle with booking appointment via phone with extremely long waiting times. The patient access system does not open slots in enough advance which is very frustrating! Such a shame as the doctors, nurses and midwives are excellent !

I can see from previous reviews the trend here is that no one answers the calls. I have been trying to speak to someone for 2 days now, and, at varying times of the day and as others have remarked you have to listen to someone telling you if you have an emergency to dial 999, not exactly rocket science !! You are then put thru to listen to prolonged chamber music interrupted by someone on repeat telling you to go on to the website etc etc but still your call remains unanswered. This is really appalling and if you ever do get thru its pot luck if you get a receptionist that is polite and listens,or as I did a week ago, a very rude abrasive woman who spoke over me, told me no appoinments for 2 weeks and just ring on the day, she advised the lines opened at 8 am. They don't. The medical staff at old cottage are second to none but are let down so badly by the way the system is run and the fact people employed to answer the phone just don't. I would lose my job if my attitude was the same as some of the receptionists. Someone needs to deal with this awful service by front line staff it is quite unacceptable.

Woeful telephone system. Booking an appointment is ridiculously time consuming made all the more frustrating when you eventually do get through and spend forever listening to hold music only to be cut off by someone picking the phone up and putting it down!!!!!

This GP has the worse telephone call system of all time. Its a 1 minute automated telephone call system which just keeps adding additional options before you can actually ring through to a human being. And another option dial this. And another option please dial that. ALSO 'if you have a emergency please call 999', no one with a actual emergency could possibly go through the effort of looking up and calling this number and then wait for you to talk to them for. The system is just to convoluted and frustrating than helpful. I appreciated the receptionists patience and they were very friendly but this system does negatively impact my patience before I get to talk to them.

Hard to get an appointment by phone, need to walk or try online for an appointment. GPs I've seen, all know their stuff and are helpful.

I have been trying to get through to the surgery for 2 days and it just puts the call in a holding queue with music. I have had to speak to Stoneleigh Health care twice to ask them to pass on a message for the surgery to call me. I asked for Doctor Johnson to call me regarding a private referral to a specialist due to an urgent problem and unfortunately missed the call as at work. The only message he left was his name and time at 11am, now at 2.07pm I still cannot get through to speak to him. I am very worried due to a medical issue and I find the service unacceptable.

It is impossible to get the phone answered in this surgery, and various services have short windows.

The GP is great, if you get your appointment as the staff at reception/ phone are really the worst you can stay on hold for more than 20min with no one picking up the phone ... I been waiting (on hold) from 8:58 to 9:19 until I hang up ???? It's not the first time and I'm sure it won't be last... such a shame that a good practice has such reception staff