Share review of Chestnuts Surgery

Chestnuts Surgery 2015-11-21 Person 3 5 0

I have been treated by Dr Staker for 25 years and I trust him completely. He spends the time to listen and is very skilled, especially in the complex medical areas I need assistance with. Building up a relationship with your GP, where he knows and 'remembers' you and your medical history, is VERY important to me and I am sure the majority of patients. Seeing a locum who although perfectly skilled, just has time to briefly skim notes but doesn't have any established background. I completely understand that GP services are stretched enormously, especially in this practice due to number of patients per GP. I am finding it increasingly difficult to get an appointment. My only criticism is that due to this, the reception team can be quite reactive, due I am sure to the pressure of patients needing attention and the lack of spaces available. After not needing my GP for some considerable time, during the past few months I have needed several appointments due to surgeries and follow ups. It has been almost impossible to get past reception to get an appointment, even when I had requested assistance due to an infected surgery site, being asked to call back tomorrow for a 'same day', then calling at 8am for up to 20 minutes 'continuously' before getting to speak with anyone. Once connected, to be then told all same day appointments had already gone. There is also a system where you can book up to two weeks in advance, which also seems to be fully booked continuously, 'depending on who you speak with'. Call the next day and you can book ahead without a problem. May I suggest you need to review your appointments system - many practices allow a 'walk in service' and you just sit and wait. This may not be appropriate here, due to lack of GP's, which may boil down to government funding? Also improve the telephone system, so patients are in the queue for a receptionist, rather than continuously redial. I recently made at appointment for my father at another practice who had a telephone queue system, so I knew I was third in the queue and the demeanour of the receptionist was completely different, helpful, proactive, not reactive, nothing too much trouble and I had a choice of that day or next day. It was a breath of fresh air compared to the reactive attitude of 'no and can't and won't' I almost always hear from reception there. The reception team need to remember we are clients as well as patients and perhaps need some training in this area. It is possible that on a daily basis they do have some very difficult clients to deal with, which is par for the course, but should not then treat ALL patients with the same level of discourtesy. However, if I have requested an urgent prescription etc, the head of reception has been extremely helpful, which is most appreciated. I must reiterate, I cannot fault the care of Dr Staker, his attitude, attention to detail and the trust I have in him as my GP. I would not have stayed with this practice for 25 years if he wasn't there. The telephone system and appointment booking procedure needs updating to make it easier for patients to book. I hope this is helpful.