Share review of Patford House Surgery Partnership
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Patford House Surgery Partnership
2021-06-17
Person
2
5
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17th June 2021
The phone is never answered in anything under 20 mins. I was told that it is not possible to request a same day urgent appointment, even for my child, over the phone. I was told I had to register with Doctor link and go through a lengthy online triage. I asked what would an elderly person do if they had no access to internet/email and I was told they would have to ring up and only be offered a routine appointment. I think this is discrimination. Very, very difficult to get an appointment.
Also, on arrival, the hand sanitiser bottle on reception was empty. I told the receptionist but she did not offer to put a new one out for me to use.
Suggested improvements
More phone lines/receptionist. Over the last 12-18 months I have had to ring the surgery several times and at different times of the day. No matter when you ting you are kept in a queue with a recorded message for 20 mins plus. I have never got through in less than 20 mins. Once it took 40 mins. Totally unacceptable. Especially when working.
25th June 2021
Response from Patford House Surgery Partnership
Thank you for your feedback, which we are very grateful for. I am sorry to hear that we have not met your expectations and that you have had problems getting through on the phones. We do encourage any of our patients who can use the online systems we have put in place to do so, which keeps our phone lines free for those people who cannot use the online services. Using your Systm Online account you can message our team directly and receive a quick response. Doctorlink also provides our patients with the opportunity to check their symptoms and obtain advice day or night, without the need to wait in our call queue. Patients who complete a Doctorlink are contacted typically within 15 minutes of completing a summary of assessed needs, during working hours, to offer an appointment or obtain more information. We are aware that there are some patients who may be unable to use the internet for one reason or another. Following a digital deprivation review, we identified that the majority of our patients, including our elderly cohort have access to a smart device. However, you will be pleased to know that we have a dedicated service for our frail elderly patients including a care coordinator, home visit service with our specialist practitioner and access to our community connector who can help to obtain access to technology and assistance if required. We are also able to offer proxy access for a trusted loved one to be able to access digital platforms on behalf of the people they care for. Our patients also have the ability to attend any of our three Surgeries Reception desks for assistance. I hope this assures you of our best intention to provide quality of care to our patients and should you wish to discuss this with me or any of my team in more detail, please do not hesitate to contact me at emmybutcher@nhs.net. In the meantime, many thanks for your feedback. Kindest regards - Emmy Butcher, Managing Partner PHP