It is the weekend again already, and even with the Practice Manager on her annual leave, it still is time to report on our Patient Satisfaction Survey and Friends and Family Test. The weekend is really the only time there is any spare time to process the results.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into it, shall we?
I was pleased to see someone who got things started by sending me an xray on my knees to determine if I would benefit from knee replacement. I saw Jackie who was very understanding and caring.
I was very appreciative for someone to speak to me but the lady whom I spoke to was just like a nodding dog and didn’t take anything I said into consideration
No parking spaces available in GP car park, hardly anyone in GP waiting room. If cars belong to staff, the staff car park should be used.
We assume this was in Cudworth. The parking lot at Cudworth is not quite big enough to accommodate patients, other visitors and staff. Staff are directed to use the staff car park, but we are also aware that other people will often use the car park at the Cudworth Centre. People visiting the park or nearby shops often use the car park too. The centre is a multi-purpose building. This means not only do the 3 GP surgeries receive visitors. Community services and even BMBC have offices in the building and their visitors use the car park too. This often leads to a musical chair situation in the car park leading to frustrations for those waiting for a space, and a need to arrive significantly early for appointments as it can otherwise lead to late arrival because of waiting for a parking space. And if you came for your blood pressure check we can all guess what was going to happen then, couldn’t we? Unfortunately, there’s no easy solution to this problem although staff working at the centre will mostly park in the staff car park instead.
Once I get an appointment Im never dissapointed especially with doctor Sam, shes an amazing GP, however it took me over a week to get the face to face as you just kept trying to send me to iheart, i understand people are worse than me however this has lead to me now needing antibiotics, this might have been avoided if i got to see someone last week
It’s important to be aware that iHeart is no longer just an out-of-hours service. They are an extension of primary care providing the extra capacity for GP appointments when the capacity at the surgery is reached. If our clinicians signpost you to iHeart, they consider you need to be seen the same day. It also means that no appointments are available to accommodate this at the surgery. It is impossible to say whether the need for antibiotics could have been avoided if the patient had been seen earlier (either at the surgery or at iHeart as advised). Medicine is not predictable. There have been situations where a doctor listened to a chest in the morning and it was completely clear. The same doctor listened again in the afternoon and the lungs sounded full of infection. Situations can change, and if a patient feels worse, this may mean they need to seek medical attention again.
I’m a huge fan of our Surgery from our Reception staff to our Doctors, everyone is so helpful, friendly, approachable and professional. I genuinely cannot think of a single way how anything could be improved upon. Thankyou.
I must say that the care and professionalism provided by your surgery was excellent especially with Dr Lannon. Thank you
I had to insist on a face to face app.
Then given prescription for medical stockings told pharmacy would measure me.
Pharmacy referred me back to Gps for measuring wasting time.
I have a TBI , Prostate issues and blown varicose leg veins that are very painful and suffer fatigue and anxiety with also double vision.
The last thing i needed to have to wait for another appointment to be measured for stockings.
We apologise for the inconvenience caused and the miscommunication. Most pharmacies measure for stockings, however, in certain circumstances more than leg measurements are needed which can only be done by one of our nurses.
A pre bookable appointment is very hard to get, which would be useful when your working hours are the same as the GP. It’s not always possible to call at 8am. and keep retrying to get in the queue to get an appointment. I understand the pressures of the GP practices but there has to be a better system ie bringing back online bookable appointments
Pre-bookable appointments are indeed hard to get. The assessment of need system relies on same-day appointments where possible. However, we no longer ask patients to phone at 8 am. Our phone lines are busiest between 8 am and 9-10 am. If you want to have the best chance of getting through quickly, it is better to phone later in the day. This may however mean that no appointments remain available at the surgery. The assessment of need takes place all day and uses the information the patient provides. If the clinician believes an appointment is necessary, they will decide whether this needs to be on the same day or another day. If a same-day appointment is needed, they will offer one if available, or signpost to a different service if this is more appropriate or if no appointments remain. If the clinician believes this is more appropriate for another day, they will either offer to book on a different day or send a self-book link. If you want to have an appointment outside of normal office hours, we have some appointments every week between 7 and 8 am, which are either face-to-face or telephone consultations. In the near future, all these appointments will be telephone appointments only. To book one of those appointments, patients will still need to go through the assessment on need process. This allows us to provide patients who need the appointments most with the appointment they need.
It’s a very difficult system to try speak to someone and getting through to get a appointment is very difficult
We assume this patient is talking about our phone system. The system leaves a lot to be desired and we are preparing for a new system. If you want to have your say on what you think of our current system and what you would like to see in a new phone system, you can do so here: https://www.grimethorpesurgery.nhs.uk/information/patient-information-and-support/we-welcome-patients-feedback-on-their-experiences-with-the-practice/telephone-system-telephone-access-survey/
To book appointment in Grimethorpe surgery 206 calls and 50min waiting time on phone line.
That’s must be something wrong
We refer to the above. We are working on a new phone system.
The female doctor at cudworth surgery was amazing and she was friendly and very helpful
The Doctor I saw was very caring and efficient.
As far as the quality of service at the surgery is, as usual it is first class. My case is that appointments i have are are repeat appointments eg warfarin or blood tests. The normal routine of making a appointment if you are ill is different the idiots at the top have no idea of the real world and are only interested in scoring browny points.IF IT AINT BROKE DON’T MEND IT. They seem to only have the abiliry to brake it more.
We’re uncertain what ‘idiots’ this patient is referring to. The government? NHS England? The management of the practice? In our defence, we are trying to put together a system where all patients who need help have a fair (and better) chance of receiving this help. Rather than the first come-first serve system that used to exist and that disadvantaged those without a chance to get through first thing in the morning. Especially the elderly seemed to be disadvantaged then. They couldn’t press the button on a mobile phone multiple times within minutes to get through to us as they didn’t have one. It was also a time when those with a tickly big toe for 5 minutes got an appointment whereas those with a cough, breathlessness and green phlegm, didn’t just because they didn’t get through first and the appointments had already gone. Now the clinicians determine whether a patient needs an appointment, advice, a prescription or should be signposted to a different service. This leaves us to use the appointments for those that need one.
No complaints about any receptionist or doctor’s as they are all lovely and do their best. It’s the whole process of getting through to the surgery and then to get an appointment which i know they do their best to do. However it is the most stressful part about having to see a doctor.
When you have a infection you should be sent for bloods I was not requested to have bloods to show where infection is coming from I had Xray and sputum still need blood checking as well to see where the infection is coming from need following up as to why it’s not clearing fully .need ct scan or mri to find cause now .and bloods checking .
I’m afraid this patient has misunderstood the need for blood tests. Unfortunately, blood tests could only show if there are signs of an infection (white blood cells (certain types of white blood cells making a viral, other type of white blood cells making a bacterial infection more likely) are up to fight an infection, the inflammation marker is up). They do however not show us where the infection is coming from or where in the body it is. The fact an x-ray was done and a sputum sample was requested, suggests that a chest infection was suspected. The x-ray will show if there is anything underlying in the lungs to make it more likely an infection will linger. The sputum sample will determine which bugs are causing the infection and which antibiotics will treat the infection. If an infection doesn’t seem to clear, this usually means that there is either something underlying (less common), or the bugs causing the infection don’t respond to the antibiotics given (more common). The sputum culture will tell us which antibiotics will kill the infection, showing us the best way forward to treat the problem.
Getting an appointment at Grimethorpe, What a joke,should be ashamed, Doctors behind locked doors.
This patient is quite displeased with our services it appears. We can only assume this patient expected to receive an appointment and was signposted elsewhere. Either because our capacity had been reached or because this was more appropriate for the problem. We are frequently faced with patients who believe it is their right to be seen at the surgery they are registered with and who ‘out of principle don’t want to go to iHeart when they have a surgery around the corner’. Our doors are not locked. Our doctors aren’t hiding behind them. Instead, they work hard and long hours to provide our patients with the best possible care they can. They are only human and when we are full, we’re full. We can’t magic up any appointments. Rather than feeling ashamed of the service we are providing, I feel rather proud of what our team achieves every day under very difficult conditions. Our doctors, nursing team, reception team and other team members do all they can to help our patients best. I am very proud of each and every one of the team.
And that concludes the feedback we’ve received from our patients about our services this week. We are also seeing some more responses to our Telephone system satisfaction and options surveys. Our nursing team would also like to thank our patients for the feedback they are receiving on their performance from our patients. This will help them in their preparations for their annual appraisals, their professional development plans and their revalidation. Your help is very much appreciated. Thank you.
