Bungay Medical Practice

I have to have 2 appointments - one for an injection and one for a blood test. Previously I had both tasks completed in one appointment. I have now got to travel 6 miles for one of these appointments when my practice is only 2 miles away. While I appreciate practice staff have areas of expertise, it will deskill staff if they are not regularly performing some of the former skills. Also, when you work you cannot keep taking time off to attend different appointments when everything can be conducted at one visit.

I’ve had several issues with the practice myself over the years but this one really tops it. My partner called the surgery during lockdown and asked to speak with a doctor to get some mental health support. The receptionist asked him where he lived to which he gave our address, this followed by her telling him that they could not help as we were outside of their area. A young man calls desperately struggling with his mental health and is told no one can help - just the reason why suicide rates are so so high. I don’t know how they can sleep at night knowing that they put the phone down on him in a time of need.

As my first surgery growing up, my experiences have made me extremely anxious about going to the doctors. The first time I called to make my own doctors appointment (a nervous thing in itself), I was given the earliest appointment, but as I was visiting my grandparents and had to get a bus there (my grandfather had cancer and could no longer drive) I asked for a slightly later appointment, this was met with a rude patronising response of "are you aware there is a doctors surgery in Halesworth Miss..... " and was made to feel bad about my request.

I got an appointment slightly later that I had to run for. I wish I could say this is the only time they were rude to me but it wasn't, and each time you're essentially gaslighted into thinking you're not really ill. Appointments are never on time. I order to pick up my contraceptive pill, after placing the request the correct time in advance, I had to go between the surgery dispensary and the boots 4 times, each time waiting in a long queue, each time saying the other dispensary had it.

I was advised by a nurse practitioner that needed to complete a urine sample on Monday morning, I arrived at 8am and came in to reception, nobody was at the desk, I waited for some time and then rang the doorbell next to reception. I could see and hear lots of staff in the room behind reception but nobody came. I waited a while longer and then pressed it again. After a wait a woman with brown hair came storming into reception, I said ‘hello I am here to do a urine sample’, she opened the glass divider and said ‘sorry?’ In a moody tone. I repeated myself and she grabbed a sample pot and bag and handed it to me saying ‘when you are done, put it collection point by the door’.
She was about to walk away, when I asked ‘sorry where are the toilets?’
Through those double doors is all she said.
I walked towards the only double doors that I could see, which suggested it was private access but there was no way I wanted to ask her again! I came to an unlit hallway and had to turn my phone torch on to find the toilet on the right. When I returned to reception I looked for the specimen collection point by the door but couldn’t see it anywhere.
I had also realised that there was no information on the sample pot to say that it was mine, I pressed the doorbell again, this time a lovely young lady came to reception, I asked her how I add my details to the pot and where I should put it, she very helpfully passed me a sticker and a pen and explained what information I needed to add. She also handed me a basket from behind reception for me to put my sample in.
Both of those things needed to happen in order for my sample to actually get somewhere. Had I just done what the First Lady had said then I would have ended up putting an unlabelled specimen possibly in a newspaper rack by the door!
I am a nurse myself, so I know the standards we should be meeting in the NHS. This didn’t come close to meeting them. Had I have been elderly or disabled, I may have had an accident in that dark hallway. I understand it was early, but the first thing you do is turn the lights on when you start a shift?

You call for a non urgent appointment after the busy period to spread the load on the reception to be told sorry today's appointments have all gone ring back at 8 tomorrow! But I don't want to put in a long queue and don't need an appointment that day just book me one later in the week or so? Madness you cant book a future appointment not on the same day.

They refuse to get BSL Interpreters for Deaf patients who use British Sign Language. They refuse to note our requirements despite the Accessible Information Standards stating a patient's preferences should be flagged up. Staff don’t understand BSL. Doctor themself has actually been ringing Deaf patients to make a voice call. Unbelievable. They refuse to adjust at all. Years and years of requests ignored. Lack of equal access to our healthcare

The receptionists are always rude, I’m yet to have an encounter with a friendly one. I’m regularly made to feel stupid or like an inconvenience.

Trying to get a same-day consultation for a resident in the care home is impossible we get the same answers why have we not called in the morning. The answer is very simple residents can become unwell at 1pm.

Called this morning and got an 'on the day' appointment with a GP, which I am pleased about, and can ask no more.
Receptionists are professional and I understand why they ask extra questions. Just running over 20mins (so far) late today, but I expect it.

Appointments often over 30 mins late. I prefer to see my own doctor, but it happens rarely. I just find it difficult to repeat issues, they just read off a screen. The staff are kind and caring.