Combs Ford Surgery

I have no problems with the surgery at all, from my experience it works very well and you can get appointments as and when you need them, it's all fine.

Phoning up for appointments is working well, staff are wonderful and are really helpful. Its an excellent service, I've got nothing I'm concerned about, generally very happy. There is one issue in the car park, one of the trees protrudes in to one of the parking spaces slightly.

The phlebotomist is really nice and helpful as are most of the reception staff and it makes all the difference. I've had call backs with in about 2 hours but I would prefer that I could see my GP face to face as some issues need to be seen.

I couldn't get the appointment I wanted, a blood test with a nurse that I was advised to last week by a doctor

[Day1] I requested further info about booking a Hep. B vaccine via the 'Ask My GP' service. Selected 'call back' option for the next day as I was working on the day the enquiry was sent. Despite this information, I was then called on [Day1] but because I was working I missed the call. Following voicemail on [Day1] I knew to expect a call first thing on [Day2]. [Day2] I was called by another person who then booked me in for the first stage of Hep. B vaccinations on [Day8]. This surprised me because only asked for further information about the process. [Day3] I had a message to say that my 'Ask My GP' request had been resolved and closed - this is something I had seen in a previous enquiry so dismissed the message as standard procedure after opening the service and seeing the the enquiry had definitely been closed.

[Day8] turned up for my appointment, all signing in machines were out of order and no receptionists were at the desk and also didn't appear, even though I could hear them in the side of the room, when I rang the bell provided to let reception know patients had arrived. After standing around in reception another patient turned up and got sent through to the waiting room by a woman passing-by (staff). The same woman then noticed me and in a rude manner asked why I was there to which I replied that I had a vaccination booked for roughly five minutes time. The woman then abruptly asked who I was before vaguely gesturing for me to sit down in the waiting room. I then sat in that waiting room with no acknowledgment of if I'd even been signed in for at least 10 minutes before being called through to room 1A.

As soon as I was in room 1A, without any introductions, it was demanded that I 'explain why I was there'. When I explained the above process of the 'ask my GP' enquiries etc. I was asked why I hadn't responded to "the messages". When I said that I hadn't received any messages and I asked what the messages were I did not get given an answer.

After essentially being told off for even being there I was told that I needed a risk assessment form signed by my employer and that the surgery still needed to order the vaccinations. I explained I was happy to do this but the staff member in room 1A was too focused on how much of an inconvenience it was that I was even at the appointment. To try move away from the behaviour presented I tried to find a way to prevent the surgery being unable to get in contact in the future by providing my work contact number which was then written on a post-it note, so there isn't even a guarantee that will be added to my record. After still not being told what messages were sent, I ended up being told to leave after the risk assessment form, that I asked to take with me so the same problem wouldn't happen again, was unable to be printed or emailed to me.

I am writing this complaint because there was absolutely no reason for the way I was treated. The rudeness and dismissive behaviour of staff and the inquisition that started as soon as I entered the treatment room was unnecessary. After the appointment ended, I checked my 'Ask My GP' portal and saw on [Day3] that the same person who sent a message about the issues of paperwork and practice procedure also resolved the message and therefore removed the active status within the same minute as sending it out. It was the final message of the enquiry being resolved that I had seen before the appointment.

By reading between the lines of what was being said by the staff member in room 1A, I've gathered that I shouldn't have been booked before completing the risk assessment form. This is something I understand and I would have been happy to have cancelled the appointment to a time when the appropriate paperwork had been completed and the vaccinations had even been ordered. I am completely unimpressed with the way this situation was handled as, after the appointment, I've seen the messages and I had no texts or voicemails to indicate that the surgery tried to get in contact to change my appointment. In future just send text messages to call the practice instead of calling and leaving no message and relying on a system that clearly isn't always reliable.

Having contacted the surgery via the 'Ask my GP' process asking for a home visit appointment for my elderly mother after concerns about her health I was pleased that Health Care Practitioner (name removed) was able to visit my mum & carry out an examination of her. Mum mentioned that he had a caring & compassionate approach to her & explained things to her clearly. As I live over an hours drive away I was grateful for his call to me to explain the result of his visit, it was very reassuring.

Made to queue up outside. No shelter or chairs. Hard to see a doctor and you now see a nurse practitioner. I am also hard of hearing and lip rid, so can't hear what they say. Going to the vets is far better treatment.

Having spent several years in pain but always being told it was constipation or some other random problem. I presented every single symptom of ovarian cysts. Despite several visits culminating in my having an emergency operation on New Year’s Eve, my dr missed it completely.

I had an emergency hysterectomy due to the cysts being roughly 20 cm in size, there being numerous cysts, and one had twisted around my ovaries. Following surgery, no follow up checks have been made. I suffer agoraphobia, the Dr asked me why are you not going out? Then went on to blame the fact I have my daughters ashes downstairs and that, to them, meant I wasn’t helping myself.

My daughter died from suicide 2019. I have been asked, despite being in a wheelchair and stressing how bad my agoraphobia is, a Covid injection, at some test centre an hour away from my home. So I can’t have it done.

I was very ill and dr saw me and was great and she was brilliant when I what'd information about COVID-19 vaccine jab.

Failure to sign, scan and send through a death certificate 5 days after my mum passed- requiring registrar, funeral director and myself to chase - appalling.