POOR ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY TOWARDS PATIENTS
Arrived for scheduled appointment at Flu clinic 3rd October. It was raining heavily, the doors were locked and there was no one visible inside the clinic, so I knocked at the door. Eventually a woman came and opened the door, and she angrily stated that she and her entire staff were having their 'tea break' and I should not be there yet. I protested, saying I had a flu jab appointment, she insisted I was 'too early' and said loudly that I had been 'rude'. I was able to get in and did obtain my jab. The overall experience was dreadful. I was made to feel unwanted, unwelcome and as secondary to the Admin Staff's comfort. I want to say that the Doctors and Nurses at this practice are all absolutely lovely and caring. I will put forth that they are completely unaware of the behaviour of administration. Since COVID, the admin staff have become increasingly unwelcoming and make it clear by body language, tone of voice, and their abrupt way of 'getting rid of' patients, as though the patient was 'in the way', that our Grove Surgery has become an unpleasant place to go. We, as patients, have no recourse other than to go through the gauntlet of unwelcoming clerical staff, and it hurts people. It hurts to feel unwanted, unwelcomed and resented by the staff. It is keeping some patients away from the clinic, as they don't want this treatment. When you are sick, elderly, unwell in any way, to be treated cruelly makes it all that much worse. This policy of Administration First, Patient Last, needs to be turned around. We must prioritize our patient care; that is what our NHS is all about. Again, I have very high praise indeed for the clinical staff. If only the admin staff would follow suit.