Needham Market Country Practice

I do find it hard to get through on the phone, you wait a very long time then you sometimes get cut off. However when you do get through the treatment is good, if you can get seen you get sorted.

I'm not that keen with the surgery, they don't seem to know what they are doing and I've lost confidence in them. It's been hard to get my eye drops as there have been delays getting the prescription sent over to the pharmacy.

I had a reaction to the RSV lung injection given to over 75's, my arm swelled up over 3 days, it went hot and swollen. I rang up the surgery and told them what had happened and I went down and saw a paramedic at the surgery not a GP who I actually wanted to see, but they did call the GP onsite into the room and confirmed it was an infection. I was prescribed antibiotics then the Paramedic also said take Ibuprofen tablets and also to use Ibuprofen gel which I would have to purchase. On the advice I did purchase the items but my friend who actually works in a pharmacy phoned another pharmacy who confirmed that taking both anti-inflammatory tablets and gel is not advisable. I am very disappointed. This used to be such a good surgery. I have found a lack of consistency and you just cant get to see a GP which I can get cross about.

I wanted to see a GP and the only thing I received was a text telling me that they thought was my medical issue and prescribed me some medication, I didn't actually speak to anyone at all ! I think this is terrible service !

Regarding my asthma review they told me that I needed to go to Stowhealth so I went as requested.I was called in by a GP not a nurse and the GP did not know what I was there for, they eventually fitted me in to see the nurse a little later, they changed my inhalers and it would be sorted for me to collect at Needham Market, so I was told to return in two days, nothing, I went back a week later still nothing, apparently it was still showing as a task, so I phoned Needham market surgery, it was eventually sorted out but communications between surgeries was poor, and patient left in the middle. It is also very hard to access an appointment on their online facility. You phone at 08.30 and you are immediately number 30 in the queue.

It is very rare that you can actually get to see a GP but when you do get to see the nursing team or the nurse practitioner they are excellent. I have noticed that the front desk staff can be quite rude to patients, there is one member of that team in particular who I have seen as being very rude more than once which is not right, especially when we are told that rudeness is not tolerated from the patient. The online platform is disappointing as it only seems to manage one symptom at a time. Phone lines open at 8am and then appointments seem to close a few minutes after and then we are told to try again the next day. Customer service is very low at this surgery and making mistakes are often blamed on the patient, I had an appointment for an injection but I called up to re-arrange it but on the day it was originally booked I was contacted to say that I had missed my appointment! but I hadn't as I had re-booked it with the surgery.

The line of first defence .Receptionist 2 is lovely but another one has a terrible telephone manner.

Hello there before I start please bear with me as I'm dyslexic and disabled I would like to say that your staff are always very helpful and understanding with me

I'm always having trouble getting through

Hello I had a problem with my login details on my phone and would like to say that you and your colleague were just brilliant and understanding they have got my phone login details working brilliant now. And would like to say that your colleague and staff are very helpful and polite