Saxmundham Health Feedback Centre 2020

Useless

September 18, 2020

Every visit is nearly poor I feel like a broken record how many times do I have to say I have no email or Internet (have borrowed someone's phone to post this on my behalf) cause you may listen then
Not everyone wants to make appointment by email or order there meds via email I certainly don't and won't. As for phoning to get appointment, receptionist acts like a doctor and wants to know what's wrong and I feel that there deciding my fate when that's for the gp to decide not someone sitting on reception even though I say it's personal; so much for confidentiality between a doctor and their patient. I will be registering at another surgery as I feel this is wrong.
Have only had one good experience with one member of staff, the only one I see smiling every time I'm at the surgery and I would rather deal with her than anyone else at the surgery as she took the time to find out what was going on for me.

Anonymous

Reply from Saxmundham Health

We have a lot of patients who do not use computers so we are used to helping patients without technology. Posting prescription requests is fine but a bit slower.
Receptionists do not just allocate GP appointments anymore because the number of requests is immense. We now often get over 500 calls a day so need to triage them and the receptionists help us in that task. We have 3 or 4 receptionists answering all these calls all day and they are trained to ‘Care Navigate’ - ask questions to determine the most appropriate health professional to help you. I believe all the local Surgeries do this.
Our Care Navigators, like all Surgery staff, are bound by the same strict confidentiality rules as Doctors and Nurses.
I am pleased to hear you found the ‘smiley’ member of staff helpful.

Can't get an appointment

August 19, 2020

You are just met with excuses

Anonymous

Reply from Saxmundham Health

These are not excuses but some facts:
When demand was lower we could just give appointments out and everyone was happy. The average consultation rate for each patient across the country has gone through the roof and we have a much wider range of professional support nowadays so we can direct our resources to the need that is out there. This why Care Navigation was launched nationally in Primary Care to direct patients to the most appropriate health care professional. We are very fortunate to have Mental Health Nurse and Physio presence every day along with our Advanced Nurse Practitioners and Social Prescribers who are all here to help and advise our patients along with the six GPs who work at Saxmundham Health.

Lack of communication via Reception/Doctors

July 2, 2020

I was advised to call Dispensary @8.30 (which I did, on the dot) to speak to (name removed). I was placed on a phone message that went on for 18 minutes... Why give the advise to call @8.30. When there is clearly no one there in Dispensary to answer the phone? Update: I waited 20 minutes for someone to answer my call (there was a meeting, and they couldn’t answer, they explained. Why wasn’t I advised the day before to call (name removed) at home where she is working? I’m sorry, but communication is the only irritating issue I find wrong with the practice. And that’s easy to work on.

Anonymous

Reply from Saxmundham Health

I apologise for your experience here.
The volume of calls is immense and we are continuing to try and find solutions.
We have recently introduced 'all staff' COVID meetings at 0800 on a Tuesday and the member of staff might have forgotten that she could not take a call then. That was an error which must have been very irritating and I apologise for that.

Friendly & professional

May 2, 2020

I am a new patient that joined the surgery just before the lockdown and major covid outbreak. It was simple and very easy to join the surgery and have my records transferred from my original doctors surgery. I am on regular medication monthly and this has been an easy transfer and continuation of supply with no issues. this surgery has a dispensary within the surgery so when you put a prescription in online, when you go to the doctors to normally collect just the prescription paper you can just pick up the medication, cutting out the middle man and an additional waiting stage.

the staff are all friendly in despite the difficult situation they are currently facing. All the staff remain very helpful and informative providing a professional and friendly service.

Sam Parker

Wonderful Modern Surgery & Dedicated Staff

April 22, 2020

Not one specific experience. A multiple of experiences and needs catered for at all times with first class attentive care and explanation.

Anonymous

Very professional

January 10, 2020

Friday afternoon - a long queue of people waiting for the dispensary.
Clearly they were under-staffed for whatever reason- but a woman at the front of the queue who was determined to ensure that the whole of the waiting room should hear that she was “very important” and that she was unhappy. Despite being reassured repeatedly that everything was being and indeed had been done to ensure her prescription would be sorted, the lady continued to berate the member of staff quite unnecessarily. The member of staff was a consummate professional; remained calm and helpful and managed to keep the rest of the queue happy whilst also managing the reception desk. Well done. You deserve a huge vote of thanks from the Practice Manager - and I speak as a former Director of one of Suffolk’s Health Trusts .

Anonymous

Fast and friendly practice..

October 30, 2019

I have had cause to call twice recently and both times I have been seen on the same day and had a fast and friendly service... Excellent thanks!

Anonymous

Can't get an appointment with 'my' GP.

October 2, 2019

I don't use the GP that much: with MS I tend to go via my MS Nurse. But if I do want to see a GP, it's nigh on impossible to get an appointment with 'my' GP. Continuity of care from same person would be nice. Flipside of this is that you get different viewpoints, not just from one person's opinion or experience.

Anonymous

They are busy and rushed, little time to care

September 10, 2019

Very difficult to access appointments. Parking can be difficult too, as it's so busy. When you see medical staff they are great but have less time to care and you feel rushed.

Anonymous

Rude staff! and waiting around...

August 21, 2019

I had to wait for an appointment for over 40 minutes and other people that arrived whilst i waited were getting called in. Some of the staff are very rude! and was told certain things would take place on a day which did not happen not happy with there service! If anything they completely messed me around! made me very unhappy

Anonymous

Saxmundham Health