Oak Street Medical Practice

Helpful staff who listened to my concerns

The best healthcare provider in Norwich consistently offers excellent support during office visits. The entire medical team demonstrates first-class professionalism and care.

Difficult to reach and long wait for appointments

The practice rarely responds to telephone inquiries and typically does not provide same-day consultations or callbacks unless the matter is deemed urgent, instead suggesting appointments several weeks ahead (which raises questions about managing time-sensitive health concerns). Additionally, some clinical staff interactions came across as somewhat dismissive.

Deleted from surgery records after address update

Following my initial visit at Oak Street, where the healthcare provider initiated steps to address a longstanding digestive issue by prescribing treatment, requesting diagnostic testing, and scheduling a follow-up appointment, I notified the practice of my house move. My follow-up appointment was scheduled for 25 days after the first visit. I telephoned on the morning of the appointment as I had not received an expected reminder notification and was unable to log into the patient portal. Following a 10 minute wait and a subsequent return call, I was informed that my records had been removed in accordance with correspondence allegedly sent to both my previous and current addresses. This correspondence never arrived. I have a mail redirect in place at my former address and find it implausible that both letters would have been lost in transit. The more probable scenario is that the letters were not dispatched. This seems more likely given that I was told the letter had been sent a week before I informed the surgery of my address change. Despite three separate phone calls, the practice's handling of the situation resulted in me missing my appointment, which prevented me from obtaining my prescription. I will now be without my medication until I can register elsewhere and secure an appointment with another provider. The diagnostic test results have been lost, meaning I will need to restart the investigation into my condition from the beginning. Oak Street appears on the NHS GP finder as serving my area, being only 1.8 miles from my new residence. However, the practice states they only cover certain postcodes, information which is not displayed on their website. Had Oak Street allowed 30 days from when I notified them of my move, I could have attended my appointment and transferred my care to another practice without creating additional NHS burden and without interrupting my treatment. Oak Street appears to be poorly managed, and I would caution others against registering there. Whilst my condition is not serious, this situation could have had far more serious consequences had I been diagnosed with a more critical health issue during that initial appointment.

Telephone system left me waiting repeatedly

I would rate this lower if possible. The telephone system is extremely problematic. Calls went unanswered and I waited over 30 minutes on multiple occasions. When I did get through once, I was informed I had reached the incorrect department and the call was disconnected. After several days, a second call was answered, but I was directed to contact the hospital regarding a test result, with the suggestion that this should have been handled by the practice. The reception and front desk staff appeared to lack attentiveness to patient needs. The overall experience suggests significant organisational difficulties that would likely result in serious consequences in a private healthcare setting. The service appears to be in considerable disarray.

Phone lines need improvement at surgery

The team members are excellent, however there are consistent difficulties when attempting to contact the practice by phone. Getting through can involve considerable waiting periods, which unfortunately detracts from the overall experience at the surgery. This has been an ongoing issue. Implementing a telephone queuing system could potentially address this concern.

Reception check-in caused lengthy waiting times

The clinical staff are excellent, however there was an issue with the check-in process that resulted in an extended wait of over two hours before being seen. In general, appointment wait times at this practice tend to be lengthy, often exceeding an hour even when appointments have been pre-booked.

Cancelled appointments without my consent

On two separate occasions, I arranged time off work to attend appointments at the Oak Street location, only to discover upon arrival that the appointments had been cancelled via text message. I was unable to obtain confirmation of the cancellation details when I inquired. I suspect the practice may be experiencing scheduling issues. After two years, I am still awaiting my initial consultation, and I hope that whatever I need to be seen for does not become more serious in the meantime.