Ashcroft Surgery
AC
Anita C. 3 years ago • From Google
Bad
I called to schedule an appointment at 8.30am but the lines were busy until someone picked up at 9.25am, only to inform me that no appointments were available. I was feeling quite unwell and had been waiting on hold for nearly an hour. The receptionist suggested I either try again at 1pm or call back at 8.30 the following day. When I tried at 1pm, I was on hold until 1.30pm and received the same response about no available appointments. Although the receptionist was courteous and understanding, there was nothing they could offer, and I became upset given how poorly I felt. They advised me to contact 111, which I did. The 111 service assessed my situation and indicated I needed to be seen within 12 hours, sending a referral to the practice and instructing me to call back and inform them of this referral, as I needed to be seen urgently. When I mentioned to 111 that the practice had stated no appointments were available, they explained that practices must reserve some slots for such referrals and advised me to call again and insist on being seen. However, when I rang the practice again, I received the same response—that despite the referral, there were no appointments available. They asked me to attend the surgery the next morning at 8.10am and said I would be seen. I did attend and waited from 8am until 10.30am before being seen. The surgery itself appeared poorly maintained and unclean, with the toilet lacking paper towels or hand-drying facilities, and the bin in there was in an unacceptable state. The overall condition of the premises was run down, and even the doctor's printer was not functioning. It should not be this challenging to book an appointment or even get through on the telephone lines. The answer machine suggests using the online consultation service, yet that service appears to be consistently unavailable. In my situation, I genuinely needed to see a doctor, and 111 had determined I needed to be seen that same day. The doctor recommended I write to the practice manager and my MP regarding these concerns. That said, the clinical staff are excellent once you finally manage to see one.
Regina J.