GS

Glen S. 4 years ago • From Google

Rating

Bad

Impossible to get a simple appointment

Total time squandering experience. Impossible to secure a consultation without navigating through Ask my GP. Explicitly denied an appointment despite being directly on the phone with them. The Ask My GP website instructs that for genuinely urgent matters, one should call the surgery. Yet the receptionist never inquired about the urgency or nature of my request. My work schedule prevents me from accessing emails during the ridiculously narrow timeframe of 0830-0930, if you're fortunate. Not everyone has the luxury of sitting in front of a computer all day. I rarely seek medical attention, sometimes going years between visits, and when I genuinely need assistance, they go out of their way to discourage me. I've heard complaints about appointment difficulties, and now I understand completely. It's no surprise Accident and Emergency departments are overwhelmed - they're essentially performing the tasks you're failing to do. You must take great pride in this approach; I would be mortified to be associated with such a service.

Penn Hill Surgery

3 years ago

Dear Glen, I am so sorry that you have had difficulty arranging an appointment at the surgery. When Ask My GP is closed early it is for capacity issues, however any urgent queries should be directed through our reception team by calling the surgery whilst we are open between 8:30 and 6pm, I would recommend not leaving it too late in the day as this reduces the time we have to help. The demand for appointments is currently very high and continues to rise. On some days I only have a single GP to cover the service with support from advanced nurse practitioners. On other days it is 2 and occasionally the 3 I need to open the service for the full hour. This is explained on the splash screen when you try the platform. I am surprised you were not asked the nature and grade of your problem and am prepared to review the telephone call you made to see what went wrong. You can ring at 8:30 as well as use AMGP as we recognise not everyone can have access to a computer for that hour. If you have a smart phone it will also permit you to use the AMGP app should you have internet access from it. Once again may I apologise for the difficulties you have experienced and if you would like to discuss this with me further, please do not hesitate to contact me at the surgery. Kind regards, Brian Matthews, Practice Manager

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