Idle Medical Centre
2 years ago PG
Pauline G. 2 years ago • From Google
Poor
I experienced a significant delay in receiving a callback regarding some test results that required clarification. When I initially contacted the practice to arrange a consultation, I was informed the wait would be approximately 48 hours. However, once that timeframe had elapsed without contact, I called back only to be told the actual waiting period was 72 hours. This extended delay felt unnecessarily long compared to what might be experienced in an emergency department setting. I found myself making numerous call attempts before successfully getting through to book an appointment—approximately 75 attempts over a 20-minute window during morning hours. Online booking options appear unavailable, with no appointments showing as accessible through that method. The practice's website information also appears outdated, and while it references a positive rating, this assessment dates back several years and may not reflect current service levels. Since the pandemic, face-to-face appointments have become difficult to access, and telephone interactions have been inconsistent in quality. I do want to acknowledge that the nursing and reception staff have been helpful and professional; I recognise they likely bear the brunt of patient frustration given the accessibility challenges. I have concerns about patients who are less digitally confident, particularly regarding the difficulty in requesting prescriptions by phone. The practice might benefit from implementing separate telephone lines for different services—such as dedicated lines for prescription requests, results enquiries, and appointment bookings—rather than routing all calls through a single line. The stress of navigating this process has been considerable. I'm also curious why the practice's public ratings have not been updated since the earlier assessment, and whether this reflects changes in service delivery standards.
Dear Pauline, Thank you for your feedback. I am sorry you feel our service has failed you recently. I am Malcolm MacDonald, the Practice Manager. You have raised a number of issues which I will try to address. Following your recent blood test you received a text message asking you to make an appointment with a GP "within 2 weeks". This in itself makes clear that the matter was not urgent. We do try to endeavour to meet our 48hr call-back target but on this occasion we have failed and I apologize for this. The point about going to A&E for a blood test is somewhat spurious, we do not ask you sit and wait in the practice to get your results, simply to be available on your phone. Our phone system is, and always will be, very busy at 08.30. If your reason for calling is not urgent, which yours wasn't, then you are better waiting till a little later (after 10.00) and you will almost certainly get straight through. We are introducing a new phone system later in the year which will eliminate the engaged tone as well as offering a range of other benefits. We have adapted our model of operating to offer a range of appointment types and clinicians including Enhanced Access appointments in evenings and weekends both here and at other local practices. You refer to our CQC rating of "Good" and question its validity. We have had 2 "remote" reviews since 2016 (this was a "physical" review). The last review was summer of 2023 and confirmed our "Good" rating. CQC have limited resources, like all parts of the NHS, and save their physical inspections for those organizations that are more problematic. I hope I have addressed your issues but please feel free to contact me at the practice if there is anything you wish to discuss further. Once again apologies for the issues you have had recently. Kind Regards, Malcolm MacDonald Practice Manager Idle Medical Centre
Zara M.