Oakenhurst Medical Practice
SB
Samantha B. 4 years ago • From Google
Bad
I have been a patient at this practice since childhood. During my teenage years when I began arranging my own appointments, I experienced no difficulties—I could always reach the surgery by phone and never felt dismissed for seeking medical attention or routine check-ups. However, before the pandemic, my confidence in the practice had already diminished significantly. The reception staff consistently displayed discourteous behaviour, both when visiting in person and during phone calls. Booking appointments became increasingly problematic; when calling ahead, I was frequently told nothing was available for several weeks. Yet on occasions when I visited the surgery in person on the same day I had attempted to book, I was informed that slots existed throughout that week, including that very day. This discrepancy was frustrating, particularly as not all patients simply need prescriptions—some require appointments to obtain referrals for specialist investigations. Since the pandemic and in its aftermath, obtaining a phone connection has become extremely challenging. After morning emergency slots conclude, there is typically a considerable wait before the phone lines reopen. Once connected, callers find themselves in a lengthy queue, only to be disconnected just as they near the front. On the rare occasions when contact is successfully made, the reception staff remain as unhelpful as before, and appear to be offering medical opinions before asking whether a clinician should return the call. Today I was informed I would receive a callback from an out-of-hours service, but this call never arrived. The practice appears unwilling to provide in-person consultations for most patients, staff are reluctant to spend even brief periods on telephone appointments, and promised callbacks fail to materialise. This experience is deeply unsatisfactory and falls well short of acceptable standards.
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