KM

Kent M. 6 years ago • From Google

Rating

Bad

Reception staff attitude makes booking appointments difficult

The reception team display a notably unwelcoming demeanour, appearing dismissive, unhelpful and seemingly viewing patients seeking care as an unwelcome disruption to their day. While it is acknowledged that they may encounter challenging situations, their general approach to those attempting to book appointments tends to involve visible irritation, audible frustration and minimal assistance offered. This is particularly evident when staff members cluster together at a single desk, leaving phones unanswered whilst making critical comments about clinical staff within earshot of patients. This leaves one team member, who stands out for maintaining a courteous approach and should not be grouped with the others, to manage the queue of people waiting at the reception window alone. For those using this practice, the online appointment system offers a preferable alternative. The digital platform does not exhibit dismissive behaviour, and wider adoption might prompt reflection on whether human reception staff provide the value they should. The role ideally requires qualities such as empathy, compassion, understanding and basic courtesy—attributes that an automated system arguably demonstrates more effectively in its current form, and which paradoxically appear more present in a non-human interaction than in the actual human contact being provided. The management of the practice appears unresponsive to this feedback. Similar concerns have been raised repeatedly over an extended period through multiple channels including online reviews, NHS feedback platforms and patient suggestion forms, as well as being communicated directly to clinical staff during appointments. Despite this consistent input, no meaningful improvement has materialised, and the situation appears to have deteriorated rather than improved.

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