The Phoenix Practice
DD
Dori D. 8 years ago • From Google
Bad
Whenever I attempt to book an appointment, suitable availability is never offered to me. One member of the reception team comes across as dismissive and appears to lack compassion towards patients. They deliver the same scripted response repeatedly without variation, seemingly having memorised a standard speech. Their apparent inability to recognise that people only contact the practice when genuinely unwell is striking, and their unwillingness to provide genuine assistance is deeply frustrating. The practice operates morning and afternoon emergency slots that require a telephone call to access. Even when calling at the exact time slots open, the queue is extremely long, with dozens of callers ahead. By the time you reach the front of the queue, no emergency appointments remain available, and instead you receive calls from clinicians after standard hours have finished, which provides no practical help if someone requires immediate medication, prescriptions, referrals or documentation. This limitation is not clearly communicated when you first call, at a time when you are desperate to resolve your health concerns. I understand the practice is busy, but surely patient wellbeing should be the main focus? Surely there could be brief moments throughout the day to contact someone from the waiting list? What purpose does asking about symptoms serve if those symptoms are not actually considered in the response? For all anyone knows, there could be something significant requiring urgent attention, but because appointments cannot be arranged and contact only happens after 6PM, potential issues remain unidentified. Thank you to the reception staff member today for making an already unwell patient feel considerably worse and more frustrated.
Toyin A.