SS

Saniya S. 19 days ago • From Google

Rating

Bad

Receptionist triage system needs urgent improvement

VERY DISAPPOINTING!!! Update — April 2026 (part 1) — this practice continues to deteriorate, and I genuinely have concerns about patient safety here. I am considering making a formal complaint and switching to a different practice. Being asked to wait several weeks to see a clinician for a condition that an external service has flagged as urgent is completely unacceptable. On another occasion, I was told no appointments were available with a clinician, yet that same external service was able to book me an urgent appointment at the practice immediately. However, one clinician demonstrated considerable care and attentiveness, taking time to explore the underlying causes of my concerns and treating my worries seriously rather than dismissing them. The receptionist triage process raises significant safety concerns for me. The current booking system appears to lack adequate prioritisation methods. Another clinician seemed willing to help, though I felt they could have reviewed my previous consultation notes more thoroughly. I recently called to book an urgent appointment due to experiencing fainting episodes. My medical history included a known heart rhythm condition and an existing referral to a heart specialist, which would have been visible in my records. I called in the morning. After experiencing multiple fainting episodes that week, I was offered the earliest available appointment at an out-of-hours service in two days. When I asked when I could see my regular clinician, I was told the soonest available would be approximately three to four weeks away. I attended the out-of-hours appointment as I needed medical assessment. During that visit, an ambulance was called and I was admitted to hospital overnight. This situation required an urgent same-day appointment with my regular clinician, or at minimum, communication between the receptionist and my clinician before directing me elsewhere. The lack of communication about my repeated fainting episodes may have prevented the hospital admission. This is not satisfactory.

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