Thirsk Doctors Surgery
MM
Ms_trill M. one year ago • From Google
Bad
This practice has been my surgery since I was young and previously provided excellent support. Since the pandemic, the appointment system appears to be structured in a way that makes it challenging for working patients to access care. The process prioritises administrative convenience rather than patient-centred service. To see a GP, you're placed on a triage call list for a specific day without a designated time slot, requiring you to remain available throughout that entire day. If you miss the call, you're removed from the list, and non-urgent appointments can take several weeks to arrange. The practice has increased the frequency of medication reviews but seems to lack the capacity to manage this effectively. When you're taking medications prescribed by a specialist, a pharmacist may not have sufficient expertise in your specific treatment plan. However, booking a review is difficult due to capacity constraints, which can result in medication adjustments. When a review eventually occurs, there can be administrative oversights regarding which medications have been reviewed, leading to inconsistent prescription schedules—some monthly, others fortnightly—and requests for further reviews that cannot be scheduled promptly. By the time you finally see a GP, they may be unfamiliar with your particular health concern. After multiple appointments with junior doctors who lacked relevant knowledge in my area of need, I was directed to online resources and advised to request an appointment with a GP with appropriate expertise, which isn't possible under the current booking system. The practice may work well for those with flexible availability. For working patients, the system presents significant barriers to accessing care.
malcolm s.