St Johns Way Medical Centre

I had asked for a signature on a moratorium letter so that I could receive treatment on my insurance. On two previous occasions, the practice signed the moratorium letter with no issue. However the third time, the practice demanded for a £75 fee for this signature, without any advance warning, after a long delay (I had already given up on the letter and made other arrangements). And they demanded the fee in cash. Needless to say I have found another GP.

Jan 2nd, I got a call back from the on-call doctor for a medical emergency for my 13 year-old. The call back was after two hours instead of the “within the hour” they had quoted. After going through an efficient system of taking and sending pics of the medical condition to the doctor via a special link, the doctor called and prescribed steroid tablets. I was very grateful. However the prescription was returned unfulfilled as the pharmacy did not have it in stock. I went from pillar to post in the cold and rain searching for the medicine at all nearby pharmacies. Finally at Boots, a really professional person told me that the manufacturer was out of stock! I called SJW Medical Centre and told them. At 11am, 3rd Jan, their representative rebuffed my requests to speak with a doctor again. And insisted that I seek an alternative from a pharmacist. He disregarded my pleas to speak with a doctor and seemed to suggest I should have asked for an alternative at a pharmacy as a matter of course. Or I could go to the nearest A&E. I then rang o around different pharmacies and was finally told I would not be able to get the the steroid tablets from anywhere. Additionally these could not be readily replaced with an alternative by a pharmacist, without a reissued prescription from a doctor. I called back SJW and the same man picked up the phone. He then told me to call back at 1pm to be put on a list for a doctor to call back. Incredible run-around from St John’s Way Medical Centre! Particularly by this gentleman who said things by rote it seemed and only advised about the restrictions available to patients and their problems, not solutions. At 1pm I called the surgery again and thankfully a lady picked up the call. I had to repeat my entire problem all over again. She then simply put neon the list and said a doctor would call me back between 2.30-6pm. I am not sure if this will be in time to get medicine for my child. Who is in a lot of discomfort and pain. School starts tomorrow and I have spent the best part of nearly two days calling and waiting and calling St John’s Way Medical Practice. This may have felt as less of a problem had the man who handled my enquiry been sympathetic, kind or simply owned and shared my difficulty. He just wanted me off the phone and could not be bothered. Awful.