Ivybridge Medical Practice

Every time I ring the Beacon Medical Group, I am connected to a Plympton office & NOT my own GP Surgery! When answered, I am placed in a telephone hold queue, usually 5th to 7th in the queue if I am lucky. It then takes somewhere between 45 & 55 minutes to work your way down the queue to No.1 & then on 2 occasions, I have been cut off & have to start the whole wretched process all over again. Before Beacon Medical Group took over, both the Ivybridge GP Surgeries always had at least 1 receptionist on duty & invariably 2 receptionists, both taking phone calls, & you were usually answered within the first 2 to 6 rings. Being put on hold for the best part of an hour before being answered by a human, who's primary purpose seems to be to stop a patient seeing a GP at all costs & to fob one off with 111, A&E or 999, is just not acceptable. This is not only a pitiful service but very frustrating & annoying & it racks up an overly expensive phone bill for all their patients, as their number is charged at a local call rate. If Beacon continue to cut costs, fail to employ adequate staff, continue to allow their 16 GPs to only work part time for 1 or 2 days a week, while they are paid at least 3 times the national average salary, along with their failure to employ more phone receptionists, then they need make their contact number a freephone 0800 number. With only 6 GP Surgeries, on average their 16 GPs work less than 2 days in a 5-day week; nice work if you can get it! No wonder when you ask for an appointment there are none available for 2 to 3 weeks, what sort of PRIMARY Care is that; absolutely disgusting. Moreover, their blatant & obviously false claim of high patient satisfaction is just not true, as I have yet to meet anyone in Ivybridge that has a good word to say about Beacon Medical Group. Moreover, if you mention Beacon Medical Group to any of the medical staff when you are at Derriford Hospital, you get raised eyebrows & a big sigh, as Beacon's reputation there is appalling. By the way, don't risk complaining, it will fall on deaf ears & as one patient found out to their cost, you will likely be asked to find a different GP practice! This GP Practice Group needs to be thoroughly investigated by the CQC & placed under special measures before they kill someone!