Reply from West Somerset Healthcare
Thu, 15 Mar 2018 19:31:37 Z

Thank you for taking the time to share your comments through NHS Choices. I am pleased to hear that you find our GPs and nursing team provide you with a good service. I am, however, sorry to hear that you feel the practice reception team let you down in this instance when you sought to book a routine appointment. I am concerned to hear that you felt a member of our team was rude as this is not the impression that we would want to give and I am sure that this was not their intention. Our team work to set protocols with regards to the information they require from patients and the resulting actions that they should take. I think it may help to explainthat when accessing our services to book an appointment you will be speaking with one of our Healthcare Coordinators, unlike the traditional receptionist role, our team are trained to help steer patients to an appointment that most appropriately meets their needs. Their role is to support you as a patient to help ensure you see the right clinician at the right time whilst ensuring that those people who need to be seen are catered for. To do that they must have an indication of the patient’s requirements so they are able to provide the right solution. They are governed by the same codes of patient confidentiality as the practice clinicians. Unfortunately I am unable to respond specifically to the points you make about the urgency of your need with regards to accessing our services without having further information and I would therefore encourage anyone with a grievance to use the practice’s formal complaints process, so that we can appropriately address and respond to patient concerns about the care they receive. I can however respond in general terms with regards to the practices processes and how patients should best access and use our services appropriately to ensure that their health needs are dealt with which I hope will be helpful to yourself and anyone else reading this response. Unfortunately the NHS currently faces ongoing supply and demand issues with the need for GP access exceeding the workforce available to deliver that care. Most surgeries are currently facing significant delays in their ability to offer routine appointments for patients and waiting times of two weeks is fairly general when it comes to non-acute requests for access to a GP. Care provided by the practice falls roughly into two categories: a) Routine Care – which includes long term conditions management, follow up appointments including the results from investigations or test and appointments for those conditions the patient may have had for a while or those which do not require imminent intervention or treatment b) Acute Care – is for patients who are suddenly taken unwell and require intervention or treatment that day - this includes all medical emergencies but also includes instances of sudden minor illness or those patients with ongoing health conditions who experienced a sudden change in their condition which requires quick access to our services When booking a follow up appointment for a patient in response to recent test results, the Healthcare Coordinator has access to your test results and the comments that will have already been noted within your record by the GP. On reviewing your clinical results the GP will determine the urgency of any follow-up appointment. When the doctor determines that a patient should be seen urgently, it is our practice to contact the patient directly that day in order to organise an urgent appointment based on the GPs instructions. Whilst I appreciate that having to wait to see a GP to review your test results can be worrying, I can only assume that in view of your comments that your GP had determined your follow needs were not clinically urgent. This information should have been shared with you by the Healthcare Coordinator to help reduce any apprehension that you may have been feeling. Alison Foulkes Practice Manager

Reply from West Somerset Healthcare
Tue, 24 Oct 2017 13:21:54 +0100

Thank you for taking the time to share your comments through NHS Choices. I am pleased to hear that you found the consultation process with our Acute Care Nurse an excellent service for your needs. I am sorry to hear that the information leaflet contained within your prescribed medication packaging was a cause for concern. The warning leaflet for this product actually advises that if you are over the age of 50 you should consult with your clinician before taking this drug, which you had done. Please be assured that the clinician would have determined that Flucloxacillin was the correct treatment for your ear infection before issuing a prescription and that this drug is a commonly prescribed medication for this condition, irrespective of age. I am sorry that you may have had to wait to receive a call from our duty doctor in connection with your medication query. I understand that this may have caused you added concern whilst you waited. But in such an instance, as you had in fact been prescribed the correct medication for your diagnosed condition, the call would not normally be treated as a priority. Other unwell patients who may be facing medical emergencies would rightly have been dealt with first. Alison Foulkes Practice Manager