Portsdown Group Practices

Reception staff at this surgery can be obnoxious and rude despite telling them your problems they do not care about your welfare once tellimg me to go to walk in centre at St Mary's as i had dressings hanging off risking infection
Regular required nursing appointments being cancelled Due to staff sickness and upon contacting surgery to be told basically tough is disgraceful even the complainants procedure nobody replies best advice use a different practice

Five stars for the lovely receptionists working today 3rd Sept incredibly helpful and friendly nothing was too much trouble for her

Please can someone tell me why there is always a problem when I apply for a repeat prescription at either the surgery or pharmacy?. Eg. I requested a repeat prescription on August 1st. When I went to the pharmacy today 8th August I am told after 10 minutes of searching that they hadn't received. I went across to the surgery only to be informed that it hadn't be issued but agree that it should have been. The receptionist said she would print it out and I could collect it this evening. I am not able to do this.i am in constant pain with arthritis an this medication is for pain relief. I can no longer be bothered with all this inefficiency so will not be asking for repeat medications for this and high blood pressure. It's too much to cope with.

appointments

.I have been a patient with this surgery for many years ,in the past I have had good service but now find the practise too large. You can never obtain an appointment,when required, unless you say it is urgent, even if not.. I have been trying on and off since March 2018,to have a routine appointment, after having received two letters, from my practise requesting me ,to make a routine appointment ,as my GP wished to dicuss a matter with me . So, although they request to see or have a discussion with me ,i still can not obtain an appointment.. I ,work,ironically,in the NHS, so can not phone every day from 8am , waiting for an answer to then be told,allroutine appoinments have gone .Why can you only make them one week in advance ? What was wrong with the system in the past ,when doctor requested ,make an appointment for next month,2 months ,6 months etc which was then put in a diary .The system used now,does not work for many people. I think i am giving up.

I have been trying to get a routine appointment for four weeks now, all that’s available on line in cervical screening clinics. I did make a complaint and was informed there was not much they can ups do.
I was disappointed to find out that they have reduced their phone lines to only 15 to cover 6 surgeries and this is because they have had complaints about patients being on hold. Really poor for the biggest surgery in the area!

Good service and facilities

This surgey is the most awful surgey that I have ever encountered. The staff are awfully rude and treat people with no respect. I tried ringing the surgey several times today and the phone was picked up, no answer and then the phone was disconnected on me. I then visited the surgey to make an appointment and was rudely told that in order to make travel appointment the doctor will call me, which I thought was bizarre. Have not received a call from the doctor yet. The staff at the reception could have been more respectful. Disgusting behaviour and staff like that should not be representing the surgey. It is highly embarrassing.

Having received only partial of a recent prescription and running quite low, after speaking to the pharmacy I found out that the supplier could not say when it would be back, so I asked for a phone consultation, and after relaying this to the Dr he sorted out an emergency prescription for the following day, but low and behold it arrived that evening.

So I would like to thank the Dr concerned In helping me out in this situation.

I used the NHS website to find out my local GP after moving and it came up as Paulsgrove. I took my son down to register him and was told to phone to get a routine appointment. I managed, a week later, to get through to the receptionist and make an appointment. During the appointment I was given an emergence referral to a peadiatrician. I was then phoned later in the week to say that I had to register my son at a different GP due to the post code. I confirmed that this would not effect his referral and was told that as the referral had already taken place this would not happen. I contacted the surgery the following week as I had not heard anything about a follow up appointment, to which I was told that the referral had never been placed and that they would not do it due to my post code and there was nothing they would do to help. I think this is unacceptable and has now put a minimum delay of a month on to my 6 month olds emergency referral.

Very bad, absolutely absurd the operators are very rude never get an appointment? The system is so bad it's just unbelievable bad experience I moved to another surgery and I will never come back!

Trying to get an appointment is near on impossible. I phoned at 8am to make an appointment ,on hold for ages and then someone answered it, just to be told no appointments available for next 4 weeks!!!!! and told to phone next week! What I don't understand is the other day I went in to pickup a repeat prescription and looked in all 3 waiting rooms and there was not ONE single patient in any. The surgery was completely empty so how come no-one can get an appointment. My wife went in a couple of weeks earlier and she said exactly the same NO-ONE is at all. What's going on??

This person left a star rating but no comment.

Since Portsdown Group have taken over, access to Heyward Road surgery by phone is impossible. Now when you call you get through to a call centre type set up, which at times takes a very long time then to request a routine appointment giving at least a months notice to be told you can't book routine appointsment this far in advance. Advised to call back a week before appointment is required. Did this and guess what? No appointments available, this is an impossible system when you're working and trying to fit things around your working week and giving your employer sufficient notice!
We are aware that the NHS is under extreme pressure however, our understanding is that they should still offer client centred care and as far as our experience this is severely lacking.
How does anyone who is working manage to obtain a routine appointment at their convenience? On previous occasion we have been offered appointments at alternative surgery but this has only been the case for urgent appointments. With the group being larger you would think that there would be more flexibility and availability again not our experience. Very disappointed

Been trying to get my husband an appointment for the last month...every time I call there is no appointments...he works nearly 60 hours a week and finds it hard to get to the drs and can't drop work to answer call backs or go there on same day, even though his health problem has started to deteriorate, I'm still having to keep calling at 8 am every morning to try and resolve it. I usually have the same problem when booking for myself, even though I book by internet, there is never any appointments available online, so I end up phoning (being on hold and not end up with an appointment). We may have to visit the walk in centre if this carries on!!!! Have just got off hold and because it's Easter, they haven't got any routine appointments for 3 WEEKS!!!!!

I had been with this practice many years ago. Doctors were kind and took time to listen.Everybodies visit is individual, some need more care. It was always difficult to get an appointment even years ago. I have recently returned to the practice. Telephoning can be very difficult. I have had bad experiences of that.Online appointments few and far between, trying night after night until one becomes available. When finally you get an appointment, not necessarily with your choice of GP, it feels as though they are watching the clock for your 10 minute slot to end, more or less as though you are a nuisance, passing insensitive comments. I have found apart from one doctor there, who I shall probably never manage to get an appointment with again, they are quite uncaring. I feel I have made a bad mistake coming back to this practise. The reception staff are friendly, although the queue is sometimes nearly out of the door. So arrive early just in case.

Well may I say Heather your community nurse has just been to give me my Flu and Pneumonia injections.What a lovely lady, she is a credit to this surgery.

This person left a star rating but no comment.

The staff were all very friendly and made me feel safe and welcome. They were knowledgeable and helpful.
I've always been able to get an appointment when I've needed one and I am given choices for care when appropriate.

My parents are patients of the practice,so I thought I’d change gp as my daughter would not see my last gp because she was quite rude.
The doctors I have seen here are lovely,the only thing they need to do better would be issuing prescriptions when they are supposed to,and be able to make an appointment after 8am to see a gp.
Be able to make appointments for the following week (this practice does not offer this option to patients

Rude and unpleasant staff, doctors are almost never there.