James Wigg Practice
Kentish Town Health Centre, 2 Bartholomew Road, London, NW5 2BXContact details and opening times
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Reviews
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Review titled Compassion fatigue and/or very poor communication
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by EMack - Posted on 14 August 2023
On strike yet again. Over 30 waiting on urgent appt line as that's all they're dealing with. Apologies for inconvenience given. No apologies for actual harm and mental distress and lost pay because we don't get paid if don't work. Prescription for life supporting medication almost always wrong. Serious system problems. Serious communication problems. No apologies ever. No compassion shown. Takes months to correct. Triage Dr always refuses to. Telephone Dr always says will message named Dr. Emails ignored. Econsult never open. Reception genuinely clueless on how to sort out. 3 months so far this episode. A&E give emergency prescription 3 times after collapse and admissions. Whole appt system is chaos if seriously ill or serious issue. Management seems Awol . Admin and Dr's don't communicate well. Or at all. Told on strike days reception decides missing prescription not urgent issue. Not the patient. Reception triaging happens on regular basis. They are unqualified and shouldn't be doing this. How much longer are patients to be put through the mill.
Visited August 2023
Review titled James Wigg Practice
Replied on 11 October 2023
Dear EMack We are sorry that your experience with the practice hasn't been good. We aspire to provide best possible service to all our patients. As a learning practice, we would be keen to find out more about your complaint. Since we have been unable to identify you on our system, please email us on jw.communications@nhs.net so we can get in touch with you to arrange a call or a meeting. Yours sincerely- James Wigg Practice Team
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Review titled Amazing Practice
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Kerry - Posted on 04 August 2023
Friendly, helpful staff who take the time to listen to you and take you worries and concerns seriously. The staff are through and I have had quick referrals to other departments and my GP has kept in touch over all of my health concerns. Couldn’t wish for a better service.
Visited August 2023
Review titled James Wigg Practice
Replied on 11 October 2023
Dear Kerry Thank you very much for your 5 star review. We are glad that we have been able to meet/exceed your service expectations. Yours sincerely, James Wigg Practice Team
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Review titled Problems with disability access to getting appointments etc
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Mich - Posted on 28 August 2023
I am a long term disabled patient with specific communication needs. My partner is also disabled. We've both completed the communication needs form which is a standard form the surgery hasn't updated in years so it doesn't reflect patients need so we've both emailed ( no one gets back) and handed in letters. Asked them to be able to email - reception says we can't! Surgery doesn't even use Relay which one of us can use with some help. We both need to audio record appointments because we can't write notes like other patients and legally we are allowed to but here won't agree. So often I come away from any appointment unable to remember what was said or advised. Hospitals don't have a problem with patients doing this so why does the GP? Told often that there is nowhere on the patient records to record needs? Which means we can't communicate with the surgery and they can't communicate with us.The laws say to plan for disabled patients and to make individual adjustments like email, like Relay like audio recording.Talk to reception or managers about these problems and they say 'it's not our policy' to do this which is very offensive and not in the law .We've come to believe that phrase is used for anything and everything instead of saying I don't know I will find out and how can we make this better. Not good enough, especially from managers and senior GPs at such a very large well resourced surgery. Everyone there from reception to the most senior Dr's need urgent training on disability. Need an urgent updated accessibility form. Not hard to do. Need urgent amendment to the records system to say how patients communicate. It's a running thread through this review site that patients with protected characteristics -so not just disability - are unable to get hold of a surgery that is totally based on phone systems becausewhoever installed these systems very clear not disabled or unable in some way. We think this is deliberate to keep what they call complex patients away? See what the Equality Act says we say to all the staff there - you don't get to decide what our needs are as disabled people. There's no point complaining as no one there even understands why this is a problem. Sorry, but it wasn't good enough before covid, during covid and now . We don't want to be cut out of the GP system and consequently the rest of the NHS any longer. We've asked you to change so many times it's ridiculous.
Visited August 2023
Review titled James Wigg Practice
Replied on 11 October 2023
Dear Mich We are sorry that your experience with the practice hasn't been good. We aspire to provide best possible service to all our patients. As a learning practice, we would be keen to find out more about your complaint. Since we have been unable to identify you on our system, please email us on jw.communications@nhs.net so we can get in touch with you to arrange a call or a meeting. Yours sincerely- James Wigg Practice Team
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Review titled 20 GP strike days badly affecting us
Rated 1 star out of 5
by CoT - Posted on 30 July 2023
The practice closing on strike days has had a really terrible impact on our family. They say they only do urgent appointments when on strike but all those appointments ran out before lunchtime on the 5 different days we rang. Pushed to NHS 111 who pushed back to the GP because of appalling communication or decisions about who should be providing the urgent care. None of which as a seriously ill patient we should have to think of let alone when having end of life care. The days after strikes they are doing catch up so no triage appointments still ( what they've said a few times now).This after a pandemic where we had no GP. We just dont think they care and it's all very frightening. 2 of my close family died of cancer - they couldn't get seen during the pandemic and like with lots of people not seeing a GP was a huge problem. Now my mum has advanced cancer and has already lost treatment because of hospital strikes. But the GP is meant to provide the support to keep her symptoms as best managed as possible in-between hospital visits. This is end of life care and it is the GP responsibility to coordinate care and treat and make sure basic care like prescriptions get written and sent to the chemist. When a GP practice is on strike for days on end what does the GP think happens to my mum? When all the highbrow talking goes on who listens to very vulnerable patients needs? No one called back after strikes ended ( this happened over 2 strike periods ). We don't want to hear anymore the endless excuses given on the telephone message or by reception staff on why the GP can't actually see patients anymore. And in all this they have a triage brought in to delay care more. Not being able to cover even urgent care because of strike action causes terrible harm and to mum terrible pain and distress. Asked about a home visit and we were told this couldn't happen or be prioritised and we just feel totally overwhelmed by everything we get told as it changes so much. There's no other way to say it.
Visited July 2023
Review titled James Wigg Practice
Replied on 11 October 2023
Dear CoT We are sorry that your experience with the practice hasn't been good. We aspire to provide best possible service to all our patients. As a learning practice, we would be keen to find out more about your complaint. Since we have been unable to identify you on the system, please email us on jw.communications@nhs.net so we can get in touch with you to arrange a call or a meeting. Yours sincerely- James Wigg Practice Team
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Review titled Failure of total triage
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Ant - Posted on 04 July 2023
Seen the practice respond on here. Our experience is this: My mother had a stroke that left her a long time ago with a speech impairment so she doesn't use a phone. She also doesn't use the Internet and she lives alone. When she goes to the reception desk to ask to make an appointment she is told she has to go through triage. When she says she has no phone she's been told everyone has to be telephone triaged. Not once has anyone offered an alternative such as making a direct face to face appointment with a GP that the GP responses here imply is possible( which she needs and is in there asking for and feels humiliated having to do). Like very many patients she is scared to raise this and doesn't want us to on her behalf. But I did speak with the complaints manager about telephone appts not being suitable before total triage came in and he told me it was practice policy and my mother could try and register somewhere else if she wasn't satisfied. So maybe the practice could try and understand that many people have told them already and have well founded worries about raising it formally. It is confusing us and others. I listened to the telephone message when a routine appointment option is selected. It says : ' How does a routine appointment work?You will be added by our receptionist to a routine triage list. A clinician will then review and decide the next suitable action to take.....You will then be contacted by a member of our team. Routine appointments may be longer than 14 days after triage.....'. So, clearly everyone is put through triage and patients aren't given an appointment to see a GP without going through this. It's disingenuous for the practice to suggest otherwise or alternatively the message hasn't ever got through to the reception team which after all this time isn't good enough. But given the phone message the answer still seems to be no phone, no appointment because you can't be assessed or contacted . So patients like my mother give up.
Visited July 2023
Review titled James Wigg Practice
Replied on 11 October 2023
Dear Ant We are sorry that your experience with the practice hasn't been good. We aspire to provide best possible service to all our patients. As a learning practice, we would be keen to find out more about your complaint. Since we have been unable to identify you on our system, please email us on jw.communications@nhs.net so we can get in touch with you to arrange a call or a meeting. Yours sincerely- James Wigg Practice Team
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Review titled Too obstructive & very stressful
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Hen - Posted on 22 July 2023
Many of the worryings others have. Whole family here many years. Very large practice without the infrastructure needed to run smoothly. Communication couldn't be any worse for us from trying to get through at all, to getting a triage appt, to ever getting to see a GP. Total triage is a mess of a system that makes no sense for timely care. We now go straight to the urgent same day appointment to miss it out or to A&E if the practice just not functioning ( eg strike days ). Won't put our kids through the triaged appointment system ever again, too traumatic won't put my partner through either as severe mental health condition so also traumatic. For odd reason GP responds on Google recently saying they finally have a different reception doing appointments which has to be better. And finally checking emails - hope they do more than just check and forward as we've never had a response. Be more helpful if the GP replied here . It's useful and should be on the website.
Visited July 2023
Review titled James Wigg Practice
Replied on 11 October 2023
Dear Hen We are sorry that your experience with the practice hasn't been good. We aspire to provide best possible service to all our patients. As a learning practice, we would be keen to find out more about your complaint. Since we have been unable to identify you on the system, please email us on jw.communications@nhs.net so we can get in touch with you to arrange a call or a meeting. Yours sincerely- James Wigg Practice Team
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Review titled Equal access to NHS?
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 07 July 2023
There's a reason posters choose to remain anonymous or don't want to contact the ' communications team' - who aren't clinicians and cannot assess the safety of the appointment system. Very few come to here without having told practice staff they're distressed or are having to chase absolutely everything or just can't manage these systems. It's chaotic and I say that as an NHS professional. Total triage is obstructive to getting timely care. I am very concerned who is being excluded ( covered by many on here ). My own story is that like very many my mental health crashed as the pandemic took grip. I can read that I am meant to go to A&E if in danger but I shouldn't reach that point- the whole point of a GP is to prevent serious illness and provide the right type of appt to patients. The right type of appt when very depressed is to see a GP in person, not be put through clumsy and sometimes very insensitive reception staff demanding to know every detail and then have to repeat it in a hasty triage appt with a clinician who may well not even be a GP. And then for there to be no face to face appts with any GP, let alone one you know.
Visited July 2023
Review titled James Wigg Practice
Replied on 11 October 2023
Dear Patient We are sorry that your experience with the practice hasn't been good. We aspire to provide best possible service to all our patients. As a learning practice, we would be keen to find out more about your complaint. Since we have been unable to identify you on the system, please email us on jw.communications@nhs.net so we can get in touch with you to arrange a call or a meeting. Yours sincerely- James Wigg Practice Team
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Review titled Unbelievably poor
Rated 1 star out of 5
by SamST - Posted on 16 July 2023
Without getting in to politics ( which the GPs have dragged us into by now going on strike for the 4th time ) bringing in further gatekeeping when your patients can't access any healthcare at all shows either incredibly poor management going on there or entrenched in a silo mentality where patients are frequently blamed or worse, excluded or give up. This is all of our NHS we think the practice has forgotten that the way we are spoken to .Our young children can't get to see a GP. One has after 4 attempts at being triaged by different professionals, only twice a Dr and then the others have to be supervised before they can do anything so why doesn't the GP just do the appointment in the first place. 2 others under 7 after not seeing a GP for 4 yrs and both have been in hospital during this time. Refused face to face appointments several times after holding 45 mins every day for a week at a time. Very random reasons given why that include receptionists saying the GP doesn't see anyone without triage assessment, there being no triage appointments left,there are no appointments of any sort, ring back. Triage doesn't feel safe and eroded all the Trust we had left. Never triage a child should be the rule and if the GPs were learning from patients why haven't they learnt this as every parent says this. GPs should actually explain that advice and consultation with hospitals is a thing also put in the way that has to be done before a referral can be considered. Wouldn't being more transparent help reduce the mistrust or tensions that have now built up. And if this is another barrier then take away the barrier that is total triage or explain what we have to do to get a child referred for now serious condition ,there's no information, even a flowchart would help somewhat. Communication is worse than its ever been and we've been here 18 yrs. We're having a truly terrible very worrying time and this week yet again due to strike action only urgent appointments are possible and then they ran out early on each day we called.
Visited July 2023
Review titled James Wigg Practice
Replied on 11 October 2023
Dear SamST We are sorry that your experience with the practice hasn't been good. We aspire to provide best possible service to all our patients. As a learning practice, we would be keen to find out more about your complaint. Since we have been unable to identify you on the system, please email us on jw.communications@nhs.net so we can get in touch with you to arrange a call or a meeting. Yours sincerely- James Wigg Practice Team
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Review titled Exceptional GP Practice
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Paul F - Posted on 09 June 2023
I have been a patient at this practice for many years. The staff are kind and compassionate, they go the extra mile to provide great care, referrals are made promptly and requests dealt with in a timely and efficient manner. I have had a consistently positive experience and when things don't go quite as well as expected, they are rectified quickly. I would strongly recommend this practice.
Visited June 2023
Review titled James Wigg Practice
Replied on 11 October 2023
Dear Paul F Thank you very much for your 5 star review. We are glad that we have been able to meet/exceed your service expectations. Yours sincerely, James Wigg Practice Team
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Review titled Total triage a total disaster if vulnerable
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Long time patient - Posted on 02 July 2023
Nearly every comment on here about good experiences seem to be about simple conditions and / or from those who aren't severely challenged by a GP system now totally delivered through the phone. The practice's response on this site that you can go in and make an appointment with a GP if you can't use a phone certainly is not the experience of myself, my family or friends or neighbours who have tried before this was said and since. It's been a disaster for them. For ourselves and extremely unwell extremely vulnerable patients total triage means totally excluding us and we presume rationing access to GP care is the aim of this scheme because by now the practice knows so many are excluded and the terrible impact . Reception say repeatedly and constantly that every single patient must be telephone triaged and so does the telephone message. There is no way I can get an appointment anymore as they have blocked off all communication channels to me as a disabled person. My elderly dad gave up trying to manage the unmanageable and his health has severely declined. My sister's mental health means she doesn't ever use a phone and she has major physical illness that can't be treated because she is now excluded from appointments. So many others affected. And the knock on ?No NHS access because the GP is the gateway. The NHS is there for everyone, so how is this justified?
Visited June 2023
Review titled James Wigg Practice
Replied on 02 July 2023
Dear Writer Thank you very much for your review. We are extremely sorry to read about your experience with our practice. We confirm that patients can book an appointment via phone , online or by visiting the practice. We also confirm that patients have a choice of either a face to face or telephone appointment with a GP. Since you have left an anonymised review we are unable to address your concerns. Please email the practice with your details and the Operations Partner will look into your particular concern. Yours sincerely, James Wigg Group Practice Management