Aspen Medical Practice
Aspen Centre, Horton Road, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, GL1 3PXContact details and opening times
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Reviews
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Review titled Bad service
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Linda Dempsey - Posted on 28 March 2023
I have now tried twice to get an appointment to see a doctor over the last two months. The first occasion I was told there was a six week wait to see a doctor for a routine appointment which I made only to be sent a text message the week before to say that this clinic had been cancelled and would have to wait another four weeks for an appointment. I think this is unacceptable. Who is a receptionist to say it is a routine appointment. Yesterday I telephoned to see a doctor as I had a really bad UTI was passing a lot of blood and was feeling very unwell. I had to explain all this to a receptionist who is not medically trained and then had to fill out a text form she sent to me and was told I would have a telephone consultation. The doctor phoned about two hours later asked me three or four elementary questions and put up a prescription for me. I wanted to see a doctor which seems almost impossible to achieve. I have been a patient of the Heathville Road surgery for over 40 years and we never used to have this sort of problem. Since the covid pandemic it seems that all systems are broken yet I cannot see what has changed in the community to justify this sort of service. It is just an excuse for not supplying a workable practice. I cannot believe that the doctors have that many more patients I can only assume that since the merger of all the surgery’s at the Aspen centre they have reduced the number of staff and Doctors. Patients should not have to give there personal information to a receptionist and seeing a doctor is more difficult than trying to climb Everest.
Visited March 2023
Review titled Aspen Medical Practice
Replied on 12 June 2023
Dear Linda, Thank you for taking the time to submit your feedback. Routine appointments can be booked up to 6 weeks in advance, we apologise if you have had an appointment rearranged due to sickness. All appointment bookings are triaged by our Receptionists who have received care navigation training, we have protocols put in place by the Partners of the practice where the receptionists follow the guidance and ask necessary questions dependent on symptoms – from the patient’s responses they arrange a suitable appointment and/or ask the navigation doctor for advice. We have a navigation/duty doctor each day and they receive queries from the receptionists when navigating different patient presentations, this is to ensure that all of our patients are seen in the most appropriate time frame – if there is an urgent issue, the patient will always receive a suitable appointment. For the receptionists to be able to book the correct appointment with the most appropriate clinician and in a suitable time frame they must ask questions regarding the symptoms of the patient. This is for the safety of our patients and to ensure that they receive the best possible care – if no information is given to the receptionists they would not be able to triage effectively and urgent issues could be missed. All members of staff at the practice are bound by strict rules of confidentiality. Many Thanks, Aspen Medical Practice
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Review titled Honestly appalling.
Rated 1 star out of 5
by ETaylor - Posted on 24 February 2023
I am not the sort to go out of my way to leave a bad review, as I know everyone has off days, or makes the odd mistake. But after today I'm just sick of it to be honest. Over the years, I have used the Aspen Centre because of its proximity to my house. They have steadily gotten worse and worse at literally everything. Getting through on the phone is an all day event. Going in doesn't help as there is always a single receptionist who is not the least bit interested in working at a reasonable pace. There are often several working in the back...what are they doing? Its certainly not answering the phones. At the weekend I missed a callback in regards to my daughter, but upon calling back I was 28th in the queue for over an hour. Today I went to pick up a repeat prescription and the pharmacy told me it hadn't even been sent or logged or anything. Granted, I put in the request on Sunday, assuming Monday would be day 1 of the 5 required but Friday afternoon and the lady on the prescriptions line talked to me like I was so stupid she couldn't believe she was wasting her time with me. Seems I've somehow lived my whole life not understanding how to count days? The weekend I put it in doesn't count but the one after does, obviously? Then it took her about 8 seconds to put it through- why treat me like I've ruined her life by calling? While here, I want to say I have only ever had positive experiences with actual doctors and nurses over the years- it's the getting to see them in the first place that makes me feel like something someone has stepped in. If a doctor tells you to make an appointment, a receptionist will tell you not to. If you arrive with 10 minutes to spare but the sign in screens are broken (75% of the time) then you get berated for being late even though you've been in the queue right there for that whole time. Im a grown woman, I'm not sure why making a gp appointment should come hand in hand with being told off like a child? Or why when I've been on the same prescription for a decade it should be so difficult to obtain when the Aspen Centre can't be bothered. I know all the services are overrun and understaffed and underfunded. I have supported strikes and pay for my prescriptions and haven't gone to a&e for many years. But eventually patients are going to get so sick of being treated like dirt that they stop trying, and when those people truly need help, their misfortune will be on the hands of those who made them feel like useless wastes of space. And almost 100% of those terrible people are employed here.
Visited February 2023
Review titled Aspen Medical Practice
Replied on 27 February 2023
Ms Taylor, Thank you very much for taking the time to write and for sharing your experiences of our service. Thank you also for your expressions of appreciation for the continued and huge efforts of the doctors and nurses that you have seen as a patient of Aspen Medical Practice. We will pass your appreciation on to our clinicians. However, your statement that almost 100% of the non-clinical staff serving patients at Aspen Medical Practice are ‘terrible people’ making patients feel ‘like useless wastes of space’ shows absolutely no appreciation or understanding of their very hard work, empathy, skill, and professionalism in the face of the difficulties that you yourself have identified in terms of our under staffing and under funding. Our reception staff work under highly experienced team leads under the further guidance of Practice partner GP's. GP appointments are triaged and booked appropriately according to the clinical needs of patients depending on the symptoms they exhibit or state. Urgent cases are treated urgently, and routine cases are treated routinely. Our prescriptions team also work exceptionally hard in the service of our patients, ensuring that patients receive appropriate medications in a timely manner. Our newly installed phone system has a callback feature which ensures that in times of high demand, it is not necessary for patients to remain on hold for extended periods. Thank you again for your comments and review. Aspen Medical Practice
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Review titled Great service
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 08 February 2023
Just want to thank the receptionist I spoke to today for sorting out an emergency prescription very professional and caring I didnt catch her name but thankyou x
Visited February 2023
Review titled Aspen Medical Practice
Replied on 08 February 2023
Thank you so much for kindly taking the time to let us know about your recent positive experience. We will with pleasure ensure this is shared with the team involved who will be delighted to receive it. Kindest regards Risk & Compliance Team
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Review titled Great nurse on duty
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Michael John Kennedy - Posted on 06 February 2023
My mother had to change a appointment, got it sorted within the hour. Great attention from the nurses today, really helped mother.
Visited February 2023
Review titled Aspen Medical Practice
Replied on 08 February 2023
We are so pleased to hear that the appointment for your mother went so well and that this was able to be changed at short notice as requested. Many thanks for your kind feedback, we will with pleasure forward this to the nursing team for their attention. Kind regards Risk & Compliance Team
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Review titled Very poor
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Shaun Mckissick - Posted on 11 January 2023
After spending a week trying to get through to the surgery on the phone I gave up and decided to go to the practice to try and make an appointment to see a GP. What a mistake this was the queue was out the door and with only one person on reception the queue was moving slower than an iceberg. After 40 minutes I reached the front of the queue and asked for an appointment in the first week of March which is what a GP had told me to do in a previous phone call, only to be told that they do not have a diary for March, which is very strange considering everything is done on there new system, which I am sure has a calendar function incorporated in it. The receptionist then proceeded to cross examine me as to why I needed to see a doctor, when I told her that it was to discuss some tests that I had recently had she demanded to know what the tests were for, to which I explained to her that as she was not medically trained it really was non of her business. I also questioned why she was able to read my notes which as far as I. can remember are supposed to be confidential. This receptionist then disappeared in to the back office, next thing there was another receptionist behind the desk who told me that she was the senior receptionist, I told her that I needed to make an appointment as instructed by my GP she also started to question me stating that she needed this information so she could decide who I needed to see, I explained to her that she did not have to decide who I could see and that all she had to do was book an appointment. I really do think that something has gone very wrong when we have staff who are not medically trained telling patients who they can see and trying to overrule advise and instructions given by a trained doctor. In total It has taken over 2 hours of my time to get an appointment something that should really only take 5 minutes. I really do think that if the reception staff spent the same amount of energy helping patients and answering the phone as they do putting barriers up then the Aspen centre might actually achieve what it is there for which is to serve the tax paying public.
Visited January 2023
Review titled Aspen Medical Practice
Replied on 12 January 2023
Shaun, Thank you very much for taking the time to provide us with your detailed review. As with the rest of the NHS, and particularly with other GP practices during this winter season, we are experiencing exceptionally high demands on our services. As a result of this we have unfortunately had unusually long queues at our Reception desk during peak times. Everything within our power is being done to keep queue lengths down and to provide the best primary care access possible to our patient population. Our receptionists are very highly trained in navigating patients to appropriate appointments in order to ensure that urgent cases are dealt with on the day while routine matters are dealt with as soon as possible. As with all GP practices, our receptionists have access to the medical records of patients so that they are able to ensure that all patients receive the care they need. Our Reception Team is closely supported at all times by a Navigation Doctor (highly experienced GP – usually a Practice partner) who takes the information supplied by patients via our receptionists to make clinically appropriate decisions on the best course of action to take for every individual patient at our Reception desk or who calls in. The last thing that anyone working at Aspen Medical Practice wants is to put ‘barriers up’ to limit patient access. Our (also tax-paying) receptionists, clinicians, pharmacists, administrators, and other support staff are working tremendously hard to provide the best service possible.
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Review titled Practice team great, leadership and management is poor
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 08 December 2022
I have been a patient of Barnwood Road surgery, now Aspen Centre, for more than 40 years, I have always found reception friendly and helpful, doctors and nurses are professional wanting to look after your medical needs, and the premises are satisfactory. Parking at Aspen Centre is infinitely better than it was at Barnwood Practice. So what upsets patients - frankly, like this morning, it is the ‘front-door’ administration, which is slow and frustrating for: 1. The phone service 2. Reception service. Let’s be clear though this not a criticism of the reception staff or the phone service staff. Thank you. They’re great, and face the ‘public anger and frustration furnace’ every minute and day they are working in the Aspen Centre. The efficiency issues and poor response times at the Aspen Centre is the fault of Aspen Centre Leadership. If they act to implement focused improvements on the above two areas, patient feedback would improve significantly. Today, and many other days in the recent 6 months, I gave up on using the phone service, and arrived at reception in person. Reception had 16 people waiting, plus myself. All being served by one member of staff. Ludicrous. The reception staff lady impressed with her politeness, communication, and diligence whilst dealing with a procession of patients with various queries and admin. After about 25 minutes a lady with the title ‘operation assistant’ was looking to assist people in the queue. By the time I was served by reception the queue was back up to 17 people. I took a picture of the queue as evidence; there are no identifiable faces to protect people’s privacy. My query was with the online repeat prescription service: the lady kindly helped me in 3 minutes, and I was away. My online account needed to be linked to the practice using the ‘airmid’ application. All sorted in under 5 minutes, and prescription order now in. Others in the queue had the same issue. A ‘white board’ could have been used by the Practice to explain the remediation process. No one would need to queue. Standing there I was observing the back office. Where was leadership and management? No where to be seen. The Practice Manager should be tactically aware, and on the ball. There should, administratively, be a surge team for the phones and reception, and of course a proper contingent of Human Resources to deal with demand. The Practice Manager should be checking at the front desk what the customers issues to address them, and preempt similar, repeat, queries. Efficiency… Leadership and management to is sadly pathetic. No blame on the front reception desk and phone staff. It’s not their fault. Leadership should support them properly with a more resource efficient team. Abuse of staff should result in suspension, or cancellation, from the practice. I saw a chap today being abrupt with the operations assistant.
Visited December 2022
Review titled Aspen Medical Practice
Replied on 21 December 2022
We are sorry to hear of the difficulties you have experienced. We would really like to look to understand what has happened and how we can avoid future issues. Please can you complete a feedback form on the website with your details so that we can investigate the notes and phone system to understand what happened. https://www.aspenmedicalpractice.nhs.uk/feedback-complaints/ Kind Regards Aspen Medical Practice
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Review titled Absolute disgrace to the NHS
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 19 December 2022
Having been a patient here several years just about every encounter I've had with them has been awful. They are simply incompetent at everything. They can't sort a repeat perscription ever no matter the method you take. The doctors don't think any medical issue that isn't easy treateable is important or worth investing. They don't care how much pain or discomfort you are in their answer to everything is wait 2 years for a referral even if you have symptoms of cancer. They mess you around at every stage saying wait for this consultant to get back to us and then they don't. Infact it doesn't matter what situation if they say they will get back to you then guarantee they absolutely will not. They should be ashamed of themselves as this is the worst practice I've ever encountered. Every one I talk to agrees with me too. Getting an appointment is an absolute nightmare. So many people I talk to have PTSD from that waiting line. You can't even get an appointment or ereferral online anymore it's 2022! They took it away because they don't want us all to be able to access services without having to go through hell and high water first. Can't imagine the consequences of such a decision. Really despicable behavior. Don't register here you will regret it.
Visited December 2022
Review titled Aspen Medical Practice
Replied on 21 December 2022
We are sorry to hear of the difficulties you have experienced. We would really like to look to understand what has happened and how we can avoid future issues. Please can you complete a feedback form on the website with your details so that we can investigate the notes and phone system to understand what happened. https://www.aspenmedicalpractice.nhs.uk/feedback-complaints/ Kind Regards Aspen Medical Practice
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Review titled Worst Reception staff
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Jenn - Posted on 15 December 2022
I rang 12 times on the morning15 December 2022. to be transferred to the finance directorate each time receptonist answers and puts me on mute. I can here her talking about colleagues or what she ate for dinner last night. Other times she answers then hangs up the phone. very unprofessional - you need to monitor your reception staff.
Visited December 2022
Review titled Aspen Medical Practice
Replied on 21 December 2022
We are sorry to read that you have had a negative experience. We would really like to look to understand what has happened and how we can avoid future issues. Please can you complete a feedback form on the website with your details so that we can investigate the notes and phone system to understand what happened. https://www.aspenmedicalpractice.nhs.uk/feedback-complaints/ Kind Regards Aspen Medical Practice
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Review titled Awful communication
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 20 November 2022
Registered new married name and for online services a month ago. Phoned up and nothing changed! Then told they’re changing their systems in November so won’t make changes how else it’ll all need reloading after anyway! Great communication. Also, I got some anxiety meds prescribed about two years ago, didn’t take them and so didn’t refill the prescription. However no one has called to check on me or tell me stopping medicine suddenly could be dangerous. Awful patient care. Same with my diagnosis of underactive thyroid. Told to make appointment for blood tests every 3 months “you’ll need to make the appointment as no one will chase you for it.” Great, thanks!!
Visited November 2022
Review titled Aspen Medical Practice
Replied on 21 November 2022
Thank you for this feedback. We are very sorry to read that you have had this negative experience, we will ensure it is noted to improve our service. Please do not hesitate to let us know if you still require help.
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Review titled Reception
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 12 December 2022
We were very sorry to receive a text stating that receptioists had been experiencing verbal abuse. Over the last few weeks I have had to phone at least 5 times and have only been met with courtesy, patience and compassion. Thank you
Visited November 2022
Review titled Aspen Medical Practice
Replied on 21 December 2022
Thank you for your feedback. Your kind words are greatly appreciated. Best Regards, Aspen Medical Practice