Beacon Surgery
Beacon Road, Crowborough, East Sussex, TN6 1AHContact details and opening times
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Reviews
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Review titled Service standards continue to fall
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 17 November 2022
Whilst appreciating the pressures faced by the practice some areas of service need addressing. With the recent retirement of practice doctors we now have no relationship with a specific family doctor and see a different practitioner on each visit. It is standard practice to spend at least 20 minutes continuously dialling to be placed in a queue averaging 15+, to hear a message that hasn’t changed since the start of the pandemic. You used to be able to book an appointment online with a specific doctor in advance. This worked well but is no longer available. Arriving in good time you can expect to wait 20-40 minutes past your appointment time, even when your appointment is early morning. Today, we were directed to a back door which was unmanned and without any means of contacting anyone inside or registering your arrival. After the standard 20 minute wait with nothing happening I asked the receptionist what we were meant to be doing, to be told that I should call the surgery (presumably to talk to the receptionist I was talking to). I later found out that this was an isolation procedure and meant that you couldn’t sit in the waiting room. I am not sure who made the decision that earache was contagious and that standing in the cold and wind would alleviate the symptoms. Whilst I appreciate the concern around the need for possible isolation, surely there is a better way to treat patients than have them stand out side in the weather for a long period of time (e.g. someone could make a quick assessment on arrival to determine whether you need to be isolated or could be brought in from the cold to wait in the waiting room). It turned out that there was no need to isolate so a pointless wait outside. Finally, my partner has suffered with long term anxiety and depression but despite calls for help, there has been no follow up by the practice, so she continues to suffer in silence. I don’t mean to complain as generally I think it’s a good practice. It’s just that since Covid things seem to have gone backwards to a large degree and despite the passage of time, no actions to improve standards seem to be taking place.
Visited November 2022
Review titled Beacon Surgery
Replied on 17 November 2022
We were sorry to read your comments and apologise for the inconvenience that has been caused. It is not possible to give a full answer without more information, but clearly there was a miscommunication as an ear ache is not contagious. The telephone system was updated to provide additional lines and facilities during the pandemic and the answer message has been changed on a number of occasions. Like most GP surgeries we are facing unprecedented levels of demand and are having to change the way we work in order to cope with the demand which shows no sign of abating. We try to provide continuity of care with the same doctor but that is not always possible. We strive to provide the best service we can and are constantly trying to improve where shortfalls are identified. Thank you for your acknowledgment that generally it’s a good practice; but we would like to assure you that we are doing what we can to meet the increased demand and at the same time to improve the services we offer.
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Review titled not happy anymore
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Margaret Hazell-Smith - Posted on 15 September 2022
We are sad that after 20 years we are in the process of leaving the Beacon surgery but we have no confidence in them anymore. The do not refer or chase up really important referrals, they ignore the patient and then re refer wrongly so you are back at the end of the queue. I am not prepared to go into medical details but the care for both myself and my husband has been hugely inefficient and uncaring and we know we care be better looked after by another surgery without a battle with aggressive rude secretaries ( the receptionists however are always polite and kind)
Visited August 2022
Review titled Beacon Surgery
Replied on 23 September 2022
We were sorry to read your comments. We have reviewed our records and note that, as far as we can see we have made referrals appropriately. All hospitals are under a considerable amount of pressure at this time and referrals are taking longer to process. We appreciate that patients are not being given appointments as quickly as they would like but this is not because of a lack of effort or care. We would welcome the opportunity of reviewing our records and calls with you to discuss what could have been done differently.