Berrycroft Community Health Centre
2 Nimrod Street, Aylesbury, HP18 1BBContact details and opening times
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Reviews
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Review titled Difficulty booking an appointment
Rated 3 stars out of 5
by Andrew Goddard - Posted on 03 August 2022
I received a text (28th July) from the Dr to book a follow up telephone appointment after a recent blood test. I left it till 3rd to give staff time to move in to the new building. I was surprised to see a fairly chaotic scene as the building doesn't appear to be ready. I found the reception and waited for someone to come so I could request my appointment. The lady was quick to tell me "There are no appointments left for today" I explained that It didn't need to be today but that I would like a Mon,Tue or Wed. "We can't make appointments for other dates" I asked when this had changed as I had recently done just that, without an issue. She then told me she could in fact make me a telephone appointment for that day. I asked what time approximately. "I can't give you a time" not even morning or afternoon! I agreed to this but said I couldn't guarantee that I would be able to take the call. I also asked if they could phone my home number as I get poor reception in Berryfields. The Dr phoned around 11am but due to no reception it went straight to voicemail and they didn't phone my house phone as requested. So I went back to make another appointment as asked to on voicemail. A different lady told me there were no further appointments left and that I would have to come back in the morning (not an option I start work at 6 tomorrow morning) I explained that I wanted to make a future appointment which she told me they don't do. I asked when that had become so, as I have made appointments previously with no problem. She said it had always been like that. By now I was starting to get pretty frustrated by both the situation and the condescending way I was being spoken to. I asked how that could be considered as satisfactory as my Dr had asked me to make the appointment. The lady refused to comment or show any empathy or understanding and in fact asked me to leave as I think my voice volume had raised due to my utter frustration at the lack of help and the general "couldn't care less" attitude. I left after saying "How can this situation be OK?" I went home and within 5 minutes received a text about a phone appointment on 8th August am. This was all I was asking for in the first place. Please send your receptionists on a customer service awareness course so they understand how to speak to people properly and show some empathy. I very rarely go to the Dr and I have been paying National Insurance for a very long time. I am entitled to book an appointment and should not have been asked to leave as I was not rude or abusive, just frustrated with the lack of any help or advice whatsoever. Just another patient (customer) wanting (requiring) an appointment! Sorry that's what we do...
Visited August 2022
Review titled Berrycroft Community Health Centre
Replied on 08 September 2022
Replied on 1.9.22 Dear Mr Goddard I’m sorry you had a frustrating experience. This period of time was the week between Berryfields moving into the new building and Meadowcroft also moving in. Unfortunately we had to carry on as normal a service as possible during the move which was very difficult; as you can imagine if you have ever moved house and had to carry on working at the same time. The confusion over the appointment booking could have been because, due to the move, we had to work a different system to our normal one so we were unable to easily book in advance for that week. This was also why the receptionist was unable to give an approximation of morning or afternoon for calls. The receptionist did put a note on your booking for the GP to call your landline as you requested, however it must have been overlooked by the GP. I’m sorry that when you came into the Centre you were spoken to condescendingly. I’m unable to comment on why you were asked to leave as I wasn’t there, however if you were shouting at the receptionist, we do have a zero tolerance for rudeness or abuse and the receptionist may have felt intimidated by your volume, even if it was unintentional. Our receptionists are trained in customer service and should always show empathy and I apologise if this did not happen on this occasion. We are, however, not perfect and are constantly learning and adapting. We always aim to do the best for our patients, and we are sorry if on this occasion we did not achieve this. We are still settling into our new building, with new systems while combining two surgeries with two different ways of working, so please bear with us while we adjust to all working together. Regards Christina Moran, Patient Services Manager
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Review titled 1hour 25 mins still no answer from a receptionist
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Jayne Rode - Posted on 26 August 2022
I am still trying to speak to a receptionist. I was 28th in the queue, got to no. 5 after 1 hour and 10 mins, then the phone started to ring but still not being answered by a receptionist. I have been now waiting 1 hour 25mins. I work full time for the NHS and this is wasting my valuable work time as well as my phone credit. It's no wonder the A & E departments are over run.
Visited August 2022
Review titled Berrycroft Community Health Centre
Replied on 01 September 2022
Dear Mrs Rode Please accept our apologies for your experience and frustration. During and since the pandemic there has been a huge increase in patient demand on our services, a fact I’m sure you are well aware of if you also work in the NHS. This has manifested in increased telephone calls into the surgery. This has also meant that our telephone system is overwhelmed on occasion. Depending on your reason for calling the surgery there are better times to get through than others. If you are calling for test results or with a query, later in the day is a better time to call as the morning is when most callers are calling for an appointment. We advise patients to use our online services as much as possible, as this means you don’t need to come in or call the surgery, however we do understand that some patients may not have easy access to or be able to use the online system or will need to speak to or see a clinician. We are investigating a new telephony system to try to improve our telephone service to our patients and have recruited new staff who are in training. The receptionist role both on the telephone and in person has become very challenging and they often have to deal with abuse from frustrated patients; this does not make it easy to recruit or keep new staff. We always do our very best to provide a helpful, pleasant and professional service despite these difficulties and we will continue to do so. Regards Christina Moran, Patient Services Manager
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Review titled What has happened to our Doctors surgery
Rated 3 stars out of 5
by Marcia Lang - Posted on 17 August 2022
I have noted that since the pandemic there has been a change in attitude to patients Normally we only contact the doctor in extreme cases but it has now become a nightmare to get through by telephone I couldn't get through and so I went to the new surgery the queue was large There appears not to be enough staff to deal with the patients either on the telephone or in the surgery We all received a text to say that prescriptions would now take 5 days and we should e-mail in our requirements no mention of whether we can still use the app this confused a lot of people I am concerned as to what will happen when to winter comes The new surgery seems very good but what is the point if you cannot get to make an appointment The Car park I think needs an in and out as there appears to be a problem cars leaving when cars are arriving
Visited August 2022
Review titled Berrycroft Community Health Centre
Replied on 19 August 2022
Dear Mrs Lang Thank you for your feedback. Please accept our apologies for your experience. During and since the pandemic there has been a huge increase in patient demand on our services. As you yourself comment above, this has manifested in increased telephone calls into the surgery. This has also meant that our telephone system is overwhelmed on occasion. Depending on your reason for calling the surgery there are better times to get through than others. If you are calling for test results or with a query, later in the day is a better time to call as the morning is when most callers are calling for an appointment. We advise patients to use our online services as much as possible, as this means you don’t need to come in or call the surgery, however we do understand that some patients may not have easy access to or be able to use the online system or will need to speak to or see a clinician. We are investigating a new telephony system to try to improve our telephone service to our patients. We apologise for the confusion caused by the text regarding prescriptions, this was an error, and the text should have been more clearly worded. A further text has now been sent to clarify. As most other surgeries, we have recruitment as a priority, however the receptionist role both on the telephone and in person has become very challenging and they often have to deal with abuse from frustrated patients; this does not make it easy to recruit or keep new staff. We always do our very best to provide a helpful, pleasant and professional service despite these difficulties and we are trying to increase the staffing to help with demand. Regarding the car park, access will improve when the construction vehicles have left the site, and everyone gets used to negotiating it. I hope your next experience with us is more pleasant and satisfactory. Regards Christina Moran Patient Services Manager, Berrycroft Community Health Centre