Birchwood Medical Practice
Wick Road, Bristol, BS4 4HUContact details and opening times
Patient ratings and reviews
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Reviews
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Review titled Prepared for battle I didn't need to fight
Rated 4 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 01 August 2024
My telephone consultation this morning was something I could only have dreamt of. The GP I spoke to was knowledgeable about the issue and signposted and referred me without me having to fight. I feel listened to and heard and I could not be more relieved. My previous appointments at this practice have been similar. I have nothing but praise for this practice.
Visited August 2024
Review titled Birchwood Medical Practice
Replied on 01 August 2024
We are so sorry that you thought it would be a battle and so relieved that it was not. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. The practice is always upskilling GPs with education in multiple health areas so we can support our patients better and we are pleased this has helped you today. Best wishes Debra Spencer Practice Manager
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Review titled Brilliant Practice
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 01 July 2024
The receptions are helpful and very courteous, even when they are under a lot of pressure. I experienced them dealing with a queue of people and handling difficult situations whilst still keeping a calm and gracious demeanour.
Visited July 2024
Review titled Birchwood Medical Practice
Replied on 23 July 2024
Thank you so much for your kind words. When people are poorly they are usually at their worst; our understanding and compassion towards them makes it easier to be more patient. Thank you for noticing this in our team's behaviour as we know they really do try. Kind regards Debra Spencer Practice Manager
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Review titled Fantastic example of how the NHS should work
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Charlotte Toogood - Posted on 23 July 2024
No appointment but a walk in after work with my inner ear on fire. The receptionist was incredibly helpful and I saw the on-call doctor within 25 minutes of walking in. Now have appropriate medication and all done within an hour of turning up at the surgery. This is not always the service that I have experienced with this practice but today they were universally excellent. Thank you Birchwood
Visited July 2024
Review titled Birchwood Medical Practice
Replied on 23 July 2024
Dear Charlotte, The team are incredibly pleased that you took the time to provide us with feedback online. They were so happy they could help you as ear pain is one of the worst pains to have. You are correct that we cannot always do this due to high demand, but we do it as much as possible. I have shared your review already and it's feedback like this which drives them to continue to try and deliver excellence at every interaction - thank you. Kind regards (and hope you feel much better soon) Debra Spencer Practice Manager
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Review titled Best practice ever had!
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Robert Luzar - Posted on 24 June 2024
I am very happy with Birchwood Medical Practice. Best practice I've had so far. I've been registered with them for over six years. I have consistently had great experiences with them. Recently, I needed an emergency appointment and, within 15 minutes (from the call, with no waiting time, to seeing them in person), I saw my GP and got the care I needed. I completely recommend Birchwood to anyone in the neighborhood.
Visited June 2024
Review titled Birchwood Medical Practice
Replied on 01 July 2024
Dear Robert, Thank you for sharing your experience and recommending Birchwood. We cannot thank you enough for your kind words which have a truly positive impact on the team. We look forward to continuing to help you in the future. Kind regards Debra Spencer Practice Manager
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Review titled Above and beyond
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Kim Atkins - Posted on 30 April 2024
After an accident at work which required stitches, the treatment room at the practice were removing stitches, checking the wound and ‘dressing’ accordingly . It required two visits but , due to a huge work load, the appointment for the second visit would have been quite a way in advance. The health care assistant being aware that this would be very difficult for me due to my work schedule, arranged to start earlier than her contracted hours in order to suit me. The work ethic, professionalism and kind nature of this HCA was second to none and deserves to be recognised. After reading this, they know who they are and I wanted to express my gratitude and thanks for putting yourself out for me and for the great work in getting me back on track. Finally, we are all responsible for documenting problems and bad service but we’re not so quick to document the service which goes above and beyond and the experience I had did just that.. Many thanks again 🙏🏼
Visited April 2024
Review titled Birchwood Medical Practice
Replied on 01 May 2024
Hi Kim - thank you for taking the time to provide a full and thorough review with such lovely feedback for our team member. She did indeed go above and beyond and we are very pleased this was so helpful to you. We certainly value her in our team. For the benefit of other patients, we must also be clear this specific situation was exceptional - for health and safety reasons it is not usual to see patients when the building is closed. Thank you once again and we hope we can continue to support you. Your review has had a really positive impact and we appreciate this very much. Kind regards Debra Spencer Practice Manager
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Review titled Brilliant service
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Mike Hodder - Posted on 13 February 2024
Our practice at Birchwood Medical Practice gets quite a bit of flack, but they should also get the praise when it's deserved. For me, it is definitely due today. Yesterday evening my knee swelled up and got worse overnight getting rather warm, painful and making it very difficult to walk. I spoke to a lovely receptionist this morning and within 2 hours was seen by the advanced nurse practitioner and a GP who started me on antibiotics and organised bloods and xrays to make sure I don't have sepsis. A great team effort which should be acknowledged.
Visited February 2024
Review titled Birchwood Medical Practice
Replied on 22 February 2024
Hi Mike - goodness me, it sounds like you had an extremely difficult situation with your knee! I am so pleased that all areas of our teams were able to help you promptly and provide the right care at the right time. We are very grateful that you have taken the time to provide feedback about your experience - it really makes a difference to everyone here as they really do care. I hope you are recovering well, but please do not hesitate to come back to us if you need further support. Best Wishes Debra Spencer Practice Manager
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Review titled 'Appointment Booking'
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 08 April 2024
On line booking offered only 1 Tel consultation for 8 days time: Telephone booking offered appointment 3 weeks time: Alternative venue taken for 6 days time. Reception booking 'bloods' n/a for 3 weeks: Alternative venue taken:
Visited February 2024
Review titled Birchwood Medical Practice
Replied on 01 May 2024
Thank you for taking the time to provide a review. We offer a variety of nurse appointments online with excellent availability, although this can sometimes be impacted by staff annual leave or sickness absence. There are also occasions where we acknowledge that our availability may not always accommodate the patient preference. We are sorry an appointment in 8 days did not meet your needs and we are pleased you have been seen. Best wishes Debra Spencer
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Review titled Great practice
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 21 February 2024
Lovely friendly practice , with caring staff Thinking outside the box to get the answers you need. Recently had an appointment with my mum and the Dr we saw was amazing - during hard times they are trying their best
Visited January 2024
Review titled Birchwood Medical Practice
Replied on 22 February 2024
Thank you so much for taking the time to provide a review and for your understanding of the extreme pressures GP services are currently experiencing. Your kind words will really make a different to the team who are all passionate about delivering excellence in service and care. We experience real distress when we cannot help as we would want to due to issues outside of the control of the practice. Thank you again and we look forward to continuing to help you. Debra Spencer Practice Manager
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Review titled Unhelpful
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Varun - Posted on 31 March 2023
Called them twice about my ear. First time I called a month back i had a feeling that my ears were blocked. A doctor called me and prescribed a nasal spray saying I need to call back after using the spray for 2 weeks. My symptoms have gone worse. Have nearly Lost all hearing in my right ear and now have pain. The receptionist first told me to do an online consultation. When the result of the online consultation was that the surgery needed to give me an urgent appointment, the same receptionist told me to call 111 as there are no appointments available. Didnt even think it was necessary to let the doctor(who told me to call back) know. thought the doctors should bd making these decisions not someone who talks to us like they are doing us an favour by answering the phone
Visited March 2023
Review titled Birchwood Medical Practice
Replied on 05 April 2023
Hi Varun. Firstly, thank you for taking the time to provide feedback to us. We really appreciate it even when you tell us your experience was not the best for you. Like all services that are not 24 hours, we have a finite number of appointments available to book with clinicians. The number of appointments is managed to ensure patients are dealt with on the day, safely. When all available appointments have been booked and a patient still needs to be reviewed, we signpost to the next available service unless the patient meets specific criteria e.g. child under 12 years, palliative, vulnerable. Emergencies are referred to 999 but most are referred to 111 who can then make a more thorough assessment than a digital consultation form. 111 can then direct you to the most appropriate other service if you need care the same day when we are already at maximum capacity. This can be a urgent treatment centre e.g. South Bristol Community Hospital if they assess you as needing treatment on the day. Patients can also self-refer to an urgent treatment centre. This protocol is approved by the clinical partners, so the reception team are following their instruction and are not independently advising patients without support. Unfortunately, the number of trained GPs and advanced nurse practitioners available to work in general practice is reduced whilst demand is ever increasing. Also, funding cuts to direct GP services mean we are unable to afford extra staff to meet the unprecedented demand. We have 2 GPs on maternity leave at present which also contributes to the wider service provision issue as there are insufficient numbers of locum GPs to provide face to face consultations. These types of situations are currently experienced by a lot of doctors' surgeries. In 2022, GP practices provided more appointments than hospitals even with a declining workforce. GP services provide over 90% of consultations in the NHS but receive only c8.1% of the NHS funding pot (source: https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/nhs-delivery-and-workforce/funding/investment-in-general-practice). We are very sorry that we could not meet your needs on the day and trust that you took the advice to call 111. You may also wish to visit you community Pharmacist who can assist with assessing ear symptoms. You may also find this link to NHS guidance for blocked ears helpful: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/earwax-build-up/ . If you do have ear wax build up, you may wish to contact a private provider as our surgery does not currently offer earwax removal. Once again, thank you for taking the time to share your experience and we hope that once our team members return from maternity leave - one is back in June - we will be better placed to support you and all of our patients. Debra Spencer Managing Partner
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Review titled Friendly and caring team
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 16 August 2022
Despite the difficulty to get GP appointments nationwide, Birchwood’s team are always friendly and helpful. The introduction of the new E-consult service is great, especially if you don’t want to call up to get an appointment. Although this won’t minimise the appointment wait time, I found it easier and quicker to submit a form. I have been in touch with the administration team via their Facebook page with queries about my recent appointment and they were swift to respond! can’t fault them :)
Visited August 2022
Review titled Birchwood Medical Practice
Replied on 23 September 2022
Thank you so much for your kind feedback. It is extremely challenging with increased demand and lack of GPs nationally, but understanding and kindness from our patients, like you, really supports the team in their daily conversations with patients. Thank you again - and please do not hesitate to contact me when you need to. Debra Spencer Practice Manager