Green Porch Medical Partnership
Green Porch Medical Centre, Green Porch Close, Sittingbourne, ME10 2HAContact details and opening times
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Reviews
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Review titled No Appointments
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 26 October 2022
After waiting 10 minutes for the phone to be answered I was informed that there were no appointments, I asked if I could get one before the end of the year and was told that the diary doesn't look that far in advance, and I should use the e-consult on the surgery's webpage. When using the e-consult I have to avoid answering the questions honestly because I get the following notification "We can't safely assess your symptoms through this online request. You need to talk to someone today instead." Clearly this isn't possible as there are no appointments, end result is I have to provide inaccurate information in the e-consult system to get a message to the survey about my needs. This situation is unacceptable and putting people's lives at risk.
Visited October 2022
Review titled Green Porch Medical Partnership
Replied on 15 August 2023
Dear Patient, I appreciate that your review was left some time ago but as Green Porch Medical Centres new Practice Manager I want to review/respond to all patient concerns however historic. I’m very sorry and disappointed to hear that you have had continued issues accessing our services at Green Porch Medical Centre. It’s a challenging time for the NHS at the moment, especially in Primary Care where demand is at an all-time high. I understand how frustrating it can be when you need to access your Primary Care Provider only to be told that there are not appointments available. Please rest assured that we are currently exploring all options to improve access to our services across the board. We are in the process of reviewing our clinical rota’s and appointment structure in an attempt to provide more choice and availability for patients. We are hoping to implement a new telecoms service which will allow us to review our data an implement changes in line with demand. In relation to your specific concerns regarding the e-consult system, the adoption of e-consulting services is a positive change within primary care as it allows patients options when it comes to accessing our services. The problem arises when appointment availability, or lack thereof, means that patients are asked to contact the surgery directly therefore making the e-consult service redundant. I will be reviewing with our clinical team the best and safest way to continue operating the system moving forward. These changes will take time and we are not necessarily able to implement these changes all at once, however, please know that the team here at Green Porch are hearing and listening to patient concerns and are actively working to address and rectify those concerns where possible. Patients in Kent and Medway are now able to use an app to view waiting time at local urgent treatment centres (UTC) and minor injuries units (MIU). If we are unable to provide you with a suitable appointment the ‘Waitless’ app can help you make an informed choice on which UTC or MIC to visit should you feel your problem needs clinical support that day. It displays the number of people waiting and the longest waiting times, along with travel information, so patients can decide to visit a site that is not so busy. While I appreciate this is not a solution to the problem of access at GP practices throughout Kent and Medway, the UTC’s and MIU’s are in place to provide patients with care should they find that their GP surgery has no suitable appointments. Perhaps this might be a somewhat helpful solution in future while we address the issues surrounding access here at Green Porch Medical Centre. If you wish to discuss the matter further or have any additional points to raise please feel free to contact me directly at callum.mcque@nhs.net Your sincerely, Callum McQue Practice Manager Green Porch Medical Centre
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Review titled Impossible to get an appointment
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Stephanie - Posted on 17 October 2022
On my 16th telephone call I waited an hour 33 minutes just to be told there are no appointments available. It is impossible to get through and once you do there are never any appointments available. This has been the case in the 5 years we have been registered at the surgery. No appointments on the day and none available to prebook. Incredibly frustrating and disappointing. Staff make no attempt to even try and help. Such a disappointing experience, time and again. Trying desperately to switch to another surgery. Please avoid at all costs.
Visited September 2022
Review titled Green Porch Medical Partnership
Replied on 15 August 2023
Dear Patient, I appreciate that your review was left some time ago but as Green Porch Medical Centres new Practice Manager I want to review/respond to all patient concerns however historic. I’m very sorry and disappointed to hear that you have had continued issues accessing our services at Green Porch Medical Centre. It’s a challenging time for the NHS at the moment, especially in Primary Care where demand is at an all-time high. Please rest assured that we are currently exploring all options to improve access to our services across the board. We are in the process of reviewing our clinical rota’s and appointment structure in an attempt to provide more choice and availability for patients. We are hoping to implement a new telecoms service which will allow us to review our data an implement changes in line with demand. We are also looking at staffing levels and are hoping, over time, to increase the size of our team to provide better access and a better service to our patients. Realistically these changes will take time and we are not necessarily able to implement these changes all at once, however, please know that the team here at Green Porch are hearing and listening to patient concerns and are actively working to address and rectify those concerns where possible. Patients in Kent and Medway are now able to use an app to view waiting time at local urgent treatment centres (UTC) and minor injuries units (MIU). If we are unable to provide you with a suitable appointment the ‘Waitless’ app can help you make an informed choice on which UTC or MIC to visit should you feel your problem needs clinical support that day. It displays the number of people waiting and the longest waiting times, along with travel information, so patients can decide to visit a site that is not so busy. While I appreciate this is not a solution to the problem of access at GP practices throughout Kent and Medway, the UTC’s and MIU’s are in place to provide patients with care should they find that their GP surgery has no suitable appointments. Perhaps this might be a somewhat helpful solution in future while we address the issues surrounding access here at Green Porch Medical Centre. I know it is increasingly frustrating for patients, I am a patient myself and access to my own surgery is difficult, I can only apologise that in this instance you have been left feeling frustrated and disappointed. If you wish to discuss the matter further or have any additional points to raise please feel free to contact me directly at callum.mcque@nhs.net Your sincerely, Callum McQue Practice Manager Green Porch Medical Centre