Hall Grove Group Practice
4 Hall Grove, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL7 4PLContact details and opening times
Patient ratings and reviews
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Reviews
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Review titled Normality please
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Lisa - Posted on 29 January 2024
Will we ever go back to how it used to be at Hall Grove/Parkway? Today I completed an E Consult to request a medication review with my GP. I have Ulcerative Colitis and am higher risk for Bowel Cancer due to my father dying of the disease. I was told to call the Surgery to book an appointment which I did, to be told that there are none available at Hall Grove but I can have a telephone appointment with a Clinical Pharmacist at Spring House. Why is it so difficult to see your own GP now? I dont want to have a telephone appointment with a Pharmacist, I would like to see my GP or have a telephone appointment with him. There comes a point where life has to go back to normal after the Pandemic, in the times I've been in the Surgery there has hardly been anyone in there. Yet the Nurses saw patients throughout the Pandemic.
Visited January 2024
Review titled Hall Grove Group Practice
Replied on 30 January 2024
The situation we are currently in is not due to the Pandemic. The demand for appointments has continued to climb over the last few years and now far surpasses the number of appointments we can offer. Yesterday (Monday 29th January) over 100 patients were consulted on the urgent book on the day list. We also had a locum morning and afternoon who saw 24 patients. A few years ago the number was 70 on a busy day. We now need a 2nd partner working on the duty list all day, this removes that person from being able to offer routine appointments, such as for medication reviews. A few years ago the Government set up Primary Care Networks (PCNs). These are groups of local practices who can employ non-GP health professionals, eg Pharmacists, to take some of the work load off the GPs. As a result many of our medication reviews are done by Pharmacists, who are very good at this. We would very much like to offer a better mix of routine and urgent on the day appointments, and are looking to try to do this. Yesterday, for example, several GPs were seeing patients who had booked in advance. The difficulty is the number of people contacting every day to say they need to speak to a GP that day is currently over whelming. If someone needs a medication review, but also has something they need to specifically speak to their own GP about, please make that clear on the econsult or when you call the surgery. Obviously if that specific GP has no bookable appointments then unfortunately it is limited what the receptionist can offer. All the GPs saw patients through the Pandemic when they needed to be seen. The GPs are working longer hours and seeing more patients than pre-pandemic. Since the pandemic there has been a shift to more patients asking for phone calls rather than face to face. We now leave the choice up to patients, so often the GP lists have a mix, as a result there are fewer patients waiting in the waiting room. I can assure you we are working very hard. Yesterday I worked for 12 hours from 8am until 8pm without a break.
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Review titled Great practice
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Lexi Norton - Posted on 09 November 2023
Once I understood how your systems works, I was very impressed with the help and service that we received. Nothing was too much trouble. From the receptionists to the doctor. Thank you all so much for your professionalism, kindness, thoughtfulness and hard work.
Visited November 2023
Review titled Hall Grove Group Practice
Replied on 09 November 2023
Thank you very much for your very kind message. I will pass it onto our staff. If you have any thoughts on how we could make it easier to understand the system I would appreciate hearing it - if that is possible please drop a note in for Dr Benfield.
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Review titled Unable to contact
Rated 1 star out of 5
by William White - Posted on 18 October 2023
Trying to get test results I called and was held in a que for more than 15 minutes with the recording telling me I was in position number two throughout the call. Tried the auto call back and a recorded voice advised “no action taken” after the request was made. Tried the eConsult but advised no longer taking requests at 15.30. Tried calling the surgery to see if there was anyone actually working there to be held in a que at ever increasing positions. Gave up when I arrived at position number 9.
Visited October 2023
Review titled Hall Grove Group Practice
Replied on 19 October 2023
I am sorry you have had a bad experience. The best way to access your results now is via the NHS app if you can download that to your phone. The econsults are currently open from 8am until 1pm. We are gradually extending the opening time so that in a few weeks it should be open until 4pm Monday-Friday. Please use this to contact us where possible. We checked with the phone company, and found you were in a queue for 13 minutes before hanging up. Sorry we could not answer your call sooner. We have found that if you select ‘2’ to request call back before the message has finished playing, it does not register – wait until the message was finished playing.
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Review titled Rude receptionists
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 25 August 2023
Very rude receptionists, condescending and not at all helpful. A medication I need to take every day without fail or I will suffer and they cannot just get a signature before bank holiday and I will have nothing. My repeat prescription for years pharmacy deleted it but the surgery are not at all helpful in trying to get the script back across. I just get told "what do you want me to say?" "The doctor will be very angry with me if I send him a message" who cares?? Don't prescribe me antidepressants that cause awful withdrawals if you are going to make me go without them!
Visited August 2023
Hall Grove Group Practice has not yet replied.
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Review titled Rude reception staff
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Nick Mace - Posted on 05 June 2023
Reception staff are rude. The lady I spoke to this morning literally hung up when I was trying to ask a question. I was of the understanding that the NHS was to help people guess I was wrong.
Visited June 2023
Review titled Hall Grove Group Practice
Replied on 15 June 2023
We are very sorry this happened. I understand that our practice manager has contacted you, and hopefully, sorted out the issues you were calling about.
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Review titled Sadly has deteriorated
Rated 3 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 30 April 2023
It seems that this surgery is now run for the benefit of the doctors, not the patients. Before Covid, blood tests could be done here, & staff & doctors were easily accessible. I've not had a face to face appointment since before Covid - now I need a blood test ( do everything online they say , not convenient for oldies like me ) & a medication review, which I can't have until I've had the blood test - oh & when you call to make the review appointment you'll be required to tell your weight, & blood pressure! This surgery doesn't offer Covid vaccines & boosters (nearest are over 10 miles away ), I can't drive anymore, & can't afford taxis everywhere. The national health service in general needs a huge overhaul, plus making local patients the main priority for GP surgeries. It should be easier to get the basic things done at one's GP surgery - no Covid vaccine facilites, but they'll do holiday jabs & the like. And the e-Consult is too impersonal. No wonder people complain that our doctors don't know us anymore. They have become too detached from their patients, & forget that like with other big organisations are there to serve us.
Visited April 2023
Review titled Hall Grove Group Practice
Replied on 02 May 2023
We put a lot of effort into trying to provide the best service we can with the resources we have available. We are very sorry that you have not been happy recently. It seems that some of your comments are a misunderstanding or out of our control. We do still offer blood tests at the surgery. These have always been run by the local phlebotomy service. They do a session at Parkway surgery on Friday mornings. Booking slots for QE2 phlebotomy is run by the QE2 hospital. We have no control over their appointments system. There is a phone number you can call if you can’t use the online system. We do offer Covid Booster vaccinations for the current national booster programme. Dr Shah has been doing them on Tuesday mornings at Parkway Surgery. You are correct that our nurses also run a range of other services, such as Travel clinic, Contraception, COPD reviews and Menopause. Whenever a patient makes an appointment to be seen they are asked whether they would like a face to face appointment or telephone. The emergency same day service is phone call first, and we will see everyone in person who needs to be seen. Due to the lack of GP’s nationally NHS England enables us to employ pharmacists instead. They do work such as routine medication reviews. These are mostly phone based but you can ask to be seen face to face if you prefer. Most people have scales at home and most people on blood pressure medications have BP machines as well nowadays. For anyone that doesn’t we have machines in the waiting rooms at Hall Grove and Parkway that you can use. You are correct that we use econsults to enable us to send questions to/arrange appointments with the most appropriate person. We do continue to have a named doctors list - letters from patients and consultants go to a patient’s named GP unless they are away. If you would like to give further in-put please can you contact our Patient Participation Group (PPG).
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Review titled Rude receptionist
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 03 October 2023
Rang to enquire about a prescription that I will need and the receptionist was very blunt to me, I was on asking a question It's stated on signs don't be rude to staff "well it works both ways
Visited March 2023
Review titled Hall Grove Group Practice
Replied on 03 October 2023
Indeed it does. Please contact the practice manager to let them know what happened. We can't take action if we don't know any details. Thank you.