Larksfield and Arlesey Medical Practice
Larksfield & Arlesey Surgery, Arlesey Road, Stotfold, Hitchin, SG5 4HBContact details and opening times
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Reviews
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Review titled Yet Another Delay
Rated 4 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 09 November 2022
We needed a form filling in for an insurance claim, evidently this has now been outsourced to another company which when you phone takes an age to get through.
Visited November 2022
Review titled Larksfield and Arlesey Medical Practice
Replied on 10 November 2022
We are unable to respond to feedback regarding other companies or services. We do outsource non-NHS work currently as we are focused on improving the service for our NHS patients .
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Review titled Terrible aservice
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 18 November 2022
Having been advised by pharmacist to contact GP. Hour on phone Monday, no answer, same on Tuesday, went up to surgery advised to try 111:to get an app at surgery got through but they didn’t make one. Contacted surgery late Tuesday to find this out, finally got a telephone call from Dr late Wednesday, This is a very unsatisfactory state of affairs and bordering on the dangerous for the patients. I absolutely dread if I have to contact the surgery for anything as it is so frustrating and the lack of empathy from reception and Drs is appalling. I don’t want telephone appointments, they are unsatisfactory and I have to manage my husbands care as well. If this was a firm all the people who manage this surgery would be sacked by now.
Visited November 2022
Review titled Larksfield and Arlesey Medical Practice
Replied on 21 November 2022
We are pleased you managed to obtain an appointment when our services are under such high demand. We do offer face to face appointments you just need to let reception know when you call. 111 are there to provide a back up service to support primary care just as Primary care are here to support our colleagues in 111. Negative feedback such as sacking the staff are demoralising for our team who work extremely hard and have remained committed to patient care during the covid pandemic . If you are unhappy with the care received even though you obtained an appointed within 3 days we would recommend you register with another practice .
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Review titled Have had to come off medication
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 15 November 2022
I have had to stop using my HRT as the doctors will not put it on repeat. I have spent in excess of 3 hours on the phone in the last two weeks trying to get a medication review and cannot get through. Have also looked at the app numerous times a day trying to get an appointment which is impossible as well. Sadly the surgery is not what is was and I have also had delayed diabetic reviews which is not ideal given my levels are not where they should be.
Visited November 2022
Review titled Larksfield and Arlesey Medical Practice
Replied on 17 November 2022
Unfortunately, we are unable to fully respond as your review is anonymous. We would advise that you contact our practice manager who will be able to assist you
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Review titled impossible by design?
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 09 November 2022
It is almost impossible to get through to reception. Today I waited over an hour in a telephone queue to end up with someone picking up and immediately slamming it down. I have failed several times to get through in the past couple of years and feel it is by design. When requiring appointments for my son, I eventually had to go through 111 service in order to get him seen. It makes one feel that the NHS is failing us but in fairness, is it really just bad reception management? Isn’t there some equivalent to ofsted for general practises that could assess this place and support it to improve?
Visited November 2022
Review titled Larksfield and Arlesey Medical Practice
Replied on 10 November 2022
We are sorry you are unhappy with our service. While your feedback is anonymous, we are unable to investigate this matter and would advise that you write to our Practice Manager providing details of the time / date and number called from - we can then investigate. Our reception team work incredibly hard but we are concerned that you have stated the telephone was slammed down and would like to investigate this matter
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Review titled Poor practice standards
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Vasiliki Parlama - Posted on 23 November 2022
For 3 consecutive days I was trying to get hold of the GP for an appointment for my son who is 16 months old and had been experiencing a month-long of diarrhoea symptoms with worsening symptoms the day I first called the GP. After 4 days in a raw calling at 08.00am sharp as I was advised by the receptionist. Every single day I had to wait on hold for 50min-1 hour as I was always last in the queue and by the time they picked up there were no appointments left. On the 4th day I called 111 as my son had been refusing feeding and would only drink his milk. I went to an advanced nurse practitioner an bedford who assessed him and found a degree of dehydration. The advice was to stop giving him milk and only give him sugary drinks like ribena and apple juice and try to offer feeds and water. I did not follow this advice as I have never given him sugary drinks and I did not think it was the appropriate advice. They also prescribed fucidin for rash behind his ears and gave my a stool sample bottle so I can take a sample if he had temperature. On the same night he was indeed pyrexial and I took a sample. On day 5 I called the practice again begging for a stool culture to be ordered. Unfortunately the practice nurse was not listening to me and had to repeat a few times his history, background and the fact that I am a paediatric nurse to convince her to order a sample. On the same night I called 111 again to make a doctors appointment and they advised the practice to give me a call back with an urgent appointment through 111. They never called me back until now (that's 1 week now since). I am writing to report extremely poor practice, a complete lack of empathy and compassion but also quite significant lack of the appropriate skills on children's assessment. It is really quite scary and unfair as well to put me in a position to having to nurse my own child with no support and giving me no option but to take him to a private paediatrician and pay 250 pounds for the appointment.
Visited November 2022
Review titled Larksfield and Arlesey Medical Practice
Replied on 23 November 2022
We are sorry to hear your son has been unwell and that you had difficulty obtaining an appointment. Please do contact the practice in regard to online access this will enable you to book appointments online for your son in future. If you have concerns regarding clinical advice given by our team, please do follow our complaints guidance on our website so we can investigate this matter for you. We are unable to comment on advice given by 111 however when a patient contact 111 they do have the ability to book you directly into our service - on this occasion having checked the 111 report i can confirm advice given was for the patient or representative to contact the surgery within 6 hours please contact our reception and advise them of this and they will book you an appointment. The practice were not requested by 111 to contact you directly following this consultation. Finally we are sorry that you felt the surgery lacked empathy and compassion this is not the impression our team want to give patients and we will investigate this as part of your complaint once received.
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Review titled Impossible to get through
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 14 October 2022
There is nobody staffing the phones whatsoever. I am on hold for way over an hour. I was second in the queue half an hour ago. The impossibility of getting through on the phone is not just a one-off. I really hope to change this review to 5 stars one day but it doesn't seem likely that this will be possible anytime soon.
Visited October 2022
Review titled Larksfield and Arlesey Medical Practice
Replied on 17 October 2022
Larksfield Medical centre is currently reviewing its staffing levels and we hope you see an improvement to the service. The teams here have worked incredibly hard over the last few years and remained committed to the service and patients. Our priority is to increase both administration and clinical staffing levels . We have also increased our online appointment availability if you are able to use online services please do so .
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Review titled Answer machine
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Christine Winwood - Posted on 28 October 2022
I suggest when someone is waiting in the queue on the phone, when all the appointments have gone why not change the message to reflect this. So people aren't kept waiting for hours only to be told " no appointments left" and to save your receptionists getting abused
Visited October 2022
Review titled Larksfield and Arlesey Medical Practice
Replied on 31 October 2022
Dear Christine Many thanks for your feedback regarding appointments. All of our appointments are generally gone by 8.45 am, we now also release a higher volume of appointments online each morning. By using online appointments patients can free up our telephone lines for patients who need to call and avoid them having to wait as long in the queue. We are currently recruiting more reception staff to manage calls. Not all patients need to see a GP so changing the telephone lines may cause confusion if the patient can be seen by another health care professional. The practice has now implemented a zero tolerance against abuse, we want to care for our patients and while we appreciate the frustration nationally in general practice through lack of appointments v demand we will have no hesitation to remove patients from our service should they be found to be abusive to any of our team members.
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Review titled No appointments
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Susan jackson - Posted on 21 October 2022
Be trying to get a appointment for 5 days on the phone at 8 am same thing every day no 19 in the q , when u get through your told no appointments phone tomorrow very very poor service
Visited October 2022
Review titled Larksfield and Arlesey Medical Practice
Replied on 21 October 2022
Dear Susan Following our discussion on the telephone please do accept our apologies that you had difficulty obtaining an appointment. We are trying to improve accessibility and hope you see an improved service in the future. We have now recruited another two G.P's who start with us in February and have increased our locum capacity until then.
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Review titled Clearly overstretched
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 17 October 2022
I have been trying to book an appointment for five days having been advised my results were available and that I need to speak to or see a GP. I installed the new app but there are never any appointments. I do not have time to sit in the queue for an hour only to be told there are no appointments, and call again tomorrow, to go through the same routine. I dropped by today and was told there are no bookable appointments. The situation is unacceptable, bordering on the dangerous. If I need to be seen, surely the surgery should send me an appointment, just as the hospital do. If I cannot make that appointment, then it is up to me to contact and rebook. I feel for the staff, but something needs to change. This was never the case pre-pandemic.
Visited October 2022
Review titled Larksfield and Arlesey Medical Practice
Replied on 18 October 2022
Many thanks for your feedback . The practice is currently prioritising recruitment of clinical and non clinical staff as we are aware the current team is overstretched and has been for some time. We have recently reviewed the surgery process for patients who require a follow up appointment as we are aware that the previous process is inconvenient for patients. We are working with our teams to implement this going forward
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Review titled Disgrace - not a chance of seeing a doctor
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Frances Hockley - Posted on 17 October 2022
Having submitted on 2 occasions online BP readings, only 1 was partially received, we physically handed in a further set of BP readings on the 19th September. 4 weeks on I rang just before they break for lunch & there is no sign of the readings anywhere. I now have to call first thing in the morning to try to get an appointment, what for I ask myself as you only get a telephone appointment. The receptionists try hard, but must get a barrage of abuse due to patient frustration!!
Visited October 2022
Review titled Larksfield and Arlesey Medical Practice
Replied on 18 October 2022
Many thanks for your feedback . Could i please ask that you contact the Practice Manager who will be able to investigate this matter for you. Unfortunately, our receptionists are facing a high level of abuse at the practice we are working hard to bring staffing levels up and staff training upto date as new providers to ensure patients see an improvement in the service. while supporting the reception team to stay within the service following a difficult time for them