Larksfield and Arlesey Medical Practice
Larksfield & Arlesey Surgery, Arlesey Road, Stotfold, Hitchin, SG5 4HBContact details and opening times
Patient ratings and reviews
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Reviews
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Review titled Impossible to get an appointment
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Bevlar - Posted on 25 November 2022
I have been breathless for just over 4 weeks. I saw a nurse at the practice 2 weeks ago and she said to make an appointment to see a doctor if things didn't improve. Fast forward to this week and I have spent an hour and a half each day on the phone to try and get an appointment. When I finally get through there's no appointments left and nothing to pre-book. Out of desperation I paid for a video appointment with a private doctor yesterday, but he said that I would need to be examined before any treatment could be given. I called the surgery this morning and there's nothing available. I am now sick with worry that something could be be very wrong with me but no-one at Larksfield cares. What do I do?
Visited November 2022
Review titled Larksfield and Arlesey Medical Practice
Replied on 28 November 2022
We are sorry to hear you are unwell. Please contact our reception team and request they book you an appointment with our priority clinician. Unfortunately, we cannot find your record under the name left of the feedback to be able to contact you. I would like to assure you we do care very much about our patients but we are facing huge demand for appointments currently.
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Review titled Postpartum mother neglect
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 11 November 2022
I am a new mum with a changing postpartum body. Having being refused a 8 week check by the doctors because “this is something we don’t offer” is unacceptable. I then finally managed to get an appointment to see a doctor to ask for an internal examination and a referral to the hospital and the internal didn’t happen and the referral wasn’t made straight away because the doctor doesn’t normally work there. I just feel that this is so unhelpful and I don’t feel well cared for or looked after.
Visited November 2022
Review titled Larksfield and Arlesey Medical Practice
Replied on 14 November 2022
Good afternoon, we were disappointed to read your review regarding an 8 week check at our surgery. This is indeed something that we do offer. I am pleased that you have since been seen but concerned that you feel there was a delay with your referral. It's not possible for us to investigate anonymous reviews on long and for any clinical matters such as this we would urge you to write to our Practice Manager so we can fully investigate and ensure you are receiving the right care.
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Review titled Impossible to get through
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Natalie Fabron - Posted on 28 November 2022
Have wasted 1.5 hours trying to get through to your service after calling 111 who felt myself and my daughter needed an urgent appointment. After 55 minutes I was caller number 20 this went down to caller number 18 at 1 hour 4 minutes then the phone was cut off! There is no email address available for me to contact you and you can leave positive experience feedback on your Web page but conviently your negative feedback page doesn't work! My online booking service doesn't work and I've attempted to call your surgery for the past couple of weeks and I can't get through!
Visited November 2022
Review titled Larksfield and Arlesey Medical Practice
Replied on 28 November 2022
We were sorry to read of your experience. I understand we have now resolved your online services. Our telephone lines and website are currently being upgraded following the merge of Larksfield and Arlesey .You should see an improvement to both once the new website is built and live and staff are trained. We have recruited new reception staff starting in December. Please bear with us while we are training new staff on our telephone lines. Patients can support this by using online services where possible - our aim is to improve the service to patients
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Review titled no appointments
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Kim Lorraine Pickford - Posted on 22 November 2022
I have had a terrible cough for 4 weeks & have been trying for a week (online and calling) from 8am daily to get an appointment. After 2 hours I speak to a receptionist who can't help as they have no future bookable appointments. I had a telephone call with a doctor via by my private medical ins who said I have to see someone to be able to get any treatment. They spoke of x-rays and put the fear of god in me as it implied cancer. I am both scared and at a loss as to what I'm supposed to do.
Visited November 2022
Review titled Larksfield and Arlesey Medical Practice
Replied on 23 November 2022
We were sorry to read your feedback and have tried to contact you directly this morning. Please do call the surgery if an appointment has not yet been offered and request a call back from our priority GP.
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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.