Riverside Surgery
Erith Health Centre, 50 Pier Road, Erith, Kent, DA8 1RQContact details and opening times
Patient ratings and reviews
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Reviews
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Review titled Used to be a brilliant practice. Not now
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 14 March 2024
I have been using this surgery for over 30 years. Since the pandemic I have been unable to get an appointment. I only ever use them if desperately needed, but now it's impossible. Twice in the last 4 years i've found myself outside Erith Urgent Care as I can't get to see the Dr. ALL the original Dr's @ Battle road have left I don't even know who my Dr is now. I've been trying to get an appointment for my Autistic daughter and all I can get is a telephone appointment 2 weeks later. Get an email saying it'll be between 8.30 & 1. So I wait in all day with my daughter who won't speak on the phone. I double check with the surgery @ lunchtime that she's definitely getting a call only to be told. Yes but it's an afternoon appointment so it's anytime upto 4pm. I explain to reception that we've been waiting since 8.30 as we were told AM only to be told there's nothing she can do. Terrible service since they joined Riverside. I would change but both my children have used this surgery since birth and I have for 30 + years. Hoping that reviews will make a difference but I'm doubting it!
Visited March 2024
Review titled Riverside Surgery
Replied on 16 August 2024
Dear Service User, Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. We sincerely apologise for the experience you described and for any inconvenience caused. We are sorry to hear that you felt you ended up in urgent care rather than seeing a GP at Riverside Surgery. Unfortunately, because your feedback was posted anonymously, I am unable to access your medical records to gain a full understanding of the situation. We do have a triage system in place where care coordinators and duty doctors work together to assess and prioritize patient needs. This system is designed to ensure patients are seen in accordance with clinical urgency and government guidelines, which typically allows for contact or an appointment within two weeks unless an urgent need is identified. I regret that there was confusion regarding your appointment time, and I would have liked to review the records to address this issue more thoroughly. Since I cannot identify your specific case from an anonymous review, I am unable to investigate further or discuss this with our team directly. We understand your dissatisfaction and would like to offer our apologies. If you would like to discuss this matter further or provide additional details, please contact our practice manager directly. Your feedback is important to us, and we are committed to learning from any mistakes to improve our services. Thank you again for your feedback. Kind regards Miss Avril Bell Practice Manager
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Review titled Terrible
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Joey - Posted on 17 November 2023
It's impossible to get an appointment. The surgery think they are becoming more streamlined by having an online booking system, but it is so hard to actually get an appointment. Even more frustratingly, my sister also received a booking link but was shown at least 9 appointments and I was shown none. I described that my issue required antibiotics and am still unable to get an appointment. It's worrying when you read that if left untreated your issue could lead to further complications, but the basis of your treatment is left at the hands of a surgery with no compassion or ability to book an appointment over the phone in a timely manner. I dread to think about the poor old people who don't have access to the internet - if they get through to the clueless and compassionless receptionists and are made to wait.
Visited November 2023
Review titled Riverside Surgery
Replied on 17 November 2023
Riverside Surgery sends an apology to you for any disappointment caused over booking an appointment recently. Our appointment system is a challenging and evolving model one, which we are, contracted to fulfil to our best ability by NHS England. At Riverside Surgery, we understand that some people find it time consuming or daunting completing total triage. General practice is not one model - it is a number of different models - at Riverside Surgery, we are mindful that not one size fits all. Booking links, are valid for seven days (during core hours Monday to Friday 08.00hrs to 17.00hrs). The Government’s plan for GP practices this year was that, when patients contact their practice online or over the phone they will know on the day that they make contact how their query will be managed, rather than being told to call back later. If their need is urgent, they will be assessed and given appointments on the same day. If it is not urgent, appointments should be offered within 2 weeks, or patients will be referred to NHS 111 or a local pharmacy. We apologise if you believe we have not delivered on this to you.it may be possible when you tried to book with the link you were sent they had already been booked as it is a first come first serve basis. As previously mentioned, Care - Navigators direct patients to different clinicians within the practice, other professionals within the general practice or other medical professionals such as community pharmacists who can best meet the needs of the patients. This explains why your sister could see different availability. I understand you then called reception who advised you to try the link the next day, as it is valid for seven days or to complete the triage. If you had specified, when you work, when you would be available or if you would prefer a call rather than a link on your completed the triage, our Care-Coordinators would have seen that you had very specific booking needs and they would have called you to ensure that you could receive the appointment you desired. We recognise it is important for our staff to show compassion and support to our patient population. We also have to defend our staff because we understand it can be challenging to find the right words to express empathy in a second language. At Riverside Surgery we have a range of different cultures within our team and we can assure you that we all par-take in regular mandatory training this includes equality, diversity and inclusion training. I had asked our Care – Coordinating team to call you today to apologise and book you a convenient appointment. I have been informed that the team attempted to call you twice today but failed to reach you. Therefore, they booked you an appointment and I believe you have now accepted that appointment. This was a 24hr turnaround from your original triage.
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Review titled From great practice to worst practice
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Krishty Ankadu - Posted on 30 October 2023
I called @ 5pm to book for a doctor appointment and I was referred to the triage booking system using the link. I open the link and it shows that the practice is closed “out of hours core” & I called back again @ 17.20 I was asked to go on the link tomorrow morning @8am using the link given to book the appointment. Being sick and to go through the hassle of booking this appointment and while the practice is still opened why I can’t understand why the link doesn’t work and” it’s out of hours “. It’s getting worse as someone is being sick plus have to go through all this process to fill up a form and don’t know when to get an appointment. Why can’t it be a simple process to book an appointment . It’s like going through a test !! It used to be so good when used to be with Bulbank !
Visited October 2023
Review titled Riverside Surgery
Replied on 17 November 2023
Riverside Surgery sends an apology to you for any disappointment caused over booking an appointment recently. We understand that for some, it can be challenging and at times seems a negative experience. Our appointment system is a challenging and evolving model one, which we are, contracted to fulfil to our best ability by NHS England. At Riverside Surgery, we understand that some people find it time consuming or daunting completing total triage. General practice is not one model - it is a number of different models - at Riverside Surgery, we are mindful that not one size fits all. Booking links, are valid for seven days (during core hours Monday to Friday 08.00hrs to 17.00hrs). The Government’s plan for GP practices this year was that, when patients contact their practice online or over the phone they will know on the day that they make contact how their query will be managed, rather than being told to call back later. If their need is urgent, they will be assessed and given appointments on the same day. If it is not urgent, appointments should be offered within 2 weeks, or patients will be referred to NHS 111 or a local pharmacy. We apologise if you believe we have not delivered on this to you.