St Lukes Primary Care Centre
Timken Way South, Duston, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN5 6FRContact details and opening times
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Reviews
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Review titled Impossible to get through to anyone
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 07 May 2023
We have been patients at StLukes for 18 years and luckily don’t need to attend very often. I’ve always found the team good when you can see them. The problem now is that it is impossible to get through to the practice if you need an appointment. We phone at 8 am and get the message that the queue is at capacity then get cut off, if you are lucky to get in the queue you then get cut off after waiting with a message saying appointments are gone. Other GP practices still answer their phones and just closing off all contact if appointments leaves patients with no way to communicate their issues. I really worry for frail or elderly people who must feel totally abandoned. a&E and 111 calls for the surgery must be sky high as you have no other option. I’ve been trying for weeks to get an appointment for my daughter but no luck. I did get a LIVi appointment through the app which was helpful but they said she needed face to face with a Gp within 2 weeks, they communicated this with the practice but 3 weeks later we still can’t not get in. I wish something could be done to improve things for local people who have no other options. Duston needs another Gp Surgery as St Luke’s obviously cannot cope.
Visited May 2023
Review titled St Lukes Primary Care Centre
Replied on 17 May 2023
We are sorry to hear of the issues you experienced when trying to book an appointment at the Surgery. We are constantly reviewing and investing in our appointment and telephone system based on patient feedback, this has highlighted difficulties whereby patients are choosing to queue in the phone system as they are not aware that all of the appointments for that period are full. This has been challenging, however, our phone system now allows us to advise patients once our appointments are full to prevent people queuing redundantly. This means that there will be less people waiting for their calls to be answered, and we anticipate that those who are trying to contact the surgery for another reason will be answered more quickly. Sadly this will not change the number of available appointments, we are a finite resource and cannot offer appointments that we do not have. The NHS is under immense pressure as patient numbers grow whilst the number of clinical staff reduces. Once all of the appointments are full, you will still need to wait for the next release. However, this change to the phone system means that you will be advised immediately rather than waiting on hold. The Surgery are conscious however that there are patients who are not able to hold on the telephone or are restricted in the times they can call due to their working hours or simply prefer to contact the Surgery and seek medical advice and information in different ways. Therefore to assist patients we also offer alternative options for non-urgent matters:- • Patients can also access video consultations with a GP via the LIVI app. See our website to download. • NHS 111 On-line which can be accessed via www.111.nhs.uk and offers the following:- Where to get help for your symptoms, if you're not sure what to do, How to find general health information and advice, Where to get an emergency supply of your prescribed medicine, How to get a repeat prescription. • We have also partnered up, along with other practices within Northampton, to a scheme which offers appointments in the evenings and weekends (including BH) at Highfield, Cliftonville Road, Northampton. This services is manned by GP’s, Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Practice Nurses and Healthcare Assistants. You will be aware of the significant housing development in and around Duston, this is putting an additional strain on our appointment availability and the surgery, unfortunately this is out of our control and we cannot simply close our list to new patients although there are alternative surgeries in the area patients can register with. We have also highlighted this to our local Member of Parliament. Thank you for bringing this to our attention as patient feedback is very important to us and we welcome the opportunity look at ways we can improve our systems and processes. Sharon Hennell, Practice Manager, St Luke's Primary Care Centre
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Review titled Automatic phone line
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 09 May 2023
Trying to make an appointment at this surgery is horrendous. I barely use the drs surgery and the only time I need it for are when my children are sick, and the call line is always full. I called non stop between 7.59 amd 8am on the dot and it was already full. They need a new system for people who actually need to see a gp and those who just need a phone appointment.
Visited May 2023
Review titled St Lukes Primary Care Centre
Replied on 17 May 2023
We are sorry to hear of the issues you have experienced when trying to book an appointment at the Surgery. One area you have highlighted is the number of patients registering at the surgery. You will be aware of the significant housing development in and around Duston, this is putting an additional strain on our appointment availability, unfortunately this is out of our control and we cannot simply close our list to new patients although there are alternative surgeries in the area patients can register with. We are constantly reviewing and investing in our appointment and telephone system based on patient feedback, this has highlighted difficulties whereby patients are choosing to queue in the phone system as they are not aware that all of the appointments for that period are full. This has been challenging, however, our phone system now allows us to advise patients once our appointments are full to prevent people queuing redundantly. This means that there will be less people waiting for their calls to be answered, and we anticipate that those who are trying to contact the surgery for another reason will be answered more quickly. Sadly this will not change the number of available appointments, we are a finite resource and cannot offer appointments that we do not have. The NHS is under immense pressure as patient numbers grow whilst the number of clinical staff reduces. Once all of the appointments are full, you will still need to wait for the next release. However, this change to the phone system means that you will be advised immediately rather than waiting on hold. The Surgery are conscious however that there are patients who are not able to hold on the telephone or are restricted in the times they can call due to their working hours or simply prefer to contact the Surgery and seek medical advice and information in different ways. Therefore to assist patients we also offer alternative options for non-urgent matters:- • Patients can also access video consultations with a GP via the LIVI app. See our website to download. • NHS 111 On-line which can be accessed via www.111.nhs.uk and offers the following:- Where to get help for your symptoms, if you're not sure what to do, How to find general health information and advice, Where to get an emergency supply of your prescribed medicine, How to get a repeat prescription. • We have also partnered up, along with other practices within Northampton, to a scheme which offers appointments in the evenings and weekends (including BH) at Highfield, Cliftonville Road, Northampton. This services is manned by GP’s, Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Practice Nurses and Healthcare Assistants. Thank you for bringing this to our attention as patient feedback is very important to us and we welcome the opportunity to assess the situation so that we can see if we can improve our service and processes and review staff training. Sharon Hennell, Practice Manager, St Luke's Primary Care Centre
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Review titled Booking system needs reviewing and improving
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Aunty Jenny - Posted on 28 March 2023
I am attempting to help my niece see a GP, not because she is ill but to request a letter confirming her congenital condition for a bus pass. Also for him/ her to get a baseline of her health as a new patient.( she’s been a patient for 4+years and never seen anyone) I’ve sent an email, spoken to receptionist, called 6 times at the requested times and been cut off, now at last got through to be told appointments for future dates are not made at this time. The message at the 2pm call does not make that clear! No wonder the practice has poor satisfactory results. Very disappointing.
Visited March 2023
Review titled St Lukes Primary Care Centre
Replied on 17 May 2023
Thank you for bringing this to our attention as patient feedback is very important to us and apologise that you felt let down by the practice when attempting to book an appointment. Recently, after reviewing our appointment accessibility we upgraded our phone system so that it allows us to advise patients once our appointments are full to prevent people queuing redundantly. This means that there will be less people waiting for their calls to be answered, and we anticipate that those who are trying to contact the surgery for another reason will be answered more quickly. However this will not change the number of available appointments. Unfortunately, we are a finite resource and cannot offer appointments that we do not have. Once all of the appointments are full, you will still need to wait for the next release. However, this change to the phone system means that you will be advised immediately rather than waiting on hold. When a patient calls up & choses the option to speak to a GP or get urgent medical advice, they enter a call queue and are given a message which explains that the queue will close once all of the slots in that appointment release are full. Once the call queue closes, you are then directed to a message that explains this, gives alternative options that can be used and advises when our next appointment release is. The option to speak to a receptionist is always available. The telephone options are:- 1. Flu vaccination line 2. Urgent issues 3. Other type of routine appointments/General Enquiries 4. Prescriptions 5. Secretaries 6. Admin To assist patients we also offer alternative options for non-urgent matters:- • An online portal called e-Consult in order to get advice both clinical and administrative. You fill out a simple online form to get advice and treatment for a range of common problems and general symptoms and receive a response by the end of the next working day from a member of the Clinical team. However, it is not to be used for emergency issues however. E-Consult can be accessed on the Home page of St Luke's website - www.stlukesprimarycarecentre.co.uk • Patients can also access video consultations with a GP via the LIVI app. See our website to download. • NHS 111 On-line which can be accessed via www.111.nhs.uk and offers the following:- Where to get help for your symptoms, How to find general health information and advice, Where to get an emergency supply of your prescribed medicine, How to get a repeat prescription As a Practice we are constantly reviewing our accessibility processes and options available to patients and we have been working with our Patient Participation Group and other local practices to assist us with this review. Once again thank your for your feedback and apologies for the difficulties you have experienced which will be discussed with the rest of the practice team. Kind regards Sharon Hennell, Practice Manager
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Review titled Not a good practice
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 16 May 2023
Cannot get through in the first instance, unfortunately gp doesn't even bother to give you a call when a request is made for a scan or xray to give u feedback. My son went 3 times for having a scan request done hasn't even been done yet.
Visited February 2023
Review titled St Lukes Primary Care Centre
Replied on 17 May 2023
Hi We are really sorry to hear about the difficulties you have highlighted in your review. Unfortunately as your review is anonymous we are unable to investigate further. If you would like to us investigate and respond fully you can contact us via our email address:- northantsicb.contact.stlukesduston@nhs.net, giving full details. Sharon Hennell, Practice Manager
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Review titled Thank you for helping me
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Amy Rea - Posted on 25 January 2023
I'm a new patient and recently needed help with getting back onto medication for mental health. I had read negative reviews so I was a little anxious whether I would be heard but after I called asking for an appointment I was called back by the doctor within half an hour. My doctor really helped me feel listened to and prescribed for me immediately. Thank you so much, especially with how I feel as of lately it couldn't have been handled any better. Thank you again!
Visited January 2023
Review titled St Lukes Primary Care Centre
Replied on 26 January 2023
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a positive review in relation to your recent experience at the practice. As a practice we are constantly reviewing our processes to enhance our patient experience and delighted that our appointment system worked for you and you found the clinician empathetic and helpful. Thanks again your feedback is very much appreciated and I will pass it on to the practice team - Sharon Hennell Practice Manager
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Review titled Great service
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 24 January 2023
Recently attended for routine nurse appointment very accommodating with appointment times and friendly staff despite all the pressure they are under!
Visited January 2023
Review titled St Lukes Primary Care Centre
Replied on 26 January 2023
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a positive review in relation to your recent experience at the practice. I will pass your comments on to the practice team which will give them a real morale boost. As a practice we are constantly reviewing our processes to enhance our patient experience and delighted that our appointment system worked for you and you found the staff friendly and accommodating. Thanks again your feedback is very much appreciated - Sharon Hennell Practice Manager
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Review titled Not fit for purpose
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Amanda August - Posted on 30 January 2023
Worried I might have a chest infection I tried calling to make an appointment, starting to ring a few minutes before 8am when the lines open, hanging up when message states surgery closed, ringing again until the lines opened. Only to hear that the call queue was full dead on 8am. This is normal so I gave up and went straight to 111 and answered all the questions and was told that they wanted me to see a doctor within the hour. I explained that I quite simply could not get through to the surgery for that to happen. I was told to just keep trying but that 111 would also send through a notification that I needed to be seen. I thought I would be clever and instead of choosing the option for appointments and reception, I chose 'admin'. A very pleasant lady heard me out and said that I would have to go through the usual route as she could not help further. She said that she could see appointments were available and to keep trying, missing the point that it was the call queue capacity that was the problem. Apparently a colleague of hers tried the line while we were talking and got through straight away and was in the queue. I tried again and the call queue was at full capacity. I tried again and the same. I tried again and got onto the queue in position 30. I held for 45 minutes and got to position 2 to then hear that there were no more appointments available. I gave up. Fortunately, I have a wonderful local pharmacist who advised me on what to take and said that he didn't think I had an infection. He was right. I know my symptoms were not serious and although I also know the NHS is on its knees, I am still shocked and horrified that this can be the experience for patients and vulnerable people who are in need of help for serious issues. How on earth do they get the attention they need? A few weeks later I received a text message telling patients that they could no longer go directly to the surgery to make appointments. It goes from extremely bad to absurd. Furthermore I have just seen on this page that the practice is accepting new patients, even though the service it offers is not good enough for the patients it already has. The surgery is very large and in a modern, seemingly well-equipped building, but the service offered is not fit for purpose.
Visited December 2022
Review titled St Lukes Primary Care Centre
Replied on 25 September 2023
Dear Patient Thank you for bringing this to our attention as patient feedback is very important to us and apologise that you felt let down by the practice when attempting to book an appointment. Recently, after reviewing our appointment accessibility we upgraded our phone system so that it allows us to advise patients once our appointments are full to prevent people queuing redundantly. This means that there will be less people waiting for their calls to be answered, and we anticipate that those who are trying to contact the surgery for another reason will be answered more quickly. However this will not change the number of available appointments. Unfortunately, we are a finite resource and cannot offer appointments that we do not have. Once all of the appointments are full, you will still need to wait for the next release. However, this change to the phone system means that you will be advised immediately rather than waiting on hold. When a patient calls up & choses the option to speak to a GP or get urgent medical advice, they enter a call queue and are given a message which explains that the queue will close once all of the slots in that appointment release are full. Once the call queue closes, you are then directed to a message that explains this, gives alternative options that can be used and advises when our next appointment release is. The option to speak to a receptionist is always available. The telephone options are:- 1. Flu vaccination line 2. Urgent issues 3. Other type of routine appointments/General Enquiries 4. Prescriptions 5. Secretaries 6. Admin To assist patients we also offer alternative options for non-urgent matters:- • An online portal called e-Consult in order to get advice both clinical and administrative. You fill out a simple online form to get advice and treatment for a range of common problems and general symptoms and receive a response by the end of the next working day from a member of the Clinical team. However, it is not to be used for emergency issues however. E-Consult can be accessed on the Home page of St Luke's website - www.stlukesprimarycarecentre.co.uk • Patients can also access video consultations with a GP via the LIVI app. See our website to download. • NHS 111 On-line which can be accessed via www.111.nhs.uk and offers the following:- Where to get help for your symptoms, How to find general health information and advice, Where to get an emergency supply of your prescribed medicine, How to get a repeat prescription As a Practice we are constantly reviewing our accessibility processes and options available to patients and we have been working with our Patient Participation Group and other local practices to assist us with this review. Once again thank your for your feedback and apologies for the difficulties you have experienced which will be discussed with the rest of the practice team. Kind regards Sharon Hennell, Practice Manager
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Review titled Terrible Service
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 22 December 2022
I have been trying to get an appointment for the past week. I actually attended the surgery this morning to see if I could get an appointment. I was in the queue with other patients. A member of staff came out and said we could not go in due to Covid, which I fully understand, and said we had to ring. I rang whilst I was in the queue at exactly 8am to be told that the queue had reached capacity and to try again later and it cut me off. Whilst I fully appreciate that staffing levels are difficult at the moment, the fact that I cannot ring to get an appointment, I cannot book on-line, I cannot go personally to book an appointment, I think it is a disgusting service that is being offered to your patients. I am not a frequent attender and I actually attended in person must say that I need to see a GP. If your staffing levels are low, then perhaps you should look at employing other staff
Visited December 2022
Review titled St Lukes Primary Care Centre
Replied on 23 December 2022
We are sorry to hear of the issues you have experienced when trying to book an appointment recently at the Surgery. Unfortunately we are experiencing an unprecedented level of demand for appointments which unfortunately means we do not have appointment availability for everyone that wants one. We are also experiencing a high level of sickness amongst our practice team, hence low staffing levels. We have advised patients of this on social media platforms and explained that we are only able to deal with medical emergencies at this time. Hopefully this will settle over the coming weeks and we will be back up to full staffing levels in the New Year. However this will not change the number of available appointments. Unfortunately, we are a finite resource and cannot offer appointments that we do not have. The NHS is under immense pressure as patient numbers grow whilst the number of clinical staff reduces. Once all of the appointments are full, you will still need to wait for the next release. However, recent investment in our phone system means that you will be advised immediately rather than waiting on hold. This will not change the speed at which the reception team are able to process the calls, but it does mean that once the appointments for that period are full, the receptionists will have more availability to deal with people calling for any other reason. The Surgery are conscious however that there are patients who are not able to hold on the telephone or are restricted in the times they can call due to their working hours or simply prefer to contact the Surgery and seek medical advice and information in different ways. Therefore to assist patients we also offer alternative options for non-urgent matters:- • Patients can also access video consultations with a GP via the LIVI app. See our website to download. • NHS 111 On-line which can be accessed via www.111.nhs.uk and offers the following:- Where to get help for your symptoms, if you're not sure what to do, How to find general health information and advice, Where to get an emergency supply of your prescribed medicine, How to get a repeat prescription. • We have also partnered up, along with other practices within Northampton, to a scheme which offers appointments in the evenings and weekends (including BH) at Highfield, Cliftonville Road, Northampton. This services is manned by GP’s, Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Practice Nurses and Healthcare Assistants. As a Practice we are also reviewing our accessibility process and options available to patients who may have different needs or don’t use technology and will be working with the Patient Participation Group as part of this review. Thank you for bringing this to our attention as patient feedback is very important to us and we welcome the opportunity to assess the situation so that we can see if we can improve our service and processes and review staff training. Sharon Hennell, Practice Manager
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Review titled The worst practice I’ve ever encountered
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 12 December 2022
For four weeks I’ve been trying to get an appointment! I’ve called every day at 8am and 2pm and each time I’m in a queue for over an hour that eventually gets cut off. I’ve also tried via the app and no appointments are ever available. I am getting worse and this surgery will be to blame if the condition is serious! For years it’s been like this and it’s only getting worse! Intervention is needed. Extend of recognise you’ve taken on too many people and put everyone’s lives at risk!
Visited December 2022
Review titled St Lukes Primary Care Centre
Replied on 23 December 2022
We are sorry to hear of the issues you have experienced when trying to book an appointment at the Surgery. One area you have highlighted is the number of patients registering at the surgery. You will be aware of the significant housing development in and around Duston, this is putting an additional strain on our appointment availability, unfortunately this is out of our control and we cannot simply close our list to new patients although there are alternative surgeries in the area patients can register with. We are constantly reviewing and investing in our appointment and telephone system based on patient feedback, this has highlighted difficulties whereby patients are choosing to queue in the phone system as they are not aware that all of the appointments for that period are full. This has been challenging, however, our phone system now allows us to advise patients once our appointments are full to prevent people queuing redundantly. This means that there will be less people waiting for their calls to be answered, and we anticipate that those who are trying to contact the surgery for another reason will be answered more quickly. Sadly this will not change the number of available appointments, we are a finite resource and cannot offer appointments that we do not have. The NHS is under immense pressure as patient numbers grow whilst the number of clinical staff reduces. Once all of the appointments are full, you will still need to wait for the next release. However, this change to the phone system means that you will be advised immediately rather than waiting on hold. The Surgery are conscious however that there are patients who are not able to hold on the telephone or are restricted in the times they can call due to their working hours or simply prefer to contact the Surgery and seek medical advice and information in different ways. Therefore to assist patients we also offer alternative options for non-urgent matters:- • Patients can also access video consultations with a GP via the LIVI app. See our website to download. • NHS 111 On-line which can be accessed via www.111.nhs.uk and offers the following:- Where to get help for your symptoms, if you're not sure what to do, How to find general health information and advice, Where to get an emergency supply of your prescribed medicine, How to get a repeat prescription. • We have also partnered up, along with other practices within Northampton, to a scheme which offers appointments in the evenings and weekends (including BH) at Highfield, Cliftonville Road, Northampton. This services is manned by GP’s, Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Practice Nurses and Healthcare Assistants. Thank you for bringing this to our attention as patient feedback is very important to us and we welcome the opportunity to assess the situation so that we can see if we can improve our service and processes and review staff training. Sharon Hennell, Practice Manager, St Luke's Primary Care Centre