Ash Vale Health Centre

Ash Vale Health Centre 2018-06-20 Person 2 5 0

I am pleased with my new GP (Dr Kate Dodson) but find that administration at Ash Vale is not always accurate & the telephone appointments system is cumbersome. However I do like the new on line appointment slots so that gives patients more of the right kind of control. Some of the administration team are kind and helpful whereas others are not. When I first walked into the surgery I was struck by the number of notices saying -in effect - there’s a zero tolerance to this or that....are these notices either necessary or helpful? As a relatively new patient to this surgery I found that not knowing who my assigned GP is for several months unhelpful. The person (on the desk) when I went to talk about this was not helpful and, in fact rather off putting in manner.

Ash Vale Health Centre 2018-05-28 Person 1 5 0

I dont think the Doctors at Ash Vale want to see patients anymore. having to discuss private details with receptionists who have no medical knowledge. I was told by one of them if I was in pain to discuss it with the pharmacist and take paracetamol. They have no idea of my history . Where has the personal care gone, I feel abandoned, I just want to speak to a gp , I dont know whats wrong but apparently you cant have an appointment if you cant diagnose yourself first

Ash Vale Health Centre 2018-04-23 Person 2 5 0

I am in complete despair with the new phone system here. It is utterly impossible for someone working a 9-5 job to get through on the phone. I have spent upwards of 3 days trying to get through waiting on hold for upwards of an hour on most occasions before my lunch break is over and I have to hang up. It has gotten to the point where I would rather suffer in pain than try and call. As a result of this I'm moving practices as soon as possible. It speaks volumes that other practices in the area are becoming full because everyone is fleeing this sinking ship. Please think about providing care instead of managing your patients like cattle.

Ash Vale Health Centre 2018-03-29 Person 2 5 0

The majority of the staff are extremely pleasant, but some receptionists do make me feel like I am an irritant. I hate the new call back system, as I work full time and attend several meetings a day keeping the whole day free is nearly impossible, I attend up to 4 hours of meetings a day. Furthermore, as I have longstanding health conditions, I was diagnosed 14 years ago, I need frequent appointments and getting each one is a complete hassle. Today I called the surgery before lunch and explained that I would be in meetings for some of the day. I subsequently missed the call that I had been waiting 5 hours for, and when I called the reception team I got quite an aggressive response. What am I supposed to do, skip work because I need to speak to a doctor at a time that is completely unknown. Would it not be simpler to give a slot say from 4-5pm for a call and at least then I can plan my work around it. I come to the surgery because it is close, the doctors and good and I ultimately go there because I care about my health and want to be well (including my anxiety), I often walk away from the reception desk, or phone call from them feeling more anxious and worthless than beforehand, this for me is not acceptable and is such a shame with such a great medical team.

Ash Vale Health Centre 2018-02-13 Person 3 5 0

My experience with Ash Vale Health Centre for the past 10/11 years has been good. I think the new system of booking to speak/see a dr is working well as I think the process is efficient. However, I do question my most recent experience which has sadly occurred over the past week. I think that there needs to be improved and better communication with the community staff and patients, in this case, midwifes. At a time when women are quite vulnerable and isolated at the early stages of pregnancy, and who are going through some worrying symptoms and perhaps (in my case) having complications with symptoms of an infection, we should have the opportunity to speak to the midwifes we know and trust. I requested to reception if I could get a community midwife to call me but was met with info to call the hospital number. At the time I didn’t think my symptoms were concerning enough so wished to speak to the team I knew from previous pregnancies, but did as I was told. No background info the midwife I spoke to just told me to rest, dissatisfied with this, I called for GP help who saw me and listened and told me I had an infection. However, this was only based on a sample test, not further testing or checks. As a result of no improvements I went through the hospital route and was in fact having another miscarriage. The whole process ended up being much slower and more painful, ending in surgery today. Although I cannot fault the support of Frimley Park, I wished I’d had earlier chats and acted upon feedback from midwives that I knew to speed the process up? I respect that this is perhaps an isolated scenario and a very recent situation. However, I wanted to feedback and question the line of communication for future women in this scenario. As this is needed t my first rat experience if miscarriage I do think there should be more support on offer?