Ashdown Forest Health Centre 2019-04-11 Person 1 5 0

As an experienced ex-nurse, I continue to be disappointed by this GP unit. First of all there is a long message on the answerphone with a very irritating voice. This is frustrating when you don’t have much time to make the call. There are only set times to call for appointments which is difficult when at work and you can’t get to the phone at these times. Added to which, because everyone else has to call at these times, it is unlikely you can get through quickly or at all which means you need a great deal of time to do this. The word “empathy” seems an anathema to staff working here including the doctors. So, when the shock and inconvenience of some medical condition arises, it is with great reluctance that I want to go near this clinic. My recent experience of trying to get test results has been appalling for 2 separate health issues. I am left with no result or communication about an echocardiogram that was performed at the princess royal hospital over 2 months ago. At the time I was not informed that the results would not be sent to the clinic who instructed me to call the hospital where I have left several messages with the cardiologist’s secretary who has not returned my call. Perhaps staff do not realise that when their patients need medical advice or attention, they should not have to put up with unhelpfulness or have to be aggressively assertive to get their needs met.