Ashdown Forest Health Centre

Ashdown Forest Health Centre 2023-05-01 Person 5 5 0

I rang 111 for help and after advising them that I simply couldn't get to A&E, a telephone appointment was booked for me. Not long after Dr Cannon rang and offered a home visit but I felt with the advice I was given I would be ok. Not to be however, and the next day I rang and again within a very short time Dr Naineni rang with further advice and offered to see me at the surgery next day. With his further advice I felt better, but not right. The prescription he left for me was not available at 3 pharmacies [including your own] so I took an over the counter medicine. I am still not 100% right but feel so much better. I know there are always complaints but on this occasion I met with nothing but excellent help.

Everything was fine.

Ashdown Forest Health Centre 2019-08-13 Person 0 5 0

The practise manager made everything difficult, instead of helping. Ex partner need heart drugs and was refused help while the handover was completing. They are the least helpful doctors I have ever known. Sally advised me to go back to new doctors and ask again after new doctors advised go back to them. Blind leading the blind. They never ever completed a referral - ever without being prompted. We go to the doctors once maybe twice a year and this surgery was useless.

Ashdown Forest Health Centre 2019-05-29 Person 1 5 0

Last week in France the earpiece from my hearing aid became detached from the wire and embedded itself deep in my ear canal. I was thus rendered totally deaf in my right ear and in some discomfort ( think of having a large frozen pea rammed in your ear). My neighbour was able to contact the Audiology unit in crowborough who saw me the day I returned home and confirmed they could just see the earpiece and that I needed to see my GP. I rang them. Got cut off the first time. Second time the receptionist informed me they hadn't the equipment to remove the earpiece from my ear and I should go to minor injuries unit. More petrol, pollution, anguish, phone calls and upset. Went straight into minor injuries unit and within three seconds the nurse had removed the earpiece using a cottonwool bud with a small blob of superglue on it. I suppose the surgery must be tight on cash if it can't afford a pack of cotton wool buds and a small tube of superglue. Additionally getting an appointment is upsetting, time consuming and usually unsuccessful. Now the receptionists are allowed to ask why you want to see the doctor, they are making judgements on your symptoms without proper training. Having been fobbed off on at least three occasions I finally got to see a doctor, with symptoms which could have been serious, five months after they began, having been told by receptionists that they weren't a medical emergency. As a result I went to the hospital for an MRI scan long after I should have been given an appointment. Unfortunately the receptionist at the hospital forgot to check me in so after two hours waiting I had to be given an alternative date which will be 3 June, now more than five months since I first had the symptoms. Either this surgery is over subscribed with patients and/or their management is incompetent. Why do they close for an hour and a half at lunch time? Why no late night surgeries, or come-and-wait-and-be-seen-according-to-your-ticket-number surgeries, or Saturday surgeries? It's a mess.

Ashdown Forest Health Centre 2019-05-17 Person 4 5 0

Up until recently I have never had a problem getting an appointment at the surgery. Not that I’m a regular attender. I’ve become quite frustrated trying to get x-ray results for my husband. The x-rays were not reviewed a week post x-ray when I called for them. On a further call back we were offered a phone appointment which was appropriate. This is where my frustration begins. The doctor attempted to call back and hung up as my husband answered. No further callback was attempted I called back to the surgery and was kindly given a second appointment for that day. Unfortunately the line was engaged for a couple of minutes. This is when the doctor called back. Again no further callback was attempted. I understand that the doctors are busy. I too have worked as a clinician in a surgery so I understand how busy they are. My point is that one a attempt at a call back is not good enough. You are not given an exact time for your call back so perhaps up to three attempts should be made as in other surgeries. I can’t book an afternoon appointment in the morning so I will have to try again at 1:30 for an afternoon appointment.

Ashdown Forest Health Centre 2019-04-29 Person 3 5 0

I spent 45 minutes trying to get through and holding on to make an appointment this morning, only to be cut off when I was next. I then spent another 20 minutes trying again, only to find all appointments taken. My husband tried all last week without success to make an appointment. I was told the system does cut off when overloaded. This is an impossible situation.