Ashdown Forest Health Centre

Ashdown Forest Health Centre 2016-10-28 Person 3 5 0

On Monday 26th September we took our 14 year old daughter (a keen dancer) to the surgery with a sprained ankle which had resulted in a swollen and bruised area on the top of her foot. Dr Baxter explained that the bruising was a consequence of twisting the ankle and diagnosed a minor sprain and advised a week without dancing. However he did not touch or examine her foot or assess pain levels etc. We think that this is the minimum that should be done when a patient comes to the surgery with a sprain to assess how badly ligaments are damaged or if there is a possibility of a fracture. On Saturday 1st October as the ankle was still painful we took our daughter to Nick Tuckley an osteopath in Forest Row who said he though the ankle might be fractured and he advised an X-ray. On Monday 3rd October we went back to the surgery and saw Dr Mannion. She was excellent and gave the ankle a thorough examination. Although she did not think it was fractured she sent us immediately to have an x ray at the Queen Victoria East Grinstead. On Friday 7th October we received a call from a duty doctor who was quite embarrassed to tell me that the ankle was in fact fractured and said that we should have been told much earlier in the week and that now it was urgent that come to the surgery and then immediately take my daughter to a fracture clinic. At the clinic we were told to go to Brighton Children's hospital. We did this but after a very long wait in the fracture clinic we were told that they did not have the x ray and could only put the ankle in a boot and that we would have to come back the following Tuesday. This we did and a stable fracture was diagnosed and the boot retained. We think that the hospital or surgery should have communicated the results of the x ray to us earlier and we think that, for a stable fracture we could have been sent to a more local hospital, the Queen Victoria or Princess Royal Haywards Heath. The initial incorrect diagnosis because of no physical examination of the foot compounded by the delay in receiving the result of the x ray meant that my daughter was walking on a broken ankle for two weeks. This may have added to her recovery time and was also unnecessarily painful.

Ashdown Forest Health Centre 2016-09-27 Person 2 5 0

PLEASE-PLEASE-LOOK at the past reviews for Forest Row Surgery. Does anyone bother to read OR act on these reviews? There are many complaints about the ability to get an APPOINTMENT to see their doctor, but nothing seems to change.

Ashdown Forest Health Centre 2016-09-27 Person 2 5 0

How do I get an appointment with my doctor? I have tried many times phoning the surgery starting just before 8.30am and again at 1.30pm only to be told each time there are no appointments available. This has been the case many many times, I am also told that appointments can not be pre-booked in advance, so how are patients getting to see their doctors and where are all the appointments’ going?. I have also tried phoning the surgery starting at 8.20am and kept re-dialling until the surgery opened and still no appointment available, one time I phoned the surgery at 1.15pm and kept re-dialling then to my surprise at 1.25pm it was answered (this was before the stated time of the surgery opening) I was told yet again that there are no appointments available.

Ashdown Forest Health Centre 2016-09-13 Person 1 5 0

the new telephone system does not work for any one with additional needs. I am blind and do not drive. I rely on other to help me make appointments and get me to the surgery. I have telephone 4 times today in order to make an appointment. after hanging on the telephone for over 20 minutes on each occasion ( a call for which I will have to pay!) I was still unable to get an appointment. I rang @ 8.30am and no one anserwed the telephone it just keep ringing- seems no one had turned on your telephones!!I spoke to a receptionist at 11.12am this morning to be told there were no appointments and would need to ring back on Friday @ 8.30am . I telephone again @ 11.32 to try again to be told that I need to ring again today but after 1.30!!!! why was I not told this when I spoke to someone at 11am? Why are the staff so unhelpful bordering on rude? I need an appointment , would like to see the doctors I saw before who ordered all my test, I have been told I need to come into the surgery to speak to a doctors about the results but i am unable to make an appointment. Lets hope the results are not saving that I could die tomorrow as I would still be awaiting for an appointment.

Ashdown Forest Health Centre 2016-09-10 Person 1 5 0

Your appointment system needs to be changed urgently.I have tried for a month to see my doctor with an on going problem.I have been told I cannot book in advance to see Dr.Beasley even though I was prepared to wait 4 weeks.Told to book on the day, as you can never get through on the day I drove down to be 2nd in the queue at 8.30 when they opened.I was then told by the receptionist all his appointments had gone, 4 were booked on line.What happened to the other appointments for the rest of the time, if you cannot book in advance? What about older people to do not use a computer.I was booked with Dr.Cannon arriving 5 minutes early for my appointment no body went in or came out of her room, but I was left waiting for 40 minutes. This made me late for work I also work in health and had people booked in who I Always see on time.My consultation was less than two minutes. How can it be right to treat people this way.I would also like to point out that at the age of 70 still working having contributed to the NHS for a lifetime this is not a free service.