Horsman's Place Surgery 2018-03-28 Person 2 5 0

I have been a patient at this surgery for over 40 years since birth, it use to be a brilliant practice, friendly, personal, and offered a very good service. However, things have changed drastically in the last 5 years and it is only set to get worse due to the amount of development going on in Dartford and therefore number of residents rising, but not number of health care professionals. This surgery is overstretched in just about every way, so much so they appear to be finding it difficult to employ a permanent GP since Dr Noorpuri left leaving over 2, 000 patients at least, without a permanent GP, and instead left to locums who are sometimes rude and concerned more about the time than they are about your health, not all are like this some are really nice, others over run on time as they are just adjusting to the schedule and this can leave you waiting an hour or so over your appointment time. The time when you saw your OWN GP for me at least, is a thing of the past, and they don't care to pass patients who have been on the books for years over to a permanent GP, that isn't a choice, hence a new person to the area can come in and get a permanent GP for example Dr Seerha, but a patient who's been at the practice 40 odd years cannot. Healthcare appears to becoming more of a business now, and us clients rather than patients. I am just a number. Secondly, getting an appointment is like the lottery, this is a "ring on the day surgery" unless you want to book a routine appointment and wait two to three weeks before you see a doctor. So you ring at 8am and can still be number 15 in the queue!! And by the time the receptionists get to you, which could be over 40 minutes, all the appointments for the morning are gone, and they either tell you to ring back tomorrow or you can call back if it's a "medical emergency" at 12.30pm. You call back at 12.30, are in a queue again and are then told there are no appointments. Over the last few weeks I've been told I can go to the walk in clinic at Northfleet, there you get to sit for 4 and a half hours admist the "walking dead" (including suck children) before you see a doctor, I was told by reception that they'd had a significant number of people from Horsmans place turn up there. They are also referring people out to other surgeries, to take up the slack. Not sure if you still have to get a key to use the one toilet. The reception staff look miserable and tired, some are nicer than others, some ask you quite personal questions when you are trying to get an appointment. They've ditched the "gestapo" "footprints behind the line" on the floor which was to prevent anyone approaching the reception desk, and now have several "subtle" signs along the front desk stating "Do not aporoach the desk until you are asked." The reception staff completely ignore you when you are in the queue, sometimes you can be standing there for 20 minutes, (maybe they are frightened that if they make eye contact you'll approach the desk), I don't know. The nurses are really nice if you get to see them. The Practice Manager is also really nice, but she is run off her feet. The reasons for all of the above may be due to the fact that this surgery has 10,500 patients, each GP should be seeing 2, 000 each, and they do not have a "cap" and so are taking on new patients. I fear things are not going to get better here, and it is getting worse for most surgeries because they cannot handle the influx of people coming into the area, this is about "basic mathematics". So if this bothers you and you are going to leave your surgery here or elsewhere, please write to your MP as this is eventually going to affect the majority of surgeries in the area, and we are heading towards a either a cold and impersonal service where patients are shunted to wherever and personal GP's are a thing of the past or/and a "meltdown" in the NHS.