Station View Medical Centre

29A Escomb Road, Bishop Auckland, Co Durham, England, DL14 6AB
1 review

Reviews

Recommend
Involvement
Staff
Appointment
 
6th January 2022


Avoid. It’s quite shocking how poorly managed Station View is. I can’t possibly list all the issues I’ve had here as I’d go over the character limit, so I’ll mention the most recent. Having suffered with pain for years (finally diagnosed by a doctor outside of the practice), my Station View Medical Centre doctor told me to spend some time on Google to figure out what it might be, and to let him know so he can prescribe something appropriate or arrange further tests. I’m not sure if this is considered standard – but surely, it’s the job of the doctor to think about what could be causing my pain, not me, at home, on my laptop on an evening. Don’t most Doctors tell you to avoid Google and “self-diagnosis”? Next, I receive a letter asking me to attend an appointment at the practice. I turn up on time, go to reception and I provide my name. I’m then told to take a seat in the waiting area. Over half an hour goes by, during which time I’ve seen an entirely new set of patients come and go. I then ask a member of the team who was passing, if they knew how long it would be and they replied that they had never heard of the doctor I was waiting to see. So, I go back to the reception desk, they say, “oh that is very strange!” and I’m left in an awkward silence for 30 seconds or so while the receptionist confirms “I’m not really sure what to do!”. I ended up leaving asking them to pass a message onto the mysterious doctor telling them I turned up for my appointment, but she wasn’t there. I’ve since had another appointment letter for next week, same doctor, same place, let’s see if they appear! Not long ago, the practice sent me a text message asking me to attend a blood test. I called up to ask why they needed to take my bloods (appeared odd given I wasn’t expecting anything), and the response was “No idea. We don’t know the doctor who has requested them, there are no notes.” I called today to get a prescription. I waited 1 hour and 35 minutes before getting through to a member of the team. They then took my information, found me on the system and asked me what medication I needed. I confirmed the name, and they asked me what dosage. Surely this is something a doctor decides, and at the very least, is something on my record. Should the patient be asked this question? I'm still waiting to hear about my prescription. So finally, I’ve had enough and ask to log a complaint – the issues above are the tip of the iceberg. I’m met on the call with the practice manager who informs me (and I quote!) “If you want better service, go private”. I explained that I was simply providing feedback and that I had been a patient there since I was very young, which was met with “if you’re expecting service levels the same as when you were born, that won’t happen”. I was then told that the 1 hour and 35-minute wait was because they were on lunch and had only one staff member manning the lines – that’s fine, but when I suggested they improve the message on hold to include their lunch hours to manage expectations I was essentially ignored. She then rather joyfully said “ok thank you” as if to end the call, at which point, I put the phone down. Hitting your head against a brick wall comes to mind – completely unprofessional and beyond rude. The practice manager seemed keen to impress the team stood behind her while on the phone, making bold statements that stretched beyond what I was saying – there was no de-escalation, almost enjoyment out of having to deal with a complaint over poor service. I cannot fathom how the management at Station View feel they are doing a good job. I support and appreciate the NHS – but I honestly believe Station View are going to end up making a mistake with a patient – they just don’t appear to have organisation and I certainly can’t see any care in their work. Shocking.

Suggested improvements
Be pleasant, polite, professional and take feedback seriously. Put the team through management training, get somebody in there who's organised and ready to take on a challenge.

Experience
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Resources

Short link to review Station View Medical Centre: http://iwgc.net/eb9bc