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The Croft Practice 2024-05-01 Person 3 5 0

Unfortunately this practice is so busy it took me 2 months to get an appointment!!! Not impressive when you're someone who tries not to bother the Dr's all the time. The Dr I eventually saw was very straight talking and no nonsense type and I felt like she was on my side albeit trying to hurry through my appointment. The receptionists when you get to speak to them are generally very helpful but offering someone who's diabetic and phoned in with heart discomfort an appointment 2 months away is quite frankly ludicrous at the time felt I wasn't being taken seriously - 2 days later I had a telephone appointment with my Diabetic Nurse who is always extremely helpful and was able to push my appointment through to the point I was seen later the same day - how on earth does that happen when a receptionist quotes you a date 2 months away - surely better education/ training is needed instead of "if you're that concerned go to A&E" ?? Is it any wonder Hospital and Ambulance Services at full stretch with that kind of response from a GP Surgery? On a more positive note, the Ring Back Service is Excellent - I've used that a number of times when the telephone queue has been too long to hold on. I do however feel that the Reception should open in line with the early morning appointments that start around 7.15am for Blood Tests etc - there have been times when I've needed to speak to someone after an early morning blood test but the Reception hasn't been available until 8am or later! I also firmly believe there should be a Saturday Morning Practice available because not all of us can attend the times we are being given in the week due to working commitments and work location in view of being able to get back and fourth in time to make the appointments which you can't afford to turn down in case there's not another available until 2 months down the line. The fact that this surgery / practice is so busy and difficult to get through I feel is not a problem of their own making but more due to all the new housing developments in the area placing an ever increasing burden on The Croft unfairly making it more and more difficult for existing patients to get an appointment. I know they are having a new building being built on the land next door but this seems to be taking for forever and a day and has been in progress for the best part of 2 years and still no sign of it opening any time soon - I know it will ease some of the burden but the longer it takes for the new building to open the bigger and bigger that burden becomes.