The Grove Medical Centre

The Grove Medical Centre 2016-03-22 Person 3 5 0

GPs are excellent, but getting to see one can be difficult, as the online appointment booking system does not show two of them - one being my GP! Some of the practice website is rather out of date, e.g. the practice now does EPS and has online repeat prescription ordering.

The Grove Medical Centre 2016-01-14 Person 5 5 0

I have always been very confident that the reception and medical staff will always be available to assist me with my medical needs. I suffer from depression and at times I have been dangerously low and did not feel I could carry on with life. BUT because of the care I receive in this Medical Centre and especially from, at present, from Dr Kaur I have the courage to carry on with life. My sincere thanks to them does not seem enough BUT I am very very grateful to them. Elizabeth Muir

The Grove Medical Centre 2015-11-03 Person 1 5 0

The doctors at this practice are amazing and always great at their jobs. What lets the place down are the receptionists! The one thing I dread is to pick up the phone and face the wrath of them. If you know what your job entails I would rather you not do it and get a job you enjoy because the first point of contact is crucial. You have no idea how the caller is feeling; a worried mother who may not have slept the entire night all weekend waiting desperately to get an appointment or an anxious patient waiting on results. Trust us patients, we would not be calling for an appointment if it wasn't urgent! We do have a life and much better things to do than call you and get the sighs and up tight attitude!!! Customer service is long dead!

The Grove Medical Centre 2015-06-16 Person 1 5 0

It is very hard to get an appointment here and I do find the receptionist have little patience and are not helpful or understanding. They are not very discreet either when you are collecting prescriptions/results and seem to talk at you rather with you. (Both in person and on the phone) The times I have managed to obtain an appointment here, I have seen a different doctor every time which has been time consuming bringing them up to speed with my medical issue and I am sure has been time consuming for them having to start form the beginning with every patient they see. I appreciate the area does have a large mature population which I am sure does put pressure on the surgery but what area doesn't? This is my nearest doctors for which I am registered but to be totally honest, I go to the walk in centre at Ahsford hospital now due to the lack of available appointments and the hassle I face trying to arrange anything with the Grove. I did have some investigative work done, yet my results were never communicated with me (my contact details are up to date) I appreciate you can ring for the results but This is given over the phone by the receptionist. Which for myself is not appropriate as A: I would like it explained what the test was for and what the results mean and B: does not offer the privacy I would expect from discussing any type of medical report particular with someone who is not involved in the process, it should the patient and the doctor/nurse they are under.

The Grove Medical Centre 2015-06-14 Person 2 5 0

The doctors are really good but getting an appointment is a nightmare. If you attempt to book an appointment online the first available appointment is often a month away and if you ask for assistance at reception they bluntly tell you to go online. They are not interested. Ringing on the day for urgent care requires the patience of a saint. Expect to ring at least 20 times before being able to get an exasperated person to finally answer the phone, by you which time you are often told all appointments for the day are already taken and you should try again the next day. If you are lucky enough to schedule an appointment then you are greeted by a blunt sign telling you to not bother the overwhelmed receptionists but instead check in on a computer screen. It is a joy to touch the screen immediately following ill patients coughing and hacking all over their own hands before touching the screen before you. At least the system enables patients to build up their immunity, which is the only good thing going for it.