Church Street Practice - Wantage

Sophie Byers

Very seamless and efficient. I sent a message to try and get an appointment. 10 mins later I had one. The people I encountered at the surgery were lovely. I'm very grateful.

Lynne Smith

We have only ever had professional service. Polite and friendly staff who like all NHS organisations are working under extreme pressure.

A

UPDATE to older review below: Much improved! Well done.

No answer over the phone, No E-consult, no way to reach your GP WHEN PREGNANT IS A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE. I don't accept the "we are experiencing a high volume of calls" rubbish. Here's a bright idea: HIRE MORE STAFF AND DOCTORS, CHANGE YOUR MANAGEMENT & review your PRACTICES! See if things then improve! I know, radical out-of-the-box thinking, isn't it?!

Marie

Impossible to get an appointment. My daughter has been trying for close to two weeks. You're not meant to call but my daughter was worried about her condition so called and the lady was grumpy and told her to fill in the online e-consult form, to which she explained that she can't because every time she tries it says your practice is not accepting online requests right now. And this is by 8.30 in the morning, all appointments gone and you have to try tomorrow. Absolutely shocking service and has been since Covid. I'm sure they're happy with the eConsult system because once the appointments are gone, they're gone, but it doesn't help the public AT ALL. The form sometimes doesn't have anything like the problem you are experiencing, so you have to pick something just to get the form through and get a call back.

Emma Wylde

This practice used to be wonderful. Not any more. The e consult system means you have to be available near a computer from 8 am - if you miss your window (sometimes less than an hour) the e consult is closed down for the day. No allowance made for those who are working or commuting or dealing with school runs and children at this time of day. If you manage to get through that system you then quite often get a phone call at a random time, so again if you work or are otherwise unable to attend to your phone every second of the day, you may miss it. Or you get a text telling you when you will get a call. If this isn't convenient, then you will have to run the gauntlet of the phone lines. I see the answers to other reviews making excuses about unusually high call volumes. Nonsense. It's been the same for months - at least an hour's wait. Going in is your best bet, if you can. Even then they will only give you a window when you might be called. So tough luck if you work full time. I'm confident this system must be leading to unnecessary deaths and extra pressure on emergency services. It is a hateful process and not in any way set up to serve the public. No coincidence that the patient feedback link on their website is "broken" - the only part of their website they've bother updating!

Emily MacRitchie

This used to be such a good surgery. Since covid, it has rapidly gone down hill. I have been trying to get an appointment for my daughter for 2 weeks. There are never any e consults available and I am always above 30 in the queue for the phone. I don't have over an hour to wait for someone to answer

Skeleton_Wolf

They seem to be under the impression that after I apply for a telephone appointment, I will then spend the next 2-4 weeks watching and waiting for them to call. Even if they give a specific time and date, they never call on that time or even that date. If you try to phone them back or phone them first you'll be put on hold for a minimum of an hour and even then it's no promise of anything useful. I applied online for an appointment about an important issue, they told me I'd get a call by Wednesday morning, so I kept an eye out all of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. They did not call until Thursday evening, when I was busy and unable to respond. The voicemail said they'd call me back later, they did not, nor have they ever done so. It has now been a week and a half and still nothing. I know people who have spent weeks trying to get telephone appointments only to be called while at work, after telling the doctor what time and which days they can't take calls. The doctor then refuses to call back or sends a passive aggressive text letting you know they won't call back because clearly it's not important to you. They lie and say their busy but how can you be busy if you never actually get through to any of your patients. They have no comprehension of the fact that other people have lives and jobs, too. They do not care for their patients. Even when I do manage to actually get an appointment they ignore the important things I mention and only focus on the stuff they can stick me on a pill for.

Maeve

Absolutely disgusting service. All you do is have people on hold just to then reject them a proper solution later on. It’s is IMPOSSIBLE to even get in touch with our GP’s even when they have requested a callback. I shouldn’t have to wait after 25 people in the queue just to go through to say “my GP requested a callback” and they say oh well she’s not in now try again tomorrow!
Every call with you guys is minimum 45 minute wait just to get through to someone.
The worst practice I have ever been with.