Blandford Medical Centre - Braintree

Rebecca Wilcox

Awful. They are my new doctors. Tried to make appointment through pachs. Got a message on the system saying I had an appointment but no further info. I queried through the system, then found a text saying I had an appointment at 10:55 Saturday from Blandford medical centre. I rocked up, having arranged childcare and it’s closed. Check pachs, no record of appointment and phone goes to closed message. Hour later I get a message I missed an appointment and cost someone else opportunity. Furious, take a few days to calm down. Ring reception, it’s my fault, they sent a message saying at hub. I’ve never heard of the hub, never made an appointment on this system before so I just wanted an appointment at the doctors. Receptionist so rude, basically said it’s my fault and they had told me, implying I am lying. What a rubbish doctors, I want a different practice

Sarah Beavins

Nurse Helen was really good and reassuring. Went out of her way to schedule a repeat wound dressing when she would have to come in early.

Initial appt after putting in a Patches req. Patches not great. Hate that it gets turned off once capacity reached. Staff doing their best. System broken.

Gemma Rowley

I am someone that is lucky enough to very rarely need to use the doctors. But today I did, I can't believe the hassle just to try to get an appointment. Called the doctors to be told I have to go through Patchs the online consultation service. So I had to log on and start the interaction with an online form, what has happened to actually speaking to people. I put in my symptoms, got asked several questions that were irrelevant, had a reply to say when am I contactable, I put a time I would be available after work from 5pm. So I was expecting a call after that time. A few minutes later I recieved a text to say an appointment had been booked, unfortunately I can't make that time as I have another appointment scheduled that clashes with the appointment given. I called the doctors to ask if I can change the time to which I was told by a unhelpful and miserable receptionist, I would have to start the whole Patchs triage process again tomorrow morning as they can't rearrange an appointment time and I should've made a note on Patchs to state I couldn't make that appointment date or time. Obviously I needed to be a mind reader that they were going to offer an appointment and on that date and time. Patchs only asked what time I was contactable so I presumed I'd get a call. So I now have to take up another Patchs slot tomorrow which is taking it away from someone else that may need it, just so I can try to re arrange the time of an appointment I have already been given. This is a complete waste of resource that could help someone else, when I just need to rearrange a date or time, when Patchs have already made the decision that I need to see a GP.
Every interaction I have ever had with this practice has been nothing but hassle, I'm just lucky its been very few occasions I have needed to use this GP surgery.
No wonder people's health is at risk and illnesses are left undiagnosed when it's a complete mission to try to see or speak to a doctor.
I know the NHS do an amazing job but please make it easier for patients to have access to see or speak to a doctor.

Laura Gray

Very rude receptionist. In desperate need to speak to a doctor I had put in 3 patchs request as advised by the receptionist because they kept coming back with the wrong solution to then receive a phone call and to be told I’ve just wasted appointments. (No appointments were made) that’s why I put in for another request. You’re a health care professional and should be considerate to your Patients.

After being told there is no appointments with a GP today I called 111 who have booked me an appointment with a GP!!!! How does this work? Constantly being fobbed off by the receptionist who clearly don’t want to do their job properly.

James Pollard

Trying to get an appointment for an hour on the phone whilst commuting to work and not even making it onto the queue.
Clearly the receptionists are not able to keep up because there are too many patients registered for this surgery.
I have had awful face to face experiences with the receptionists too in the past.
They are clearly stressed and do not enjoy their work.

Debbie White

My family and I are happily leaving this horrible practice. The receptionists are horrible human beings . My son was told to go for his appointment yesterday at ‘ the live well hub’ . We had never heard of this so asked directions . He attended and sat for an hour and half to then be told he wasn’t booked for there . I called the surgery . The receptionist argued with me and said he was never told to go to ‘ the live well hub’ ? My son and I were both present when told this . He had a new appointment ‘ miraculously ‘ available for later that afternoon at the actual surgery . He was in there 30 seconds with a rude doctor . When he asked for something else to be quickly checked , the doctor said ‘ you need to make another appointment ‘ . As we all know , getting an appointment with these receptionists is more difficult than setting up a meeting with the king! When I tried to argue my point yesterday the receptionist put the phone down down on me and I have witnesses here at my work that heard the entire conversation . . What a child ! . Being a patient at this surgery has been stressful , unpleasant and you feel disregarded. Shame on these people that make patients feel worse not better . I emailed the ridiculous woman who is ‘ in charge’ of the reception team . She just validates their horrible behaviour . Horrible human beings . Avoid this place like the plague

lizzie Smiles

Doctor’s and dispensary staff are lovely, always very helpful but the reception staff are incredibly rude. They always cut you off in a conversation and never listen to a word you say, no matter what you ask they just tell you to ‘call back tomorrow’. It also seems like there is no communication between the reception staff and the doctor’s, on multiple occasions I have booked appointments for two separate problems and they have only given me one appointment, I would go into the appointment and just get told that I only have time to discuss one problem and that the doctor had no idea I asked to discuss multiple. It actually ruins my day every time I have to phone the doctor.

I understand that it must be a very difficult job to have but there still needs to be an element of customer service. There’s a difference between having a hard job and just straight up being rude.

LJ Downer

Disappointing surgery practice that’s all il say… can’t get a appointment, can’t make advanced blood test appointments when i need them regularly due to being on HRT, receptionists are rude and belittling when you try to call up to make said appointments and when and if you get through to someone you’re hit with a wave of anxiety and attitude and told to book on patch’s then hung up on! or they try to diagnose you or make you seem like whatever you’re explaining is wrong or what not, i could write a list of all the negatives but id rather not waste my time