Bursted Wood Surgery - Bexleyheath

Lozza

I have been with the practice for over 10 years. Never had an issue getting an appointment, be is telephone or in person. When in person, all staff, Doctors, Nurses and Office staff are all polite and I have always left there knowing that I was listened too. Recommend. Lorraine

M N.

My relative is a patient at this practice. She is elderly, frail, and has multiple co-morbidities, including terminal cancer, for which she is under palliative care. She is also housebound. Over the past month, she called reception several times to request an appointment to review her blood results. Each time, she was given the same advice: to call back on Monday to book an appointment for the following week.

She called again yesterday (Monday) to request an appointment to review her blood results and was once again told to call back next Monday to book an appointment for the following week. She then requested a repeat prescription for her inhaler, which she is dependent on due to chronic shortness of breath. The receptionist gave similar advice — to call next Monday for a GP appointment for the week after.

When my relative mentioned that her legs were very swollen and blue, she requested a home visit. The receptionist suggested that her Next of Kin call on her behalf, despite the fact that the patient was clearly able to communicate her needs. This advice was unusual and disregarded the patient’s situation, as well as the acute nature of her symptoms. She was extremely upset by this encounter and felt dismissed.

As a medical professional myself, I believe that given her background, this patient should have been prioritised. At a minimum, she should have received a telephone call from a medical professional to triage her appropriately. Reception staff should facilitate patient care, not obstruct it.

This is not the first time we have encountered barriers to receiving medical care at this practice. We have previously raised concerns regarding the behavior of reception staff in relation to another elderly relative. Unfortunately, this appears to be an ongoing issue, which is why we have decided to raise a formal complaint, both at the practice level and to higher authorities.

Please bear in mind that patients seek medical care when they are ill and vulnerable. At the very least, they should expect kindness, compassion, and respect. When these elements are lacking, patients may delay or avoid seeking care, which can negatively impact their health outcomes. This is a patient safety issue that requires urgent attention.

As a family, we are able to advocate for our relative, but many patients do not have that luxury and struggle to advocate for themselves.

Klaudia W.

I'm very happy with the surgery. Can get emergency appointments same day, prescriptions are sent fast to pharmacy. You know how many people are before you on the phone. They can arrange telephone appointments. No idea why good surgeries have only 3 stars in this area.

Vikki C.

Fantastic surgery. Moved here after a number of negative experiences with my last doctors and I’m so so glad I did. Both me and my 18 month old are registered here and they’ve been wonderful to both of us. Reception have always been friendly and helpful, e consult is easy to use and they come back to you so quickly, and every doctor and nurse I’ve seen has listened, taken me seriously and really helped.

Lizzie

Please be mindful that some of the 5 star reviews are staff members so a conflict of interest and not representative of patient experience.

Accessing healthcare here, especially as a woman trying to seek accurate diagnosis and referrals for treatment, has been an ongoing challenge. I’ve encountered many instances of unprofessional behaviour and dismissive attitudes from clinicians at this practice and had one laugh at and humiliate me when I was very unwell.

This practice has a frequent turnover of doctors resulting in a lack of continuity of care, meaning complex care is left with clinicians who don’t understand your condition or medical history.

One of the concerning issues I’ve faced is sensitive information being disclosed on multiple occasions, including an incident where a lengthy list of clinical diagnoses were left on my family home answering machine for everyone to hear. Despite raising these concerns nearly a year ago, it has never been adequately addressed, leaving me feeling anxious about the privacy of my personal health information at this practice.

After being removed from the surgery, my information continues to be mishandled. The practice manager emailed my confidential medical file to the wrong email address (third party) multiple times in a row unencrypted. Despite my written request to never print my file - printed my file off to write fabricated information over it and scan in to look like a different event took place over a year later. They have sent me the confidential information of someone I do not know. I’m no longer at this surgery but they still go into my file and print things off without my permission or informed trace e.g. noting on my file, as I only find out when third parties disclose this information to me with the evidence.

Communication with the practice manager is challenging. Despite many attempts to reach out, it’s like talking to a brick wall until breaking point. When eventually picked up via email and a meeting, my concerns were not taken seriously, simply brushed aside and repeatedly and still completely misunderstood by the practice manager.

There is a systemic issue re medication and referral process. It is dependent on who you see at the practice. I've encountered inconsistencies where one clinician might approve it, while another rejects it, leading to confusion and delays in receiving necessary care. I offered to pay for self-funded private referrals so I could get treatment urgently and overcome the bureaucratic issues but I was told by a clinician they were going to reject any advice that came their way anyway. As expected, when we did hear back from specialists, all suggestions were rejected by them.

There is a persistent pattern of this surgery to focus hugely on emotional aspects of your presentation (likely as a woman) and never the medical issue at hand.

Anna S.

Took my neighbour in for a covid vaccine. Was so impressed with how helpful the receptionist were, and very friendly.
I have many issues with my current surgery, so picked up so new patient forms whilst there too!

Shagufta S.

I have never seen the GP. Only locum doctors. Waiting for them to see your e-consultation, forever to give you referral, forever to issue a prescription for a child to the pharmacy. If you have ample time and inexhaustible energy to follow up, this is your surgery.

H B.

This surgery is fantastic. I needed a chest X-ray today and it was organised within 5 minutes and followed up with a phone call to check on me from Advanced Clinical Paramedic, Michael Hutchings. He has helped me and my son so much. Such a professional, compassionate man. I have been registered with Bursted Wood for 13 years and have ALWAYS been able to talk to or see a doctor, nurse practitioner or a nurse. The reception staff have also always been polite and helpful. My children have always been seen in an emergency. E-consultation forms are simple and straightforward. Most likely get a call back the same day. I am so grateful that we have this surgery locally and I thank them all for their hard work and resilience.