SHP - Monkspath Surgery

Waiting over an hour to get through to speak to someone.

Tried to contact had to go via 111 telephone appointment made this arranged a blood test but in 3 weeks time during this period without seeing the patient or having results from the blood test medication increased how? No explanation

Calling at 8 a.m. for an on the day appointment puts you around 50th in the queue, and by the time you reach the front, all appointments have gone. Routine appointments are at least 3 weeks behind, and any follow up from doctors is ridiculously slow. Management of chronic or complex health conditions is abysmal.

It’s impossible to contact them for an appointment

I would prefer to email, but there is no email address. I am overdue a mammogram and have tried calling, but there are too many people waiting so it told me to call back. Last time I phoned about a different matter I was on hold for an hour.

Severe back pain, spoke to a receptionist, and a triage person and was told a Dr would ring me later. He prescribed medication and later a physiotherapist called

They will never let you see a doctor, you can’t book an appointment. Elderly patients like my parents are saying there is no point even contacting the doctors as they know they won’t get to see someone so they suffer instead! If you do call the terrible reception staff say call 111 whilst sniggering. Emailing is pointless as no one answers and when asking to speak to the practice manager also told no you can’t! Formal
Complaints on their website are ignored. When is someone going to shut them down! It’s disgusting

Tried to get an appointment the best they could offer was a phone call in 12 days time. Last three occasions I called them i was 41st in the queue.

You wait on the phone for half an hour and then they cut your call, previously it took an hour. Would love to set the clock back to pre SHP days when you could easily ring and get an appointment, but Partner costs reduction comes first.

Monkspath Surgery used to provide a very good service, but that is definitely not so since the creation of the Solihull Healthcare Partnership. Now it is very difficult to arrange timely appointments. Yes, they have brought down the waiting time on the telephone, but once you have got through the available appontments are often for two weeks away. The alternative, to call at 08:00 to arrange a same day appointment, is no doubt used by many to avoid the wait, but this seems an abuse of the service. No doubt SHP will blame the Covid situation, but I believe the rot set in before the pandemic hit. The creation of the SHP may provide economies of scale for the partners and staff, but it's terrible that this has been at the expense of the service provided to the patients.