SHP - Monkspath Surgery

I find it very difficult when trying to book an appointment. I queue outside for half an hour while also holding on the phone lines to try and boost the chance of getting an appointment. The phone lines are quite often at full capacity. I am never offered appointments at Monkspath despite living on the doorstep, and it is very difficult trying to get my elderly parent, who I care for, to other surgeries.

This is not the surgery I registered with but as part of SHP I am offered appointments here. I find it easy to park here and the medical staff are very good. There has recently been a number of new doctors who are very nice, and it seems to have made getting an appointment here easier.

My appointment with the physician associate went wonderfully well. She answered all my questions, was very thorough in her examination and had a lovely manner. I am very happy with the service provided.

The Solihull Health Partnership have bitten off more than they can chew! They are making a great effort but delivery of those improvements is poor! Access is absolutely shocking, the call centre system does not work and is not fit for purpose. On a practical level they are not delivering. The only reliability is attending the surgery in person to book an appointment.

I am registered here but request appointments at a different SHP surgery. I have had experiences here where I have felt like the doctors just do not have the time to listen to me. I have felt rushed.

Once you see a GP they are fantastic but getting an appointment is so stressful. It's ok if you can queue up at 8 am but if you are really poorly this is the last thing you want to be doing. Also if you are in ft work, in a school for example, where you can't use a phone at that time, you have no chance. You want to see your own GP and not have to travel to other sites. How are OAPs supposed to navigate this system.

I have been twice since registering with the surgery when I came to the UK six months ago. I have found the surgery to be very useful. I have had no problems booking appointments in person at the reception desk. The staff were very helpful.

I don't have problems getting appointments, when I need one my request is normally accommodated. I have been left disappointed by how long I have had to wait for a cortisone injection which was first requested in March 2023.

I have a number of issues with the surgery and SHP systems. As an adult with a diagnosis of ASD I feel that the doctors do not listen to me and dismiss my concerns. I feel that when I have parent support at appointments I am taken more seriously. The receptionists are good but can be unhelpful when I have explained that I have been told to book directly with certain medical staff they tell me that I cannot pre-book appointments. The appointment system does not work. It is not acceptable to hold on the telephone for an hour, to be told that there are no appointments, and that my only option is to try again and call the next day. There needs to be a pre-bookable appointment system that patients can access online. Communication between doctors and administrative staff is poor. I recently needed a sick note and spoke to a member of staff, to then be told that my request was not in the system. I had to prove that I had spoken to someone for the problem to be rectified, I asked the staff member to check on the system but I was told they did not have time. Some members of staff can be rude and abrupt, and do not seem to care. I had to fill out an assessment form but communication was poor and the process was not clearly explained to me, meaning that I failed to provide things that were required. This delayed my assessment.

I truly don’t know where to start.