SHP - Grove Surgery

I have not been coming here long but everything has been fine so far. I've managed to navigate the system okay.

I am happy with the service overall but appointments can be a bit slow.

I think this surgery is very good but I was called in recently for a routine blood test and I'm not sure why they've requested it.

Getting an appointment is a bit of a hassle especially in the early morning. Online booking also isn't always feasible which doesn't help. All of the other services seem to be good. I come here for blood tests and the reports are accessible to patients which is good.

I find it hard to book appointments but e-consult has helped. I went online just after midnight and managed to get an appointment for the next morning.

I visit this surgery when directed here by the NHS app and it's okay. I am regularly sent all over the place every time I book an appointment which is a bit of a pain. I would prefer to visit one surgery every time and see the same doctors which would make it a lot easier.

I find it difficult to get an appointment when I try and book online, the site crashes every time I try. Everything else is okay though.

My only issue is booking appointments. When you call at 8am there can be a big queue already which makes it difficult. I have tried booking appointments using patient access and other online platforms but that has also been difficult. 2-3 weeks ago I tried to get an appointment that way and it wouldn't let me book it. Even when I do get one online it is usually at a surgery quite far from my home which is not preferable.

I have no issues other than getting an appointment, especially early in the morning.

SHP have got too big, and have too many patients. Access is a real issue. At Grove Surgery elderly people queue from 7.30 in the morning to be turned away a few minutes after opening because all the appointments have gone. It's hard to get appointments even when you get a message asking you to book an appointment. I have had two blood test appointments cancelled and they did not re-book them. I had to book a new appointment myself, which is a task in itself. In all it took me 20 weeks to get the blood test done that the GP requested because of waiting times and cancellations, which I find completely unacceptable. I have had a telephone appointment with a GP who could not speak very good English. I could not understand them and the telephone appointment was a waste of time. I am not happy with the service provided. Improvements need to be made particularly for the older community.