There’s another blog in Lightwater. This one is written by the team at Lightwater Surgery. As its first blog post says,
“We intend to use this blog to keep our patients, neighbours and anyone else who may be interested up to date with what is happening [on the Lightwater surgery re-building programme]. We appreciate that not everyone will have access to the internet so updates will be available in both surgeries and from our reception staff.”
A commendable step in patient and visitor communication – well done to the team of doctors. I’ll read the blog with interest.
They are rebuilding in situ then?
I thought there was a substantial rumour that a greenfield site was in consideration?
Now, that is going to be a real challenge to run the practice concurrently with demolition and rebuilding!
Nightmare scenario in fact!
Hope I’ve missed something and they will at least use temporary premises – the police station is available I believe?
Is Dr Adrian Davis the new supremo then – I’d heard rumours that Newport had gone, but must have missed the celebrations …..
By: SpeedTrip on April 28, 2011
at 9:53 am
Just been browsing the Planning Application and pre-application correspondance.
SHBC wasnt that helpful at times!
Given this part of Dr Sara Jones’ submission, I will probably not be attending again until the new facility is up & running!
Quote:-
There is no disabled access either into the building or to allow patients to move around the building. This is a major problem when providing healthcare.
Current internal walls offer no privacy neither do public areas such as reception or waiting rooms.
There is no space for storage of clinical waste or safe storage of clinical supplies such as compressed gases. There are no decontamination facilities.
There is no space for the new generation of laboratory equipment which allows blood tests and other clinical samples to the analysed on site.
Fire exits are non-existent.
With lack of suitable alternatives we have little choice but to extend on the current site if we are to continue to provide a good standard of healthcare to the local population.
By: SpeedTrip on April 28, 2011
at 10:26 am
Dear Speedtrip
No, I am not the “new supremo” but one of five GPs and a wider team which numbers almost 30.
Dr Newport has indeed retired, he dropped to part time in 2008 and finally hung up his stethoscope in October. There was a celebration for both patients and staff, he had worked in Lightwater for 36 years!
We had hoped to move to a new fresh site and considered green and brown field sites. Sadly of the three we considered none were willing to sell to us a market rate and a further one was not really available. There are a number of land owners in Lightwater holding out for permission to build housing which will inflate the value of their investment. Selling to us for commercial values failed to tempt any of them.
We will be working around the building work and in PD Harris we have an excellent contractor who has done this kind of scheme many times before. Keep up with our progress at http://www.lightwatersurgery.blogspot.com
By: Adrian Davis on April 30, 2011
at 3:26 pm
There’s another new blog in town too:
http://leftoflightwater.wordpress.com/
By: leftoflightwater on May 4, 2011
at 12:15 pm
I think you are all doing really well ! Thank you for battling on in such a, mostly, cheerful way.
We will all benefit when the new facilities are up and running even though some of us will miss the old practice buildings in the same way that we miss the old Lightwater Village. Life moves on !
The Surgery was long overdue for redevelopment so we are grateful to all the staff for coping with the cramped conditions for so long in the forever burgeoning conurbation of Lightwater and surrounding areas.
By: Wendy Ashworth on October 20, 2011
at 8:19 pm
A mostly cheerful way…..REALLY??
This is a terrible practice, and as a medic working within the NHS I can comment!! Rude and arrogant GPs who mostly look like they’d rather be cleaning toilets than seeing patients. Unprofessional behaviour – I witnessed a slanging match in the waiting room between a GP and a patient with the use of some choice language and not to mention the notice displayed in the waiting room requesting shopping lists (of medical complaints) were saved for the supermarket!! That ‘list’ of problems forms the basis for holistic diagnosis does it not?
Here’s hoping that the new and improved surgery will also involve new and improved ‘bedside manners’!
By: A Snitch on February 13, 2012
at 10:00 pm
Dear A Snitch
I was a former patient at the Lightwater Surgery and can only say that I received good treatment from the doctors there. I never had a problem and I was treated with respect. As a medic, you should know that there are difficult patients. I should know – I’ve seen them sitting next to me in the surgery when I lived in Lightwater.
You say you witnessed a slanging match between a GP and a patient. Really? Do you know the background to this story? Do you know if the patient acted properly towards the GP in private consultations?
Frankly, the fact the you wrote: “Rude and arrogant GPs who mostly look like they’d rather be cleaning toilets than seeing patients.” is really awful. I found this comment rude and silly coming from a “medic”. I don’t think that Drs. Davis, Wilcox, Jones, etc. would rather clean toilets – they didn’t go to medical school for six years to do this. Furthermore, they have cleaners who do this sort of work as I am sure that as a “medic” you don’t clean toilets either! They work all the hours that God sends and to top it all off – they can never seem to satisfy anyone – including you!
If the doctors at the Lightwater Surgery applied all the hours they work
to the stock market – they’d be laughing!
By: Anna on April 23, 2012
at 12:19 am
You should join All Saints Surgery Consultation Group – they meet infrequently but hopefully will have some influence on this sort of thing – along with the continued dis-approved use of an 0844 phone number, a website that requires you to print off and post feedback via snailmail, and that wont allow you more than one appointment in case you abuse the system etc !
In fact unless you want to phone or write a letter, they are impossible to contact using today’s business technologies.
Actually, the individual GPs are fine!
By: Speedicus on February 21, 2012
at 8:04 am
Extract from All Saints most recent survey – reviewed here by their PPG members … anybody else think its not really gonna change –
Question 10- now onto one of the sticking points, the phone system. 6% found it “excellent”, 14% “very good”, 29% “good” and 27% “fair”. So, generally positive. 12% found it “poor” and 6% “very poor”.
=> It was pointed out that the practice was tied into a contract with the phone provider for several years still. So unfortunately nothing could be done immediately. to hear an engaged tone and keep on redialling, or just use the current system.<=
Action- the PPG will ask the community what they feel, and we will ask a different question next year.
Heres some of the actual comments – I cant help feeling that the above summary has distorted the actual mood of the respondants?
Section Title – Is there anything that could be improved:
The appointment system, once you’ve got an appointment it’s brilliant
Stop charging for phone calls – it’s a disgrace
Do not like the phone service as this can prove very long and costly
Do not like the expensive call logging system
Sometimes when you call to book in the a.m. the receptionists can seem a bit curt, but I have noticed a big improvement in this recently
Advanced booking – is there any way bookings could be placed in advance for say the next day. Due to same day booking system telephone queues can be long (20 minutes+) at times
It would be better if there was a wider selection of appointments available, either early morning/after 6pm/weekends
Larger switchboard at peak times – usually 15mins + waiting to be answered
Phone system very frustrating. Plus if the practice is open such long hours why cant you ever gat appointments
I would like to be able to book advance doctor appointments more easily. When you work it is hard to call on the day as there seems to be little choice of appointments at a convenient time. Nurse appointments seem readily available
Only the telephone queuing system – telephone at 8am on the dot to be told I’m 12th in the queue is a bit frustrating, but get through every time
Only negative is the appointment system
Allow booking for the afternoon on the same day
Queuing telephone system is very poor – shouldn’t have to wait so long at 8am – start earlier please
Next day appointments non-existent
Not keen on the phone number – would prefer to have an 01276 number
Would like to be able to book more than one appointment on the website. If I have a flu jab I cannot book to see the doctor or a blood test
Not sure how you would rectify this but the high demand in call volume when calling at 8am to get a same day appointment is slightly frustrating
The ease of booking appointments when people are working full time and not always able to use the phone at the allotted times
Change 0844 phone no to 01276
I’ve not been able to book in advance although have tried several times
I must look at your internet appointment system
Appointment availability after 5pm
The wait on the phone in the morning is a bit long
Charging to call the surgery is outrageous
Reception staff (not all) are sometimes very unhelpful
Sometimes the phone message/queuing system says please call back and cuts you off! Would prefer engaged tone to this!
Telephone appointments – time to get through and then find all appointments gone or your doctor not in today. Have to try same next day!!
The length of time waiting on the phone to get an appointment and of course the COST
Trying to get an evening appointment without waiting weeks is poor
Booking of appointments per phone. Rarely available appointments with Dr. bookable in advance for current week. Expensive phone call to be holding for sometimes 10 or more mins, even when ring on stroke of 8a.m.
GET RID OF THE PHONE SYSTEM
The appointment system is abysmal – not enough room to write about it here. Not good if one works full time and commutes out of Lightwater each day
Phones. However a double edge sword as most people will remember the time when the surgery served a few hundred people and it wasn’t an issue with now 10’s thousands using the practice a queuing system is essential. I hope people who mark you down on this understand this
Put appointment rules on website
Booking appointments – always fully booked
1- I understand they may be very busy but it is sometimes very difficult to get through by phone – particularly if you don’t know the system. 2- Holding time when trying to make a same day appointment. 3- Sometimes unable to get an appointment same day (once?!). 4- The phone line needs to be a local call tariff not an 0844 number. 5- I feel on the occasions I need to make an appointment I end up having to make several calls, at length, before I secure an appointment
By: Speedicus Triplicatum on April 7, 2012
at 9:10 am
Oh forgot to say – theres another Blog which covers the area ….
http://backmac.blogspot.com/
By: Speedicus Triplicatum on February 29, 2012
at 12:26 pm
It seems impossible to post comments on that Blog – altho many options are shown ?
By: Speedicus Triplicatum on April 7, 2012
at 8:53 am
Ref the previous mention of the use of an 0844 number for appointments and the complete lack of any other way to communicate ‘electronically’ with All Saints Surgery, I was surprised at how much it effectively can cost to make an appointment.
This is NOT suggesting that their 0844 costs are loaded or that there is Revenue sharing with TALK-TALK – All Saints Surgery robustly insist that the charge is exactly the same as BT charge for a local rate call. I do hope so, as use of an 0844 is totally contrary to the PCT rules if revenue sharing is used – see the excellent research here:-
http://nhspatient.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/your-nhs-gp-practices-using-084.html
So, here’s why I was surprised at the effective cost of making an appointment – a small extract from my BT Phone Bill shows 2 consecutive calls totalling 66p ….
Date Time Number/Name Destination Duration Cost
====================================================
Sat 17 Mar 12 09:13 NatWest 0871 1:02:22 £0.240
=> Thu 15 Mar 12 08:44 Lightwater Surgery (0844) 5m:33sec £0.420
+> Thu 15 Mar 12 08:01 Lightwater Surgery (0844) 2m:03sec £0.240
Sat 10 Mar 12 09:16 NatWest 0871 8:03 £0.000
Sat 03 Mar 12 17:41 0127647**** Bagshot 1:15 £0.000
Sat 03 Mar 12 07:15 NovaTech Cosham 0:28 £0.000
The call at 08:01 took just over 2 mins to tell me I was 23rd in the queue, so I hung up and dialled later. That eventual 2nd call plodded thru various announcements and at the 4 minute point I spoke to the receptionist and negotiated an appointment.
I dont know what others think, but I’d be quite happy to hear an engaged tone to save me listening to irelevant-to-me things and discover where I was in a queueing system!
If the ‘extended facilities’ really need an 0844 number, then just keep it short & sweet please, I really cant see (at whatever charge rate is set), that I should have to spend 66p to make an appointment !
Interesting that if you look at the NHS sites for all the GPs in the wider area, only 2 or 3 still use 0844 ..
By: Speedicus Triplicatum on March 24, 2012
at 8:16 am
I think the notice in the waiting room about shopping lists gives a very poor impression, but otherwise have had no complaints about treatment received here.
By: Brian B on April 6, 2012
at 10:31 am
All Saints recent survey makes interesting reading: esp the way that the summary (in their PPG Report 2011-12) glosses over the many objections to the phone appointments system…
http://www.lightwatersurgery.co.uk/PPG%20REPORT.pdf
By: Speedicus Triplicatum on April 7, 2012
at 8:51 am
I was unaware of this:-
Question 9- a useful outcome of the survey was that 64% of patients were unaware that they could have a discussion with their doctor over the phone, and only 26% of patients ever used this service. This is important to make patients aware of this fact as, this would ease face to face consultation demand and free up appointments, consequently making access easier.
Action- to advertise on internet, practice newsletter and around the surgery, about this time saving service.
By: Speedicus Triplicatum on April 7, 2012
at 8:57 am