Decent doctor surgeries.

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
My OH needs to transfer to a local surgery, the two closest are Holmcroft and Stafford Health & Wellbeing. I use SH&W, don't really have an issue other than them being very difficult to get an appointment with. Anyone use Holmcroft that can offer a comparison or recommend a better place to join?
 

littleme

250,000th poster!
Holmcroft are useless when it comes to appointments, you have to phone at 8am (might be 8.30am) or 12pm, you are often in a queue on hold for over half an hour before being told all the appointments have gone for the day.

There is no leway in getting an appointment, whatever your circumstances, for example - I work from 7am till 3pm, my lunch break is around 11am, I'm unable to spend 30-40minutes on the phone while at work trying to get an appointment at either 8am or 12pm, yet there is no other way by phone to get an appointment.

The easiest way to get an appointment is to turn up in person at the appointment release times (8am, 12pm), if you can. (but not during Covid)

Prescriptions take nearly a week to go through to the pharmacist.

However..... On a good point..... All the way through lockdown they have been absolutely brilliant, I've had a over the phone Dr's appt within the hour of phoning, I have an injection that is essential to keeping me alive & functional that I've had 3 times (once every 12wks) in the surgery during lockdown, plus 3 other injections where other surgery's have either refused or asked the patient to self inject for both injections , and physio appointments monthly over the phone.

During lockdown prescriptions have only taken 2 days!
 

Glam

Mad Cat Woman
Youngest is at Health & Well Being. I'm Mill Bank. He can usually get an appointment when he wants, and they're pretty quick when answering the phone.
Myself on the other hand, like @littleme , you're on hold for what seems an hour or more, only to be answered by the Grinch, to be told all appointments have gone.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
In the past, I've had arm's-length dealings with most surgeries - I don't do so much these days.

From my current activities, I would say that Health & Wellbeing are probably the best bet currently (if that's the one on Stone Road, the ex-Browning Street surgery).

There is generally a tendency for any surgery in new premises to be fairly good, for a few years, anyway.

That has applied to Mill Bank and Beaconside in the past, but both slowly subsided after the initial enthusiasm.
 

Mudgie

Well-Known Forumite
Holmcroft are useless when it comes to appointments, you have to phone at 8am (might be 8.30am) or 12pm, you are often in a queue on hold for over half an hour before being told all the appointments have gone for the day.

There is no leway in getting an appointment, whatever your circumstances, for example - I work from 7am till 3pm, my lunch break is around 11am, I'm unable to spend 30-40minutes on the phone while at work trying to get an appointment at either 8am or 12pm, yet there is no other way by phone to get an appointment.

The easiest way to get an appointment is to turn up in person at the appointment release times (8am, 12pm), if you can. (but not during Covid)

Prescriptions take nearly a week to go through to the pharmacist.

However..... On a good point..... All the way through lockdown they have been absolutely brilliant, I've had a over the phone Dr's appt within the hour of phoning, I have an injection that is essential to keeping me alive & functional that I've had 3 times (once every 12wks) in the surgery during lockdown, plus 3 other injections where other surgery's have either refused or asked the patient to self inject for both injections , and physio appointments monthly over the phone.

During lockdown prescriptions have only taken 2 days!
I can't agree with "All the way through lockdown they have been absolutely brilliant" about Holmcroft Surgery.
On turning up there's an instruction on the door to wait in your car or wait outside, and outside means with NO SEATING for those of us no longer much good on our feet and NO SHELTER such that in a howling gale we might catch our death of cold.
It'd probably be alright for those that's fit and healthy but the NHS is meant to be looking after the poorly and the vulnerable.
There was no Thursday evening clapping from me.
The best thing about Holmcroft Surgery though is after a lunchtime or afternoon appointment going across the road for a pint or few of Pedigree.
 

littleme

250,000th poster!
I can't agree with "All the way through lockdown they have been absolutely brilliant" about Holmcroft Surgery.
For me they are, but then again I'm not a pubman.

Really? What do you expect in times like these? You expect the staff to put themselves at risk of death for your comfort of sitting on a chair indoors? If you think waiting outside for 5 minutes is bad right now, just wait until midwinter.
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
As far as I know all doctors waiting rooms are closed? They're bad enough for catching stuff in good times, but nowadays I'd say a seriously bad idea. Just turn up at the right time and hope they aren't too busy helping others that you have to wait.

I'm sure you could tell them you're in the pub, then they can get to you when they see fit?
 

littleme

250,000th poster!
As far as I know all doctors waiting rooms are closed? They're bad enough for catching stuff in good times, but nowadays I'd say a seriously bad idea. Just turn up at the right time and hope they aren't too busy helping others that you have to wait.

I'm sure you could tell them you're in the pub, then they can get to you when they see fit?
:xd::xd::xd:
 

Mudgie

Well-Known Forumite
For me they are, but then again I'm not a pubman.

Really? What do you expect in times like these? You expect the staff to put themselves at risk of death for your comfort of sitting on a chair indoors? If you think waiting outside for 5 minutes is bad right now, just wait until midwinter.
Pubman or not has nothing to do with it.
All premises have a duty of care for those with disabilities and the HNS has had more than seventy years to realise the needs of the elderly and less able bodied.
Coronavirus isn't the only risk any of us faces and NHS staff, through their training and work practices, have suffered a similar death rate to the general population and have been at far less risk than say taxi drivers or London bus drivers.
The provision outside of a couple of chairs and a basic shelter, even a parasol for rain if not wind, wouldn't mean that "staff put themselves at risk of death".
You're extremely fortunate if your normal wait at a surgery is only "5 minutes".
If I "could tell them" I was "in the pub" - and that couldn't happen in the morning - I wouldn't expect them to come across the road to fetch me.
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
Pubman or not has nothing to do with it.
All premises have a duty of care for those with disabilities and the HNS has had more than seventy years to realise the needs of the elderly and less able bodied.
Coronavirus isn't the only risk any of us faces and NHS staff, through their training and work practices, have suffered a similar death rate to the general population and have been at far less risk than say taxi drivers or London bus drivers.
The provision outside of a couple of chairs and a basic shelter, even a parasol for rain if not wind, wouldn't mean that "staff put themselves at risk of death".
You're extremely fortunate if your normal wait at a surgery is only "5 minutes".
If I "could tell them" I was "in the pub" - and that couldn't happen in the morning - I wouldn't expect them to come across the road to fetch me.

The NHS has been massively underfunded over the last decade to ensure that private providers can extract taxpayers money as profits rather than investments into our future. If you expect anything like the treatment you got in the 90s or even early 2000s you're bound to be upset. I hope you didn't vote for it.
 

Mudgie

Well-Known Forumite
The NHS has been massively underfunded over the last decade to ensure that private providers can extract taxpayers money as profits rather than investments into our future. If you expect anything like the treatment you got in the 90s or even early 2000s you're bound to be upset. I hope you didn't vote for it.
I most certainly did NOT vote for it.
But it isn't just about money. It wouldn't have cost anything for one of the dozen or more people working there to put a couple of chairs outside at the start of the day and take them back in before locking up and for one of them to bring a parasol from their garden shed to work. I thought it's things like that that a Practice Manager is appointed for
 
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proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
I most certainly did NOT vote for it.
But it isn't just about money. It wouldn't have cost anything for one of the dozen or more people working there to put a couple of chairs outside at the start of the day and take them back in before locking up and for one of them to bring a parasol from their garden shed to work. I thought it's things like that that a Practice Manager is appointed for
Oh dear, this COVID-19 business must be such a dreadful inconvenience for you. There, there.

The problem is, that if the surgery puts out a couple of chairs for your convenience then the chairs have to be sanitised after each person has sat on them in order to help prevent the spread of this virus. That requires someone to do that and because many and varied people will sit in the chairs throughout the day for varying amounts of time, a close eye will have to be kept and it will basically become a full time job for someone paid to do something else.

I do however have a couple of serious solutions for you to this problem.

1. Volunteer to be the chair cleaner for the surgery, therebye making the whole thing financially viable.

2. More realistically, take your own folding camping chair and umbrella giving you the convenience you want or need.

Simples.
 

Mudgie

Well-Known Forumite
Oh dear, this COVID-19 business must be such a dreadful inconvenience for you. There, there.

The problem is, that if the surgery puts out a couple of chairs for your convenience then the chairs have to be sanitised after each person has sat on them in order to help prevent the spread of this virus. That requires someone to do that and because many and varied people will sit in the chairs throughout the day for varying amounts of time, a close eye will have to be kept and it will basically become a full time job for someone paid to do something else.

I do however have a couple of serious solutions for you to this problem.

1. Volunteer to be the chair cleaner for the surgery, therebye making the whole thing financially viable.

2. More realistically, take your own folding camping chair and umbrella giving you the convenience you want or need.

Simples.
Procedures will already be in place for sanitising chairs and everything else inside the building and such a safe system of working could easily cope with a couple of chairs being the other side of the front door. That it would "become a full time job for someone" is ridiculous.
Someone whose GP there has told him that he'll never work again can't reasonably be expected to "volunteer to be the chair cleaner for the surgery".
"Take your own folding camping chair and umbrella" is no more practical for anyone travelling by bus than "turn up at the right time" given that the Eccleshall buses only run every two hours.
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
Procedures will already be in place for sanitising chairs and everything else inside the building and such a safe system of working could easily cope with a couple of chairs being the other side of the front door. That it would "become a full time job for someone" is ridiculous.
Someone whose GP there has told him that he'll never work again can't reasonably be expected to "volunteer to be the chair cleaner for the surgery".
"Take your own folding camping chair and umbrella" is no more practical for anyone travelling by bus than "turn up at the right time" given that the Eccleshall buses only run every two hours.
Why not use the doctors in Eccleshall? The whole point of this thread was to find a local doctor in walking distance for my OH, I'd certainly not want to travel to a different town by public transport every visit!
 

Mudgie

Well-Known Forumite
Why not use the doctors in Eccleshall? The whole point of this thread was to find a local doctor in walking distance for my OH, I'd certainly not want to travel to a different town by public transport every visit!
Me, a Stafford resident, using a "doctors in Eccleshall" is ever more ridiculous than your earlier suggestions.
When I registered with the Lloyd Street surgery in 1973 it didn't occur to me that many years later I might be slightly inconvenienced by it moving a mile further out of town.
I usually walk to and from Holmcroft Surgery. On 5th June I drove because of the weather but I couldn't help thinking of those less fortunate than myself who are unable to drive.
 

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
Procedures will already be in place for sanitising chairs and everything else inside the building and such a safe system of working could easily cope with a couple of chairs being the other side of the front door. That it would "become a full time job for someone" is ridiculous.
Someone whose GP there has told him that he'll never work again can't reasonably be expected to "volunteer to be the chair cleaner for the surgery".
"Take your own folding camping chair and umbrella" is no more practical for anyone travelling by bus than "turn up at the right time" given that the Eccleshall buses only run every two hours.
Ok then, take a shooting stick and an umbrella. You can take them on a bus.

But of course that isn't the real issue. The real issue is that everything has to be set up for your convenience and must be provided for you. God forbid you'd actually have to do something to help yourself.
 

Mudgie

Well-Known Forumite
Ok then, take a shooting stick and an umbrella. You can take them on a bus.

But of course that isn't the real issue. The real issue is that everything has to be set up for your convenience and must be provided for you. God forbid you'd actually have to do something to help yourself.
No, I've mentioned that "on 5th June I drove because of the weather but I couldn't help thinking of those less fortunate than myself who are unable to drive" which isn't the attitude you're suggesting.
 

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
No, I've mentioned that "on 5th June I drove because of the weather but I couldn't help thinking of those less fortunate than myself who are unable to drive" which isn't the attitude you're suggesting.
Well there you are you've got a car. Folding camping chair/umbrella/shooting stick transport tragedy solved.
 

Mudgie

Well-Known Forumite
Well there you are you've got a car. Folding camping chair/umbrella/shooting stick transport tragedy solved.
I actually found it much easier - and dryer - just sitting in the car until beckoned rather than taking a "folding camping chair/umbrella/shooting stick" and setting them up in the surgery car park !
 
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