Every year the Patient Participation Group conducts a Speedy Survey and over a two week period last year 1029 patients completed questionnaires. The survey highlighted considerable dissatisfaction with the telephone system.
The practice has opened the phone lines earlier and made improvements to the system in an attempt to make it easier for more patients to get through in an acceptable time.
Please let us know your experience of phoning to make an appointment.
If none of the options apply please indicate “Other” and describe your experience by leaving a comment at the bottom of this page in the Leave a Reply box.
Eastham Group Practice PPG 
it took me 25 mins this time of re-diling whilest trying to get my children ready for school to be told no you can’t see the doctor your under. You can never see her she is to busy, see another doctor. I am under doctor pigot as she is the skin specialist and im being pumped with different antibiotics each month trying to get one to work. ive seen other doctors but they don’t seem to know what to do as this is not there field. The attachood of the receptionists really doesn’t help matters, the phone was answered with a shouty HELLO so for a second I thought I had rang the wrong number.
Thanks Nicky the Patient Group (PPG) is looking at whether or not the system for making a series of appointments like this can be improved and not require you to phone during busy times. We will follow this up with an item on the blog when we have got somewhere. The telephone system has just had its recorded messages removed during busy times and I guess it’s taking the staff by surprise! I’ll let them know what’s happenning. And thanks for liking our Facebook page it is already helping the patient group to keep in touch with everyone’s comments.
I have tried to see Dr Piggott re a finger nails complaint she is treating & have been told that they don’t know when she is in. I have had the problem for 2 years
I will ensure that at the next PPG meeting we discuss how much information it is appropriate to convey to patients when, as in this case, a doctor is unexpectedly not available for an indeterminate period of time due to circumstances beyond their control. Thank you for drawing this to our attention.