Havens Health / Meridian Surgery

A couple of the receptionists act like you're an inconvenience, are rude, sharp with you and seem to think they know what is deemed as an emergency even though they are not doctors.

Other problems: prescriptions getting lost, claiming they haven't received letters or requests but suddenly finding it when someone in authority (mental nurse ) intervenes.

I rang Meridian Surgery for the first time since the merger and was dreading it I have put it off for ages BUT the phone was answered within 3 rings by a delightfully cheerful receptionist answered my question and wished me a “ great day” ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT SERVICE

The whole family is registered here and has been for nearly 20 years, never really had any issues until the last year. My daughter went off to University and was told she needed to register in that area, all good and that was done. She came back due to lockdown and due to health issues needed to re-register here. She did that and recd medication. She was allowed one repeat (attached to prescription). Two week's before she needed it she placed the repeat request into the box as instructed and waited. She chased the Dr's 10 days after placing the request into the box only to be told it had been thrown away as she was no longer a patient! At no point did anyone tell her she was a patient for a limited time only and why just throw a request away without contacting the person? Obviously if they have placed a request they are under the impression they are still registered with you! This could have been medication that was life saving, thankfully it isn't but is still needed. The receptionist just kept repeating that she needed to register elsewhere and that she couldn't log a complaint because my daughter was no longer a patient. All I asked was that it be feedback that the communication was bad and my daughter wasn't told or didn't understand the situation and maybe it could be handled better in the future, one phone call to the patient before throwing a request away??. It's also really hard to get an appointment, I understand the difficulties with Covid but it was bad before the pandemic and gradually getting worse. Once you get an appointment the Dr's are lovely, it's just incredibly hard to get one in the first place and when you need medication or advice or not feeling well the stress of being told to ring back days on end is just appalling.

3 days and 129 calls to be told the department for repeat prescriptions is closed , what is and should be a simple process is now infuriating to the extreme, if this was a private company , it’s customers would have chosen elsewhere without delay and the company folded . Simply put it’s a disgrace to the local community.

On hold for 50 minutes on numerous occasions thats after around 80 calls to get through. Impossible to get an appointment. Terrible patient care.

Saturday ordered meds but 2 had to be reviewed. Couldn't ring Monday (migraine)rang Tuesday told no appointment after 47 mins hold,ring back Wednesday. So after 53 mins engaged was told doctors doing emergency

I can’t get an appointment. I’ve been trying for day with no luck. Either can’t get through to the number and when I do, I’m on hold for ages to be told there are none. I received a letter from a blood test result, saying I need a doctor to phone me. But I just can’t get through!! I also find the reception staff very unsympathetic and without a trace of empathy. I’m so upset that I can’t access medical care, the receptionist told me to call 111 if I was that desperate. This is causing me nothing but stress!!

Was told three times over three days that a nurse would call back straight away.Waited over a week,and was finally phoned to be told that both nurses from Rowe Avenue had left and she was having to deal with there workload as well.Total shambles since merger.

Since the surgery have merged you cannot get through on the phone today I really needed to see a GP started ring at 2.30pm pushed radial over 100 times then when I did get through was on hold for an hour still no one answered so gave up. Retired an hour later just constantly engaged then told no appointments.

Had an issue back in October 2019 which did not clear up after 2 weeks. Booked an appointment online for a GP call back and was told I needed to make an appointment (Dr could not doThis for me as she was junior). I had to put the phone down and try to get through to reception to make an appointment. After 56 re-dials I got through to be told there were no appointments and to phone back at 14:30, then again at 08:30 next day. This went on for days and I was constantly told that my issue was not an emergency (even though the GP thought it important enough to be seem).
Two weeks later, feeling very unwell I took myself off to A&E and thankfully got sorted out there. Receptionist should not be triaging people, they have no medical training.
When I eventually got to see a GP weeks later I asked why this happened and was told it shouldn’t have. Doesn’t this tell them that their system is not working?