Havens Health / Meridian Surgery

It is nearly impossible to get through on the phones let alone get an appointment they are always fully booked and then some days they are shut half day! There aren't enough doctors for the amount of patients they have

This is the only GP surgery in a rapidly growing community of over 22,000 residents. If you want a Dr's appointment you are asked to ring at 8am. I rang at 8am and the answer phone said the surgery was closed, I immediately rang back and the line was engaged. I continued calling for about 2hrs but the line was engaged constantly. I rang again in the afternoon to be told all GP appointments were gone. I called into the surgery to be told I had to make an appointment by phone. I have tried ringing at 8am on numerous days only to hear the engaged tone. I have found it impossible to get an appointment to speak to a GP. Whatever system they are using it certainly is not working in my opinion.

Took over 200 calls to get through. Eventually spoke to a dr who had the wrong notes and basically accused me of lying.

I need an appointment every few months for an injection and dread the day I need to phone and book as you can redial 200 times or so to even get into the queue system and then wait 45 mins to an hour to speak to someone. When you get through the nurse appointments are tough to obtain but possible but if you need to see a doctor forget it, those appointments are like gold dust and who knows how you get one as ringing at 8am like they tell you means by the time you get through they are gone and you’re told to ring again. They also keep changing their phone number as the phone system isn’t working properly making everything twice as hard.

As others say, eventually when do get through no am or pm appointments available, even for people with urgent need to see a nurse or doctor.

Took 4 days (and 6 phone calls after being on hold for a minimum of 15 minutes each time) to get a prescription issued and even when I did go to the chemists I still needed to go to the surgery as the doctor had forgotten to sign it. You can't get an appointment because they say they're full for weeks and then you get met with hostility when you try and complain.

BT are refusing to treat the service as urgent. The new system put in by them is not working. As the only GP service in Peacehaven this is appalling. The staff do their best under ridiculous circumstances. Rowe Avenue Doctors do not appear on the list of GPs have they all left the practice? We were told more staff were to be/had been recruited what is the current position? I have long term progressive spinal problems that severely affect my mobility and and every aspect of my daily life but have no regular contact with any doctor or specialist nurse. District nurses do a great job re my incontinence needs. Overall it has become frustrating for residents and for some very worrying that we are being ignored. Something must be done and soon even when taking into account the dreadful problems covid has caused.

The process for getting an appointment doesn’t work, you have to spend ages trying to get through, I have been known call over 200 times just to get the line to connect, then to be the ‘first person in the queue’ as per the automated voice and to be waiting anything from 20 mins to over an hour and that’s if it doesn’t cut you off and then you have to start the process over again. If you are lucky enough to get a call back appointment that day if they haven’t all gone, you then have to be available to take a call from the doctor before midday which more often than not means before 2/3pm meanwhile if your work is phone based you are left unable to work and take calls in fear that you will miss the doctors call.
Once you speak to a doctor they are usually pretty good and helpful. It’s not their fault it’s the way it’s set up and the lack of doctors compared to number of patients. Drs have given some outstanding service to us in the past going above and beyond but the system itself needs sorting. The phone lines and no of staff answering the need to be sorted and more doctors to take the calls and have them booked in to be completed on specific hour time slots so you have a more accurate idea of when to expect a call.

I am hugely concerned about this surgery be the level of care residents are receiving. I have been over generous with 2 stars as they acted swiftly when I needed it.
My mother has a terrible time with this surgery, to the extent I have had to become involved as it was impacting her mental health significantly. She is almost bullied about medications she is prescribed by the hospital and more recently misdiagnosed.
I have also spoken with one doctor who clearly didn’t bother to even read my notes before his telephone call, and told me totally incorrect information about my condition.
Most of the receptionists I have spoken too have mainly be very nice and helpful, but it takes forever to get through and I don’t know what would happen to someone who was seriously ill.
There shouldn’t be one more house built in the area until there is guarantee all residents have adequate healthcare as it is far below that at the moment.

Since the surgeries merged it has been impossible to get an appointment, let alone see a doctor. You can phone and be first in the queue for over 45 minutes, clearly showing that actually you aren’t first in the queue. Telephone numbers frequently don’t work and apparently are ‘being fixed’. How long will it take for us, the residents of Peacehaven, to be taken seriously and more surgeries reopened and for the health care provided be what we deserve.