Do you have problems with your GP service?

[Old Cruser]

Holywell Medical Group who have five surgeries around Chesterfield and Stavely have been taken over by 'emergency caretaker service' and two of it's surgeries closed down.
It seems that complaints from patients about problems getting appointments, records not updated and misdiagnosed illnesses prompted the surgeries being taking over.

We 'sometimes' struggle to get an appointment but not always, it seems GP's can be a bit 'thin' on the ground at times and about three weeks ago one of our practices surgeries were closed for the day due to no GP available!

I'm wondering how other's rate their GP's practice?

[Big Dave 2]

I've been a patient at the Holywell Medical Group since moving to Chesterfield in 2007. Since then, their service and standard of care has been superb. Though the group received an unfavourable review a year or two back, since then a further review has found them 'Good' (the same rating that other practices in Chesterfield have achieved).

From what I understand, the recent change has not been brought about due to complaints from patients but is due to a combination of factors including the difficulty faced elsewhere in the NHS: the impossibility of recruiting staff into general practice. Also, Holywell House is a listed building so impossible to adapt to cater for the needs of the practice.

Neither I, nor my O/H, can fault the quality of treatment and care from the Holywell Medical Group and between us we have five life-changing medical conditions: diabetes, epilepsy, prostate cancer, a heart problem and arthritis.

[Old Cruser]

It made the  news on TV last night!

Do you know where you are being transferred to Dave?

We seemed to have moved into a time where Locums are widely used to supplement the lack of permanent GP's, and the Locums we are told command more money, which depletes the surgeries money.

I can't see that closing a surgery because it's a listed building is a good enough reason to close it down though, as generally small adaptations could be made just to tick things along until a more suitable premises is found.
Our village surgery isn't brilliant for wheelchair access but it's manageable - just!

[Big Dave 2]

It's not a case of us being transferred, it's a case of where we wish to be transferred to. We sometimes go to The Grange in Stubbing Road for appointments that's where we'll continue going. It's likely that some patients will want to move to different practices, that's their choice. We have no complaints about the quality of care so we'll  continue to be treated by the same staff, just under a different name that's all.

[Gerty Gumdrop]

Mr Gert and I are also patients at Holywell Medical Group.  While I understand there have been many cause for complaints, our experience like Big Dave's hasn't been a problem.  We have not had to wait long for appointments and I don't recall any kind of misdiagnosis for either of us.

My only gripe is that I applied several years ago to be on the patient panel when they were asking for patients to apply.  I was invited to one meeting which I explained I wasn't able to attend, and since then there has been no contact.  I asked again twice and even wrote a letter (wow yes, a proper letter!) to which I've never received a reply.  I admit this made me very cross and I've given up for the time being.  Maybe when they've got themselves sorted out, I'll try again.