Hucknall: Patients group hits back at criticism of staff at medical centre

As reported in the Dispatch last week, Whyburn Medical Practice has come under fire from several residents in recent times with issues including the amount of time patients were left hanging on the phone trying to get through and the lack of available appointments.

However, the complaints have prompted an angry response from members of the Whyburn Medical Practice patient representative group (PPG).

And PPG members Eleanor Curtis Heather Bingley, Margaret Kerr, Rosalind Mayes and Sally Wyatt say there is no excuse for the abuse and criticism some of the staff are being subjected to.

The PPG members said: “The Whyburn Medical Practice was recently inspected by the Care Quality Commission achieving a ‘Good’ grading, something we feel was exceptional given the wider challenges they face.

"Hucknall’s population has risen, and continues to rise, with no increase in health facilities or funding to compensate for the extra strain this puts on existing services.

"And the promised new health centre shows no signs of happening in the near future.

"Staff shortages within the NHS are widely reported in the national media, and Whyburn is also an obvious victim of this.

"Skilled, professionals have a wide choice of places to work, and it follows, therefore, that Whyburn Medical Practice must present itself in a good way to attract new staff.

"There is a perception that patients cannot get an appointment, but routine appointments have good availability.

"Patients are able to book appointments online, but it’s a facility that’s not well used.

"In addition, and in common with other Hucknall medical practices, Whyburn has a high number of patients making appointments and then not keeping them.

"For example, in September this year, 268 appointments were not attended, that is 268 appointments that other patients could have taken advantage of.

"The staff we have work hard under relentless pressure – only an increase in staffing will improve the situation both for staff and for patients.

"More staff will help to ensure that the phones are answered more quickly and that that there more available appointments.

"We are, therefore, appalled at the level of abuse – verbal and online – that all staff are being subjected to.

"This is directly contributing to the high staff turnover, particularly in reception and directly impacts on the morale of existing staff, all of whom are doing their best in challenging circumstances.

"We don’t think that it is too much to ask other patients to take responsibility for their own behaviour, to treat staff with the respect they

deserve – if staff continue to be abused, the practice will not retain them and it will struggle to recruit new staff.

"We do not want to be in the same situation as three and a half years ago, when the practice changed hands because the partner doctors were facing a similar situation.

"If you have grievance, please come to our regular monthly meeting, which are attended by staff of the practice, to try and get an answer to your issue – bring your own constructive suggestions for improvement.

"Our noticeboard in reception is regularly updated with minutes of the previous meeting and the date of the next meeting.”