Birchwood Medical Practice
Wick Road, Bristol, BS4 4HUContact details and opening times
Patient ratings and reviews
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Reviews
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Review titled Brilliant service
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Mike Hodder - Posted on 13 February 2024
Our practice at Birchwood Medical Practice gets quite a bit of flack, but they should also get the praise when it's deserved. For me, it is definitely due today. Yesterday evening my knee swelled up and got worse overnight getting rather warm, painful and making it very difficult to walk. I spoke to a lovely receptionist this morning and within 2 hours was seen by the advanced nurse practitioner and a GP who started me on antibiotics and organised bloods and xrays to make sure I don't have sepsis. A great team effort which should be acknowledged.
Visited February 2024
Review titled Birchwood Medical Practice
Replied on 22 February 2024
Hi Mike - goodness me, it sounds like you had an extremely difficult situation with your knee! I am so pleased that all areas of our teams were able to help you promptly and provide the right care at the right time. We are very grateful that you have taken the time to provide feedback about your experience - it really makes a difference to everyone here as they really do care. I hope you are recovering well, but please do not hesitate to come back to us if you need further support. Best Wishes Debra Spencer Practice Manager
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Review titled 'Appointment Booking'
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 08 April 2024
On line booking offered only 1 Tel consultation for 8 days time: Telephone booking offered appointment 3 weeks time: Alternative venue taken for 6 days time. Reception booking 'bloods' n/a for 3 weeks: Alternative venue taken:
Visited February 2024
Review titled Birchwood Medical Practice
Replied on 01 May 2024
Thank you for taking the time to provide a review. We offer a variety of nurse appointments online with excellent availability, although this can sometimes be impacted by staff annual leave or sickness absence. There are also occasions where we acknowledge that our availability may not always accommodate the patient preference. We are sorry an appointment in 8 days did not meet your needs and we are pleased you have been seen. Best wishes Debra Spencer
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Review titled Great practice
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 21 February 2024
Lovely friendly practice , with caring staff Thinking outside the box to get the answers you need. Recently had an appointment with my mum and the Dr we saw was amazing - during hard times they are trying their best
Visited January 2024
Review titled Birchwood Medical Practice
Replied on 22 February 2024
Thank you so much for taking the time to provide a review and for your understanding of the extreme pressures GP services are currently experiencing. Your kind words will really make a different to the team who are all passionate about delivering excellence in service and care. We experience real distress when we cannot help as we would want to due to issues outside of the control of the practice. Thank you again and we look forward to continuing to help you. Debra Spencer Practice Manager
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Review titled Unhelpful
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Varun - Posted on 31 March 2023
Called them twice about my ear. First time I called a month back i had a feeling that my ears were blocked. A doctor called me and prescribed a nasal spray saying I need to call back after using the spray for 2 weeks. My symptoms have gone worse. Have nearly Lost all hearing in my right ear and now have pain. The receptionist first told me to do an online consultation. When the result of the online consultation was that the surgery needed to give me an urgent appointment, the same receptionist told me to call 111 as there are no appointments available. Didnt even think it was necessary to let the doctor(who told me to call back) know. thought the doctors should bd making these decisions not someone who talks to us like they are doing us an favour by answering the phone
Visited March 2023
Review titled Birchwood Medical Practice
Replied on 05 April 2023
Hi Varun. Firstly, thank you for taking the time to provide feedback to us. We really appreciate it even when you tell us your experience was not the best for you. Like all services that are not 24 hours, we have a finite number of appointments available to book with clinicians. The number of appointments is managed to ensure patients are dealt with on the day, safely. When all available appointments have been booked and a patient still needs to be reviewed, we signpost to the next available service unless the patient meets specific criteria e.g. child under 12 years, palliative, vulnerable. Emergencies are referred to 999 but most are referred to 111 who can then make a more thorough assessment than a digital consultation form. 111 can then direct you to the most appropriate other service if you need care the same day when we are already at maximum capacity. This can be a urgent treatment centre e.g. South Bristol Community Hospital if they assess you as needing treatment on the day. Patients can also self-refer to an urgent treatment centre. This protocol is approved by the clinical partners, so the reception team are following their instruction and are not independently advising patients without support. Unfortunately, the number of trained GPs and advanced nurse practitioners available to work in general practice is reduced whilst demand is ever increasing. Also, funding cuts to direct GP services mean we are unable to afford extra staff to meet the unprecedented demand. We have 2 GPs on maternity leave at present which also contributes to the wider service provision issue as there are insufficient numbers of locum GPs to provide face to face consultations. These types of situations are currently experienced by a lot of doctors' surgeries. In 2022, GP practices provided more appointments than hospitals even with a declining workforce. GP services provide over 90% of consultations in the NHS but receive only c8.1% of the NHS funding pot (source: https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/nhs-delivery-and-workforce/funding/investment-in-general-practice). We are very sorry that we could not meet your needs on the day and trust that you took the advice to call 111. You may also wish to visit you community Pharmacist who can assist with assessing ear symptoms. You may also find this link to NHS guidance for blocked ears helpful: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/earwax-build-up/ . If you do have ear wax build up, you may wish to contact a private provider as our surgery does not currently offer earwax removal. Once again, thank you for taking the time to share your experience and we hope that once our team members return from maternity leave - one is back in June - we will be better placed to support you and all of our patients. Debra Spencer Managing Partner