Maltings Surgery
8-14 Victoria Street, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 3JBContact details and opening times
Patient ratings and reviews
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Reviews
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Review titled Brilliant response and follow up
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by RobS - Posted on 04 April 2023
I'm not a frequent user of the service and have seen all the negative headlines about getting an appointment with a GP. However I was amazed how well the online system worked and was offered an appointment the same day. The consultation was on time and seen by a reassuring, competent doctor. Soon after links to patient information factsheets followed by text and an offer to attend a health check. Hats off to the team who make this system work!
Visited March 2023
Review titled Maltings Surgery
Replied on 27 April 2023
Dear Rob, Thanks for sharing feedback about our new system, Rob and I'm glad we were able to help you so quickly when you needed us. All the best, Kara - Team Maltings
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Review titled Hats off to the practice
by StAlbans Patient - Posted on 02 April 2023
Had a concern about a mole so used the new system to ask for an appointment. Got a call back within 30 minutes and offered a face to face appointment that afternoon. Seen on time and given advice and assurance by a very competent doctor. In these days of criticism with the NHS this was well above how I expected the process to run. Hats off to the practice in making this happen.
Visited March 2023
Provided by Care opinion
Review titled Maltings Surgery
Replied on 27 April 2023
Dear patient, I'm so glad we were able to give you speedy, reassurance about your mole and thank you for taking the time to share your experience about the new system. We're really pleased patients are finding it works well. All the best, Kara - Team Maltings
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Review titled Excellent new system
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Opal 27 - Posted on 14 March 2023
I have had two excellent experiences at The Maltings in the last month. On both occasions I completed the online form regarding issues concerning my newborn son. I received a call back within 30 minutes on the first occasion and a text message with medication issued within 20 minutes on the second. Both contacts were appropriate and the GP I spoke to kind and thorough. Thank you for all your hard work, the new system is excellent.
Visited February 2023
Review titled Maltings Surgery
Replied on 27 April 2023
Hi Opal, That's great news and thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. It's very much appreciated by the whole team! All the best, Kara - Team Maltings
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Review titled Give the practice some credit
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Gary Chambers - Posted on 15 February 2023
I am sure there are practice users who have real complaints about their experience. It should be remembered that this is a busy city-centre practice which is going to be stretched in what it can do during these difficult times. I have been registered with the surgery since 2015 (as have my wife and son) I have always been satisfied with the quality of service and care. The staff do 100% care about patients. The new online appointment/patient triage system is brilliant and is exactly the right approach. It is now relatively easy to get an appointment with a doctor or nurse. The way they ran Covid vaccinations and boosters was exemplary.
Visited January 2023
Review titled Maltings Surgery
Replied on 27 April 2023
Dear Gary, That's so good to hear and thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful response. Things continue to be tough for all GP practices and NHS services but wherever we can make things easier for you and our team to provide the best service possible, with the staff and resources we have, we will. Great to hear the new system works well for you and your family too - I'll be sure to pass that back to the team. Kara - Team Maltings
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Review titled Do not register here!
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 19 December 2022
Absolutely appalling for a 21st century GP practice. You can only get an appointment if you call at 8am on a particular day - cannot book appointments any other way or in advance. If you call at 8.01, you are on hold for 2 hours and when someone picks up, they tell you the list is closed and to try tomorrow. A heavy sell to use other services such as 111 or urgent care. More concerningly, refuse some prescriptions which they should have done. Spoke to 111 and other GP surgeries and this is inconsistent with what is done anywhere else. One positive note is the receptionists are polite and apologetic. Not their fault that the practice is rubbish. Go elsewhere.
Visited December 2022
Review titled Maltings Surgery
Replied on 27 April 2023
Dear patient, Thanks for sharing your anonymous feedback in December 2022. It's a shame you didn't leave your name so we could look into why you were on hold for two hours as that seems extreme even with the unprecedented demand for appointments we were facing at the time and also your comment about refusing prescriptions. The only time we would not be able to issue a prescription is where a patient has been asked to contact us for a medication review or it's a request for a one-off medication. Even if it's something you've been prescribed as a one-off in the past, it still requires a consultation to make sure it's safe and nothing has changed with your health since the last time it was issued. Getting a timely response and appointment if you need one has become much easier since January this year. We've introduced a whole new online system so that patients don't need to ring up and hold at 8am. The service is available throughout the day, when we're open and most patients receive a response same-day. I do hope you've noticed a difference if you've needed us in 2023. All the best, Kara - Team Maltings
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Review titled Immpossible
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 29 November 2022
Cannot get appointment to see doctor hang on phone for ages then told go on line for phone callback which could be in 2 weeks time please tell me what are the doctors doing?
Visited November 2022
Review titled Maltings Surgery
Replied on 27 April 2023
Dear patient, Sorry to hear you had trouble getting an appointment at the practice in November last year. The team has been trying to provide as many appointments as is safe to do so with unprecedented demand across the entire NHS for the past three years which has meant some patients have not always been able to get an appointment as quickly as they nor we would like. That said, things are getting brighter this year. We introduced a new online system in January in response to constructive feedback from patients and we're happy to report it's working well. As you're marked anonymous, we're unable to check your individual concerns but hope if you've needed our service this year, you've noticed a difference. Kara - Team Maltings
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Review titled Getting an appointment is impossible
by equuleusfg57 - Posted on 21 November 2022
I have been trying to get an non-urgent appointment at the Maltings on and off for the last 3 months. I have tried calling at 8:00am on numerous occasions and get a recorded message saying the list is full for that day. I have spoken to receptionists on the phone, given a link to book which takes me to PatientAccess. There are no options for booking an appointment for my problem, in fact there are only 3 options Smear, Physio, and Flu Vaccination. I have gone in and asked how I get an appointment, and have been sent the same link. It is impossible to get an future dated face to face appointment. I have managed to get a phone appointment where the doctor has called me at a really inconvenient time. I have been a patient at the Maltings for 20 years and am completely at a loss as to what has happened. It seems they do not want any patients coming in for face to face appointments. The communication from the practice is non-existent and the website completely out of date as far as information about booking appointments.
Visited November 2022
Provided by Care opinion
Review titled Maltings Surgery
Replied on 27 April 2023
Dear patient, I'm sorry to hear you had so much trouble trying to get a routine appointment last November. Unprecedented demand for appointments meant some patients couldn't always get a timely appointment and we shared the frustration of that for which we're sorry. That said, the team have always provided face to face appointments where needed throughout the pandemic and it's now patient choice. Many patients have told us telephone appointments where safe to do so are much more convenient. Our website and booking system has now been completely overhauled since January 2023 and patients and staff alike report how good the new system is. We hope you've noticed the difference too. Kara - Team Maltings.
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Review titled Put me at ease
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 22 November 2022
I was referred by a clinic in Potters Bar to have the coil fitted. I was made to me relaxed and at ease. The whole process was easy and quick.
Visited November 2022
Review titled Maltings Surgery
Replied on 27 April 2023
Dear patient, That's really good feedback to hear and we know the coil fitting service is consistently commended by patients that use it. Thanks for taking the time to let us know how you found it last November. Kara - Team Maltings
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Review titled Hopeless
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 07 October 2022
Walked in to book appointment only to be told have to phone at 8am or book on line. With my job not possible to phone. Long process to register for on line and then can’t make face to face appointment. Completely useless service for those of us who can’t sit by a phone all day awaiting a possible call back. Truly shocking state despite receptionist standing right next to the computer who could have taken seconds to make an appointment. Need serious overhaul of how they conduct themselves.
Visited October 2022
Review titled Maltings Surgery
Replied on 27 April 2023
Dear patient, Sorry we couldn't meet your needs back in October last year and we fully appreciate that not everyone can or should need to make appointments by phone. The receptionists don't allocate the appointments; that's always been up to the GPs when they assess each request that comes in be that by phone or online but again, we know the online service last year was not fit for purpose for many patients. That's why we worked hard to introduce a whole new system in January of this year where you can now request appointments through our website during the hours that we're open for a fast response. We hope you've found a difference if you've needed us since then. Kara - Team Maltings
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Review titled Dangerously reckless blind-eye turning storing up disaster
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 11 October 2022
The only way to book an appointment here is to call on the dot of 8am, wait on hold for anything up to an hour to speak to a receptionist, who will then triage you. This means you cannot achieve anything else meaningful at an absolutely key time of day for readying children for school or commuting to work. Of course, in dire emergencies you would cancel everything and sit by the phone at 07:59, but this is not the way to funnel those who wish to make non-urgent appointments. There is no online booking available online (though they will tell you there is, it displays a "not now" alert outside of the 8am-10am window). And if in your frustration, you decide to actually waste your life and walk to the doctors to deal in person, the receptionist will send you away and say "Sorry, I don't make the rules" despite having access at her left hand to a computer system which could book you an appointment. NHS oversight please urgently clamp down on this surgery's processes. Either they are intentionally creating a dangerous situation or totally cool about running the practice into the ground until everyone registers elsewhere and it has to close. I do not understand the logic behind the system. I have waited years for it to get called out for this and now I will reluctantly re-register my family to a further afield surgery in order to have access to a less ruthless, upsetting, draconian regime. It needs a wake-up call.
Visited October 2022
Review titled Maltings Surgery
Replied on 27 April 2023
Dear patient, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us in October last year. As your review was submitted anonymously, I'm unable to identify you and personally address your concerns relating to the receptionist and availability of appointments. That said, we know and fully accept how difficult it was for some patients to get timely routine appointments last year. Like all practices across the country, we were facing unprecedented demand for appointments, many needing urgent, same-day care and were trying to manage that the best and fairest way we could at the time with the staff and resources we had. Very challenging and equally frustrating for everyone in our team. We realise that not everyone can call at 8am nor should they have to to get an appointment so started the hard work of upheaving the existing system as quickly as we could and around caring for patients in autumn last year - no easy feat. Thanks to constructive feedback from patients and an incredible effort from the team, we launched a whole new system in January. The online system works well, and many patients have commented how much better it is. No more needing to call at 8am on the dot. If you and your family are still patients at our practice, I do hope you have also felt the difference. Kara - Team Maltings