The Ivybridge Health Centre

So I'm on a new prescription that requires a doctor to see me before I can pick up another months worth of pills. The surgery makes this as awkward and mentally as physically possible. I call the reception to request this, but no, I must hang up and go online, fill out a lengthy questionnaire and request an appointment. THEN sometime on that day (could be anytime while I'm at work, on the loo whatever) a doctor will call me back to discuss an appointment. If this is inconvenient and confusing to me, I can only imagine how difficult it would be for an elderly person to navigate. Why they decided to change to this system I have absolutely no idea. Surely that's what the reception team is for? The lady I spoke to on the phone clearly hadn't been trained properly as I hung up feeling even more frustrated as she wasn't able to answer my simple questions. As someone with general and social anxiety disorder this is very stressful and disruptive to me. I would just like to renew my prescription and get on with life without the hassle. I will be changing surgeries because I can not get on with this system and will be avoiding any place managed under the Beacon Medical Group. Get it together and think of your patients!

This GP practice is really not as bad as the reviews are suggesting, book online for an appointment, you do not have to keep on calling them, or go to Emergency Department if it cant wait or go private! The staff have always been helpful to the best of their abilities. Appointments can be take some time unless its urgent, they use a triage system. I don't see the point in leaving bad reviews through google, if you have a problem tell them, send an email.

This, sadly, is the worst doctor's surgery I've ever been registered with. Prescriptions, (when posted through the postbox located by the main entrance) are NEVER ready on time. It's apparent, that even when you've written and posted your prescription in a timely fashion (I usually give 7 days for mine), you need to chase it up after the said 7 days is up. I do this every single time. It's become a running joke in the local community, and indeed in the chemist which, funnily enough, is located right around the corner. I put in my prescription, go to the chemist (HOPING), they'll tell me it's not there and they'll put a trace on it, their response is always the same, "It doesn't appear to have been sent yet [NAME], maybe pop around to the doctor's and find out if it's being processed." I then find myself in a queue of other patient's whom are also trying to locate their due prescription/s. It is a case of chemist, doctor's, chemist to check again, doctor's, chemist....you get the picture! There have been several instances where I have been without my blood thinning medication, and asthma inhalers (I have chronic asthma so this is life saving medicine for me) throughout the duration of the whole weekend, primarily due to my prescription being overlooked by the reception staff/doctors in this practice. The word 'incompetent' springs to mind, and is entirely suitably correct to be honest. When you call, you're generally on hold for anything up to half an hour - in my experience, anyway. Although the staff are polite, it seems as though everyone in the building is plodding about as if they have all the time in the world. I've also experienced biased behaviour, and prejudice from a particular Dr. H, making assumptions and personal opinion based solely on my past, resulting in him refusing to keep me on a VERY low dose of a certain medicine that abates extremely painful muscle and nerve spasms. He told me that, "at your age, the negative effect on your body makes it unsuitable to take anymore." When in reality, I've researched this correlation between my "age" and the "negative effect on your body" on a reliable website, which suggests this isn't the case at all. Basically, he sees my past, sees the drug can make you drowsy, has a 'value' if sold, and makes his decision based on prejudice, maybe a little past experience, and biased personal opinion. I asked him, "Ok, I understand your concern. So, is there another medicine that can help me with these painful muscle and nerve spasms?" To which, he remarked, "No, I'm afraid not." No talk of any kind of action such as a pain clinic referral, or any other suggestions whatsoever. I absolutely would NOT recommend this medical practice to any other person.

I did the online form on the 16th July email said would get a call by 18.30 on the 19th so my medical need did not matter to them as urgent. Its now 18.57 on the 19th and still no phone call or email back. Poor show!!!! 20th and still no call ridiculous

21 minutes on hold. When finally connected, line went dead immediately and was hung up on. How can you run a doctor's surgery like this? Pathetic.

Terrible maternity team, fill out paper work without asking the questions and get it completely wrong. Doctors that get their staff to call you first thing about your end of day appointments to change them, when you say you can't due to work etc, they say no problem then ring you a couple hours later to inform you that they've cancelled your appointment any way and you'll have to rebook. Just happened to my partner a 2nd time. Hit and miss reception staff, with regards to actually doing their job. All in all, come here if you don't want to be treated.

They say the nhs login and forms, etc are meant to be easier but not when you get given the wrong details and the site won’t accept what you’re entering. Called twice for the details - 1st lady was lovely in all fairness but the second was very quick to rush me off the phone and not even give me chance to ask about anything else - I actually had a fairly serious matter I wanted to discuss with a doctor, seeing as how I couldn’t get onto the website!

The booking system is absolutely diabolical. It is at least a 15-20 minute wait to get though to book an appointment with reception, always make sure you ring 30 minutes head of when you actually want to speak to the receptionist. Then expect to wait at least 48 hours to receive a call for a telephone appointment at any time throughout the working day when you most likely will MISS the call - or they just don't call at all! Good luck to anyone trying to get a face to face appointment with a doctor as they will fob you off with a text diagnosis from their lengthy e-consult form, or you will most likely miss the doctors call as they don't give any sort of time frame for telephone appointments. Good experience with the doctors and nurses, however the Beacon Medical Group as a whole has gone downhill drastically in the last few years especially regarding their booking system; everyone I know who is also unfortunate enough to be registered here agrees.