"Iâve been a patient of the Simpson Centre for 16 years and the doctors that I have seen in the past do their jobs well.
However, on the other hand, the receptionist staff are unhelpful, judgemental and belittling - contradictory to what it says on the Simpson Centre website of âThe telephone will be answered promptly and courteously.â
After having the flu for 3 weeks now (and continuously using over the counter medication, showing no improvement) I thought that I would try to book a same day appointment. After calling 14 times, I finally got through to the appropriate person only to be questioned to the severity of my illness and continuously being asked if it was a medical emergency in a very judgemental tone. If I had a medical emergency, I wouldâve instead called the Emergency Services instead of my GP. I then asked for clarification about what is classified as an âemergencyâ appointment, to which the receptionist said was âan appointment that wasnât routine.â At this point I was quite upset and wanted to end the call. The receptionist then explained that this questioning and approach was âsurgery protocolâ and suggested that I should go to the minor injuries unit at the hospital - personally I view minor injuries for people who have suffered a physical injury and not an illness, therefore I was quite confused. Also, it left me questioning whether the âprotocolâ of the surgery would coincide with the well-being of their patients.
After ending the call, I attempted to book a âroutineâ appointment via the Simpson Centre automated system, under the slot of âthe next available appointment with any doctorâ and I was told that there were no appointments that met my requirements.
As of now, I still have no appointment and I am confused as to what my next steps are.
Personally, I believe that the receptionist staff would benefit from some training on improving their communication skills and empathy towards patients in their moment of need."
–Hannah W, 19th December 2018
However, on the other hand, the receptionist staff are unhelpful, judgemental and belittling - contradictory to what it says on the Simpson Centre website of âThe telephone will be answered promptly and courteously.â
After having the flu for 3 weeks now (and continuously using over the counter medication, showing no improvement) I thought that I would try to book a same day appointment. After calling 14 times, I finally got through to the appropriate person only to be questioned to the severity of my illness and continuously being asked if it was a medical emergency in a very judgemental tone. If I had a medical emergency, I wouldâve instead called the Emergency Services instead of my GP. I then asked for clarification about what is classified as an âemergencyâ appointment, to which the receptionist said was âan appointment that wasnât routine.â At this point I was quite upset and wanted to end the call. The receptionist then explained that this questioning and approach was âsurgery protocolâ and suggested that I should go to the minor injuries unit at the hospital - personally I view minor injuries for people who have suffered a physical injury and not an illness, therefore I was quite confused. Also, it left me questioning whether the âprotocolâ of the surgery would coincide with the well-being of their patients.
After ending the call, I attempted to book a âroutineâ appointment via the Simpson Centre automated system, under the slot of âthe next available appointment with any doctorâ and I was told that there were no appointments that met my requirements.
As of now, I still have no appointment and I am confused as to what my next steps are.
Personally, I believe that the receptionist staff would benefit from some training on improving their communication skills and empathy towards patients in their moment of need."
–Hannah W, 19th December 2018
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