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Flu Vaccination

Posted By John926

"Flu Vaccination"

About: Worthing Medical Group

(as the patient),

Arrived 5 minutes before booked appointment time only to find chaos.

A queue  of elderly patients stretching  right around into the next road.

Is this an appropriate way to treat over 75s? Thank goodness the weather was kind. I walked away, what an appalling way to treat patients.

Sadly, in my experience this is typical of this Practice.

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Responses

Response from Stacey Rose, Practice Manager, Worthing Medical Group last week
Stacey Rose
Practice Manager,
Worthing Medical Group

Submitted on 17/10/2025 at 12:17
Published on Care Opinion at 12:20

Hi John,

Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns about the recent mass flu vaccination clinic for Worthing Medical Group. We sincerely apologise for the dissatisfaction you experienced and for the fact that you decided not to stay for your vaccination.

We understand that seeing a long queue must have been frustrating. While we schedule appointments with appropriate time slots and staffing levels, we did observe that many patients arrived early for their allotted time, which contributed to the initial length of the line.

We regret that your experience led you to leave, as we actually received significant positive feedback about how quickly and smoothly the queue moved once it started. For those who stayed, the longest reported wait time was approximately 15 to 20 minutes. We are truly sorry you didn't experience that efficiency.

We also want to assure you that our team was actively looking out for our most vulnerable patients. Anyone observed struggling with mobility, frailty, or disability was offered the option to be moved to the front of the queue, and this was an aspect of the clinic for which our team received compliments.

For future reference, we noted that about two hours into the session—after the peak "school run" time which causes parking and traffic issues—the clinic was running back on schedule with minimal wait times.

Your feedback is valuable to us as we plan future clinics, and we will certainly review our queue management and communication strategies.

Kind Regards

Stacey Rose

Practice Manager

Worthing Medica Group

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful

Update posted by John926 (the patient)

Hi Stacey

I am reluctant to make a further appointment for my Flu vaccination for fear of encountering the same chaotic situation.

I would suggest that patients who rudely turn up for appointments at the wrong time are politely told to return at the correct time.

Perhaps I should try and make an appointment for a morning or afternoon after the "school run", although I don't see the relevance as these injections are targeting the over 65/75s. and I fail to see how that would affect the Queueing situation.

I fear the answer to this problem is more efficient management.

Response from Stacey Rose, Practice Manager, Worthing Medical Group last week
Stacey Rose
Practice Manager,
Worthing Medical Group

Submitted on 17/10/2025 at 16:49
Published on Care Opinion at 17:03

Hey John,

I do understand your worries and concerns and think your suggestion of booking in a separate vaccine appointment would be suitable for you. This is something we can absolutely arrange for you if you pop in or give us a call. In future you can also request not to attend the mass clinic and have yours booked in separately if you feel more comfortable doing so.

Thank you again for raising your concerns and hope I have reassured you on the situation with an alternative option that may suit you better.

Kind Regards

Stacey Rose

Practice Manager

Worthing Medica Group

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful

Update posted by John926 (the patient)

Stacey,

Thank you for your response. Booking an appointment separate from the mass session would undoubtedly suit better. I was not aware this was option.

I will telephone for an appointment.

Regards

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