Hoad Medical Practice

20/05/2026

There are many many things that frustrate us and potentially make us angry...

- Bad weather and politics.
- Waiting and delays.
- Being behind someone driving slower than you want to drive.
- Being in front of someone who’s practically on your bumper when you are driving the speed limit.
- Endless advert breaks on online videos now (“Skip ad”), including everyone promoting things within the videos themselves too... “today’s video is brought to you by Dr Drake Ramoray.”
- & perceived patronising posts on social media that talk about what makes us frustrated and angry. 🤔

Anyway, the point we’re making is that sometimes all this can understandably build up - and occasionally, that frustration ends up being taken out on the people who are just trying to help.

It really saddens us that in recent weeks, some GP practices have reported incidents where members of staff - particularly reception teams - have experienced abuse and threatening behaviour from patients. This behaviour is unacceptable, and practices will respond accordingly to protect their teams. In serious cases, practices have the right to remove patients from their list if they are violent or abusive.

We completely understand that everyone can feel anger or frustration at times - healthcare can be especially stressful for both patients and staff. But at the end of the day, we’re all human.

And yes, this should absolutely work both ways. Healthcare staff should treat patients fairly, kindly, and respectfully too. If you have concerns about your care, there are formal complaints routes to raise them safely and effectively - abusive behaviour is never the right route.

This message doesn’t just apply to GP practices - it includes all wider healthcare teams: dentists, opticians, pharmacists, hospital staff, community services, and everyone working hard to support patients across our area.

Maybe technology and outside factors have changed our patience, concentration, and expectations, but unfortunately not everything can be instant. Healthcare teams are working hard to provide the best care possible in a system under huge pressure.

So, in a world where so many things seem to be sadly increasing in cost, remember - kindness is still free to share. 💚💙

13/05/2026

*** Closure Notice ***
The surgery will be closed from 1:00pm Today (13th May) for mandatory staff training.
We will reopen at 8:00am Thursday 14th May as usual.
Please phone 111 for GP assistance if you need it, or 999 if you have a life threatening emergency during this time.

06/05/2026

The results for April are in! As always, we appreciate everyone who takes the time to provide this valuable feedback! 💙

10/04/2026

🚗 NEW ANPR Parking System – Ulverston Health Centre – Go Live: 20th April 2026 🏥

Hoad patients, here is some information about the new Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system being introduced at our Ulverston Health Centre site.

Here are the details:

🅿️ Parking time limit: 2 hours
📆 Operating schedule: Live 7 days a week
💰 parking will still be free of charge

📍 Kiosk locations inside the building:
• 2 free standing kiosks on the ground floor
• 1 free standing kiosk on the first floor

🧾 Patients attending medical appointments can log their vehicle registration number at any kiosk, regardless of which service they are using in the building.

📢 There will be plenty of signage throughout the site to help patients find the kiosks easily and avoid queues.

🚑 Emergency service vehicles will be excluded.

🗣️ Any ticket appeals will be managed directly by the ANPR company. Their contact details will be displayed on signage around the car park.

This car park is not owned by Hoad Medical Practice.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as this new system is introduced.

02/04/2026

Great feedback for our mental health practitioners too! 💙

02/04/2026

March results are in! As always, we are grateful to those who take the time to provide valuable feedback! 💙

23/03/2026

Edit… Everything resolved and up and running again now. Thank you for your patience!

❌Unfortunately, due to a power failure at the weekend, we are unable to access the systems at the moment. Please be patient with us while we try to resolve the issue.
We will post an update as soon as we have one❌

08/03/2026

February results are in! As always, we appreciate those of you who continue to give us feedback! 💙

02/03/2026

Please don't swear at our reception staff because it is unacceptable. Demanding and swearing because you haven't had the foresight to order your medication on time will not be tolerated. Our staff work incredibly hard and should not have to put up with this behaviour. Would you like your daughter to be verbally abused on a daily basis? Please think before you speak and be kind

09/02/2026