Ardingly Court Surgery

Busy surgery but service is fine

You may need to wait beyond your scheduled appointment slot, but that's fairly typical at most busy medical practices. I've consistently had a satisfactory experience here. Perhaps this is partly because my circumstances are straightforward. The service has consistently been good.

Reception staff unhelpful, long waits for appointments

The quality of care varies considerably depending on which clinician you see. The most positive experience I had was with the clinician who provides evening out-of-hours coverage. However, the reception team presents a significant issue, whether interacting in person or by telephone—they often come across as discourteous and unhelpful. Appointment waiting times are also problematic, with routine appointments typically requiring a week or more. Same-day slots are available but limited and reserved for urgent cases. I recently needed a blood test appointment and was quoted a wait of nearly four weeks, which felt excessive for this type of appointment. While I recognise the practice is doing what it can, the fundamental issue appears to be an imbalance between patient demand and available clinical resources, a challenge affecting the wider healthcare system. This staffing and capacity problem is likely to intensify as experienced clinicians retire and the population continues to grow and age. The current situation is already challenging, and without intervention, access to care will probably deteriorate further in the coming years.

Telephone appointments are always prompt and reliable

I have only positive feedback to share about this practice. Phone consultations are consistently timely. The majority of my health concerns receive appropriate follow-up care. In-person appointments can be arranged more rapidly if you opt for a telephone consultation first, and the clinician determines that a same-day or next-day visit is necessary. Since registering with the practice, they have addressed all my healthcare requirements promptly and willingly. The reception team have consistently made extra efforts to assist with urgent medication requests and have shown willingness to liaise with clinicians during their sessions. In my view, this is an excellent practice. The clinical nursing staff also take time to explain their procedures and provide helpful guidance. I would rate this practice five stars. I should note that no one at the practice has encouraged me to leave this review. Having read other feedback on this platform, I found that my own experiences differ significantly from some of those accounts.

Friendly reception made the visit pleasant

Positive

Appointment booking remains frustratingly difficult here

Standard experience - much like what you'd encounter at most practices nowadays. Securing appointments proves challenging unless you have the flexibility to rearrange your schedule at short notice. The telephone system has limited capacity. Digital offerings are underwhelming (appointment booking through online channels is rarely available and prescription renewal requests tend to slip through the cracks). Clinicians typically have minimal time to spend with each patient and you're generally restricted to raising a single concern per visit - meaning you must prioritise your most pressing issue and return another time if needed. While this isn't necessarily unique to this particular practice, they could do more to make the overall experience feel less burdensome. The clinical staff appear somewhat detached (likely due to being stretched thin), which is among the least engaged approaches I've come across.

Couldn't book an appointment for a week

I have been unable to secure an appointment despite attempting to book for an extended period, as I was informed that no availability currently exists. This has been a frustrating experience with the service provided.