Brook Square Surgery

Long wait for non-urgent throat appointment

I contacted the practice regarding a throat-related concern and was offered an appointment two weeks away. When I raised concerns about the wait time, I was informed that the clinician had assessed my form and determined the matter was not urgent based on their standard timeframe. I found this frustrating, as I felt the delay was not appropriate for my condition. In my experience, this practice has not met my expectations regarding appointment availability and responsiveness to patient needs.

Helpful staff made me feel supported

The clinical team and nursing staff have been excellent in managing my care, and the administrative and reception staff have been equally welcoming and helpful. I would certainly recommend this practice.

Busy surgery but well organised and friendly

The surgery was busier than usual on this occasion. The appointment system ran smoothly despite the higher volume of patients. The reception team were welcoming and provided good support.

Reception staff were friendly and helpful

I'm quite surprised by the negative feedback I've read. My own experience has been positive. The front desk team are welcoming and approachable. The clinical nursing staff have been excellent, and on the two visits I've had with a clinician, they were both efficient and comprehensive in their approach. I have nothing to complain about.

Couldn't get an appointment despite calling at eight

Terrible experience with this practice. Despite being instructed to call at 8 am, appointments are not available. The reception team appears indifferent and unhelpful. I am considering switching to another provider. The practice needs to improve its staffing levels and service delivery.

Quick online system made things easier

The digital platforms here make it straightforward to get timely replies. The approach is comprehensive and well-organised. Additionally, they employ various preventative measures to help avoid deterioration of health concerns. It's clear this is a capable team delivering quality care 👏

Felt ignored and dismissed by the practice

The approach to addressing healthcare concerns felt inadequate and dismissive. There appeared to be a lack of willingness to consider alternatives outside standard procedures. The care seemed limited in scope, with medication being the primary intervention offered. Over the course of two years attending this practice, the volume of prescriptions received felt excessive compared to previous experience, with few other treatment options explored. This left me feeling frustrated with the overall quality of care provided.

Struggled to get appointment and prescription signed off

I found it very difficult to secure an appointment over a couple of days as my concerns didn't seem to be prioritised. When I eventually attended, my prescription wasn't authorised on a Friday evening, leaving me without medication throughout the weekend. Given my circumstances, the pharmacy was unable to assist me. I made multiple visits to the pharmacy and several phone calls to follow up on whether my prescription had been processed. When I contacted the surgery to request the authorisation, I was told it would be completed by the end of the day, but this didn't happen before the surgery closed, and the prescription was never signed off. I felt frustrated that prescriptions weren't being processed before the weekend closure, which created an inconvenient situation. Overall, I have lost confidence in this practice and do not feel comfortable continuing as a patient following my current circumstances.

Receptionist gatekeeping made me feel unheard

The reception staff seemed to overstep their role and make decisions beyond their scope. This raises concerns about the appropriateness of their involvement in patient care matters.

Rude reception staff made appointment difficult

I would strongly advise avoiding this medical practice. The experience left me feeling worse off than when I arrived. The front desk staff came across as dismissive and appeared to believe they knew better than the patients regarding their own healthcare needs.

Impossible to get a GP appointment here

The service quality fell short of expectations. Accessing appointments with a doctor proved extremely difficult. Staff frequently directed patients elsewhere rather than providing care. The facility seemed underutilised. The experience was deeply unsatisfactory.

Impossible to get through when you actually need help

I would rate this practice much lower if possible. I have been a patient here for many years and recall when the service was of a better standard. Currently, obtaining an appointment is extremely difficult, and even reaching someone by phone proves challenging. I am frequently invited back for routine checks, yet when I genuinely require an appointment myself, access is severely limited. Recently, I attempted to submit an online referral for a family member after the practice declined to assist during a telephone call the previous day. The online system opens at 7.45, but at that exact time the demand is so high that the form cannot be completed. The system suggests calling for urgent help, but this involves lengthy waiting times, and staff are often unhelpful when contact is finally made. While I recognise the challenges facing the NHS, I feel that practices operating in this manner are not conducive to improving the situation.

Difficult to reach by phone

Difficulty reaching the practice by telephone. No option available for receiving calls from hospital services.

Couldn't get through on the phone

I would rate this experience lower if that were possible.

Couldn't book appointment despite being there in person

I have been a patient at this practice for over a decade. When I visited in person to arrange an appointment, I was informed that bookings are handled exclusively through their online system or by calling during morning hours. Despite being there at the time, the staff were unable to assist me with the booking and instead provided me with a link to complete the reservation online the following morning. I found this approach to be frustrating and unhelpful.

Online forms get generic copy and paste responses

Extremely disappointing experience. When submitting an online enquiry, the response received was generic and did not address the specific question raised. Following a second submission, the reply appeared to overlook the details already provided, instead posing a question that could not be responded to and requesting information previously mentioned. This inadequate level of service, combined with seemingly inefficient processes, proved frustrating when seeking assistance during a period of illness. Rather than providing support, the experience felt counterproductive and added to feelings of stress and concern.

Long waits and prescription problems persist

The service quality has been disappointing, with consistently lengthy wait times and frequent difficulties regarding medication requests.

Difficult to book appointments and staff seem dismissive

I share the sentiments expressed by other patients. Since joining this practice a few months ago, I have noticed that many of the staff members seem to display an unhelpful demeanor and appear disengaged. Additionally, I have found the process of booking an appointment to be quite challenging and unsatisfactory.

Online forms don't replace seeing a doctor

Previously a well-organised and effective practice This practice was once excellent and operated smoothly. Unfortunately, standards appear to have declined significantly in recent times. Obtaining an appointment with a doctor has become increasingly difficult. The current system involves completing extensive online questionnaires, after which patients are typically directed to see nursing staff instead. This approach can result in health concerns being overlooked, and patients may find themselves in a repetitive cycle of appointments with various practitioners without achieving resolution. This situation reflects broader challenges facing the healthcare system currently.

Online booking process made things unnecessarily complicated

Excellent! Before I begin, I must emphasise that the three stars are solely for the clinical staff, who are absolutely wonderful and consistently exceed expectations! The missing two stars reflect my frustration with the accessibility of the service. By the time I managed to reach someone, I felt the issue could have been resolved much sooner. I was directed to use the online system, which was fine in principle. However, the back-and-forth communication over a couple of days felt unnecessarily prolonged when what could have been a straightforward two-minute telephone conversation followed by an appointment booking would have been far more efficient.