Gainford Surgery

Reception barriers make accessing good care difficult

Having grown up in the village and recently returning I have noticed a significant decline in this surgery. The clinical staff and support team are all excellent…once you're able to see them! I found the reception experience disappointing and felt there were concerns about patient privacy. Several of my appointments including a routine screening appointment and a follow-up consultation had been cancelled for this week and I subsequently experienced difficulties accessing my patient portal due to what I felt was inadequate communication from the surgery. I now need to arrange travel to return to the area. I required a prescription for my asthma medication as I have been managing respiratory symptoms. As someone with previous healthcare management experience across multiple settings and who has recently experienced redundancy, I feel frustrated with my current experience of NHS services.

Staff made a difficult year more bearable

I cannot speak highly enough of the team. What has been a difficult period was made considerably more manageable by the exceptional support provided at this practice.

Staff made me feel genuinely valued here

I would like to express my gratitude to the entire team. This has been the finest medical practice I have experienced.

Friendly reception made booking straightforward

This is a wonderful practice with an outstanding team. The clinical staff member I saw provided excellent care.

Staff provided thoughtful support throughout my care

I wanted to express my gratitude to the entire team. This practice has consistently provided excellent care, and following a recent medical procedure, the level of support I received was truly outstanding. Everything went smoothly without any complications, and the assistance offered was exceptional. I'm very appreciative of everyone involved.

Receptionist blocks access to caring doctor

I don't normally like to leave reviews like this, but I'm quite concerned about what to do next, because contacting the surgery has become problematic due to difficulties with the reception staff. My teenage son has an appointment coming up for his consultation regarding his upcoming procedure, and the clinician involved has been excellent—very reassuring and understanding about my son's worries. That same clinician left a voicemail some weeks ago asking me to get in touch regarding some issues with my son's past medical records (the issue relates to a legal name change that wasn't updated on the records from a previous surgery). However, each time my husband or I have called, we've spoken to the same receptionist who insists the clinician didn't call, despite me having both a voicemail and call log as evidence of multiple calls. The receptionist seems keen to end the conversation quickly, saying she'll pass a message to the clinician, but this hasn't resulted in any contact. My mother-in-law was also asked by the same clinician while at the surgery to encourage us to call about the records issue, but again, both of us encountered the same receptionist who appeared disinterested in helping. I wouldn't normally mention this additional matter either, as I understand mistakes occur, but my repeat medications were also handled incorrectly—I received only half of what I should have. I understand why this happened given my medication dosage was adjusted, but the receptionist's response to my husband was dismissive and unhelpful, blaming other departments rather than addressing the issue constructively. The more pressing concern remains my son's upcoming treatment, and I hope someone will reach out to resolve this. The clinicians at this surgery are genuinely excellent, which makes it particularly frustrating that reception difficulties are affecting the quality of care and communication.

Friendly reception staff made booking easy

An excellent medical practice with a wonderful staff team!

Friendly and helpful appointment experience

The clinician I saw was extremely friendly and very helpful.