Heathfielde Medical Centre

Terrible healthcare experience with endless waiting

I've been attempting to secure a medical consultation for a fortnight, yet I remain unsuccessful. This is absolutely the most frustrating healthcare experience I've ever encountered.

Patient care worth the wait at clinic

Despite the lengthy 43-minute wait, once they answered my call, the receptionist was efficient and friendly. The doctor was equally attentive, thoroughly examining my child. We typically avoid seeking medical care unless absolutely necessary, but each time we've visited, we've successfully seen a doctor and received helpful assistance from the reception staff.

Impossible to book an appointment with this gp

Absolutely dreadful medical practice! For half a year, I've been unable to secure an in-person consultation, and attempting to schedule a telephone appointment is equally impossible. Every time I ring during the morning hours, I'm told to call back in the afternoon. Conversely, when I call in the afternoon, they instruct me to try in the morning. Is this some kind of joke???

Terrible service and endless appointment runaround

Scheduling an appointment here is incredibly frustrating. When I first called in the morning, they told me to ring back at 2 PM. Upon calling at the specified time, I was informed they were swamped. I'm left completely bewildered about how I'm supposed to proceed with booking my appointment.

Fantastic service from a true healthcare hero

Rebecca truly shone today, delivering top-tier customer care! Not only was she incredibly helpful, but she also demonstrated remarkable professionalism. We feel fortunate to be associated with Heathfielde, which consistently provides outstanding and swift assistance. Additionally, our interactions with other team members have been equally impressive, with each staff member offering exceptional and supportive service.

Worst medical practice ever with terrible patient service

Would give zero stars if I could. It's practically impossible to reach anyone. The queue has a 10-person limit. If you don't make it into the first 10, you're forced to repeatedly dial, hoping to catch a moment when there's space. Today, I had to call 65(!) times just to enter the queue, then wait another 19 minutes. If you're fortunate enough to secure an appointment, expect a telephone consultation, as doctors have been avoiding in-person patient meetings since Covid. It's an absolute embarrassment to the medical profession! Today, I was asked to submit a picture of a wound on my 18-month-old's palate. How is that even possible? How can anyone rely on potentially low-quality images taken by non-medical personnel to make diagnoses? Some receptionists are incredibly discourteous. They're so rushed that they've hung up on me mid-sentence twice when I was requesting the GP to call my partner instead of me, as I wouldn't be available. My sole positive experience has been with Dr Gibeon, the only GP continuing in-person consultations. Without him, I would absolutely give zero stars if I could.

Compassionate care despite nhs challenges and pressures

I've been a patient at this medical practice for around two decades, including periods during my university years, and I believe many of the common complaints stem from insufficient NHS funding. In my experience, if you approach the staff with politeness and respect, they reciprocate by being helpful and going above and beyond. Their job is undoubtedly stressful, and I've observed that some patients can become quite aggressive when things don't proceed exactly as they want. The general practitioners have varying levels of effectiveness, but they are generally willing to provide referrals, maintain a friendly demeanor, and genuinely aim to assist patients. Given the current state of our healthcare system, I believe this is a reasonable expectation. I want to express my gratitude to all the staff for their dedicated work during these challenging times. Your efforts are truly appreciated!

Terrible medical care at this gp practice

This general practice is an absolute farce. The physicians clearly lack motivation and it's glaringly obvious. Whenever I request a referral, they conjure up yet another baseless justification.

Terrible reception ruins entire medical practice experience

Regrettably, I would rate this medical practice at the lowest possible level, solely due to the reception team's complete lack of basic customer service abilities. Their performance is utterly deplorable!!!

Frustrating and ineffective healthcare appointment system

I attempted to schedule a morning consultation by phoning precisely at the 8:00am opening time, only to be informed that all morning slots were already filled. My subsequent call at 2:00pm resulted in a promised telephone appointment that never materialized. I was then provided with an after-hours contact number. When I rang at 6:30pm, exactly when the lines were supposed to open, a recorded message indicated that no appointments remained. This sequence of events epitomizes how hardworking, taxpaying citizens have been systematically marginalized - first stripped of in-person consultations and now effectively abandoned. I would urge those sympathetic to GP pay demands to reflect on this experience of complete administrative failure and patient neglect.

Avoid this surgery at all costs

This medical practice is in disarray, and it's disheartening because they use COVID-19 as a pretext for inadequate performance. However, their service was subpar even before the pandemic. Dr. Cullen lacks professional competence and clearly doesn't approach her responsibilities with the necessary seriousness. Patients with chronic conditions should steer clear of this practice, as it could potentially harm their well-being. I would characterize their approach as nothing short of pure negligence. Despite having an excellent location, the facility is ultimately a complete letdown. The situation remains unchanged even after two years. The practice seems to play favorites, typically catering to older patients. Anyone with a discerning eye can easily recognize their true priorities and preferential treatment.

Terrible doctor fails to provide basic patient care

Completely ineffective medical practice wasting public resources. The physician demonstrates a complete disregard for patient care, offering only remote consultations for a young child. This medical facility is fundamentally unfit for service. Their conduct is utterly disgraceful and demonstrates profound professional negligence.

Terrible service leaves sick child waiting helplessly

I'm incredibly frustrated because the commitment to contact me regarding my toddler was completely ignored. Rather than providing assistance, they're forcing me to wait until 2pm for a callback! If my child's condition deteriorates, I'll hold them directly responsible. Their customer service is abysmal and demonstrates a total absence of genuine concern.

Worst healthcare experience ever terrible communication systems

As part of the PREDOMINANT group of dissatisfied patients, I would absolutely assign zero stars if possible. The communication and administrative processes are abysmal, with no centralized system allowing staff to effectively track or even care about the status of any matter. There's an overwhelming amount of communication breakdown and mismanagement across the various digital platforms and online interfaces used for patient information. Telephone messages consistently fail to be relayed or are ignored by different staff members. I remain completely baffled why their physicians continue to avoid in-person work when other healthcare providers in the region have been serving patients face-to-face for months. Utterly deplorable

Worst medical practice ever nightmare registration hell

If I could give zero stars I would. Absolute disaster. I've never encountered such difficulties with a medical practice, and I've been struggling to register here for nearly half a year just to get my medication. Registration seems impossible! We've completed online forms and submitted documentation three times, receiving contradictory responses from different receptionists each visit. One claimed we'd done everything correctly and just needed to wait, while another insisted we'd done everything wrong and must start over. They couldn't locate our records and demanded our daughter's red book, which we haven't possessed for years. Upon checking, the NHS confirmed they don't issue red books for children over 5, yet they're refusing registration without one. What solution exists?! Our previous surgery offered to email all my daughter's vaccination information, but this receptionist rejected our application without the red book we cannot obtain. During our last visit, we were told to wait two weeks for registration confirmation. Two weeks later, we discovered the receptionist was 'off sick' and hadn't processed our request. I suffer from severe PTSD following childhood trauma and depend on daily medication to function. Working full-time prevents me from continuously trying to resolve this, and the stress is exacerbating my PTSD. I've been instructed to call 111 to order medication, as our previous GP has closed my account. Absolute nightmare - avoid this surgery at all costs. Deeply upsetting and distressing experience. EDIT: Contrary to previous claims, the receptionist explicitly stated registration could not proceed without the red book. Despite our explanation that our previous surgery would forward our daughter's complete medical records via email, they remained inflexible. Based on numerous other reviews, this response seems unsurprising. The practice might benefit from internal review, providing comprehensive training to reception staff regarding GP registration policies. Clearly, not all staff understand the proper registration process. Additionally, basic customer service training would significantly improve patient interactions.

Terrible service and rude receptionist at doctors surgery

I genuinely would award this medical practice zero stars if possible, solely due to their reception staff's complete lack of customer service abilities. Attempting to contact them by phone involves endless waiting (even outside standard hours), and the receptionists display total indifference and extreme rudeness. Email communication is equally frustrating, with responses often lacking a sender's name. Basic customer service should involve simple courtesies like introducing oneself and signing correspondence. When I urgently needed my repeat prescription medication, I called to seek guidance. The receptionist was shockingly unprofessional, criticizing me for supposedly not submitting the request in advance, despite my having done so. When I highlighted my consistent medication procurement challenges, she dismissively told me to "stop being pessimistic" and that she wanted to end the conversation quickly. Her approach was utterly unacceptable. Particularly disturbing was her treatment of someone with anxiety, shouting and offering no constructive advice. She could have suggested obtaining an emergency pharmacy supply or shown basic empathy, but chose confrontation instead. Their subsequent email response was passive-aggressive, claiming they'd delivered "customer service" in a manner that was completely inappropriate for a healthcare setting. Predictably, my medication wasn't processed correctly. The prescription was sent to the wrong pharmacy late in the day, forcing the pharmacy to provide an emergency week-long supply. I've never experienced anything remotely resembling helpful service from this practice. My only reason for remaining is geographical limitation. The surgery's consistently low ratings on NHS and CQC websites further validate my experience. Their review responses demonstrate a complete lack of compassion. As a healthcare professional, I'm committed to addressing these systemic failures. Good customer service costs nothing but can significantly impact patient wellbeing. While I couldn't obtain the specific staff member's name, I was later informed the individual was a receptionist supervisor.

Terrible service and unhelpful medical center nightmare

Awarded a single star, wishing a zero-star rating was possible The medical professionals are competent, but assistance is completely absent when you're most vulnerable. The front desk staff display a shocking lack of empathy, with several demonstrating outright discourteous behavior. The previous reception team was notably superior. Fundamentally, this is an exceptionally mismanaged and disorganized healthcare facility. Thoroughly dissatisfied

Frustrating healthcare with occasional bright spots

I've been a patient at this medical centre for an extended period. Communication is challenging, and scheduling an appointment can be a lengthy process. While I understand the complexities of working in primary care, the staff occasionally seem to create unnecessary obstacles. That said, some of the physicians are quite competent, provided you manage to secure a consultation!

Frustrating health centre with terrible patient care

This GP surgery is an absolute disaster. I could elaborate extensively, but "incompetent" would sum it up perfectly. Steer clear of registering here. While a few doctors are genuinely attentive and will listen to your concerns, others are shockingly unfit for medical practice. The reception staff are equally problematic, displaying a complete lack of empathy and professionalism. They seem indifferent to patients' genuine health worries. The queuing experience is nightmarish - you'll waste hours waiting to be dismissed in mere moments by disinterested staff. In summary, this is a medical centre characterized by terrible management and complete disorganization.

Terrible service from lazy and unhelpful gp practice

The medical professionals at Heathfield Medical Centre continue to operate remotely, seemingly believing their personal safety trumps the needs of the taxpaying public who fund their wages and expect actual healthcare services. This practice is undoubtedly the most ineffective in the entire London area! The appointment system is absurdly restrictive - you must telephone precisely at 8am or 2pm, otherwise you're condemned to waiting an entire day. And even if you miraculously secure an appointment, it's exclusively a telephone consultation. At this point, consulting an internet search engine would likely prove equally, if not more, helpful!