Okehampton Medical Centre

Wow, I wasn't expecting that.

I was extremely disappointed to see my original comments rewritten so significantly, as I feel the changes removed much of the substance and seriousness of what I had written. My original review contained serious concerns about the quality of local GP care, including experiences that I believe amounted to negligence. I have raised these same concerns directly with the practice and with the CQC, who have acknowledged them and, as I understand it, are addressing the issues raised. I believe that if mistakes and shortcomings are hidden rather than acknowledged, nothing improves and patients continue to suffer the consequences. I am genuinely grateful to those healthcare professionals who do their jobs with care and compassion, but I have also had experiences that have left me reluctant to seek help when I need it. The impact that some of my experiences with healthcare have had on my life and health has been profound and difficult to understand. I firmly believe that patients deserve professionals who listen, follow procedures, and uphold the principle of doing no harm. Over the years, I have also known many others who have had serious conditions dismissed or misdiagnosed. Friends and family members have experienced delayed diagnoses of cancer, serious infections, brain haemorrhages and other significant illnesses, sometimes with tragic consequences. These experiences have understandably damaged my confidence in the healthcare system. No profession is perfect, and mistakes can happen, but what matters is that concerns are listened to, lessons are learned, and patients are treated with respect and honesty. I appreciate that this review has been published, even in an amended form, and I thank those involved for allowing at least some of these concerns to be aired publicly. However, I do hope that the issues being raised are taken seriously, because they are not a joke, and they affect real people and real lives. I have now decided to make a formal complaint, as I want to ensure that these concerns are properly considered and not simply edited away. Not anonymous – David Cole.

Some final remarks.

I would like to leave some final comments regarding my experience with Okehampton Health Centre. Overall, my experience has been mixed. Some clinicians have provided excellent care, listened carefully to my concerns, arranged appropriate tests, and helped identify the causes of my symptoms. For this, I am very grateful. However, there have also been occasions where I felt my concerns were not taken seriously or where communication could have been handled more professionally. On one occasion, I felt I was spoken to in an abrupt manner when seeking further advice following a pharmacy recommendation. On another occasion, I felt my symptoms were not fully considered when I sought help for what was later diagnosed as pneumonia. I appreciate that healthcare professionals work under significant pressure, and I understand that clinical decisions can vary depending on the circumstances. Nevertheless, clear communication and patient reassurance are extremely important, particularly when someone is feeling unwell and concerned about their symptoms. I would also like to acknowledge the reception team, who I have generally found to be helpful, polite, and supportive. One area that I believe could be improved is communication with elderly patients and those who may struggle with digital services or telephone consultations. Some patients may benefit from receiving important information, test results, or updates in writing where possible, as this can help them better understand and remember information about their care. Despite my concerns, I would like to thank the members of staff who have provided excellent care and support over the years. Their professionalism, kindness, and commitment are greatly appreciated. I hope the practice will continue to review patient feedback and use it as an opportunity to improve services where necessary. Constructive feedback is intended to support positive change and help ensure that all patients receive the best possible care. Thank you to those staff members who have made a positive difference to my healthcare experience.

"Envy of the world."

I forgot to mention the four bouts of pneumonia - two caused by aspiration of vomit whilst sleeping(quite frightening when you wake because you cannot breath) - I did tell my Okehampton GP at the time, he wasn't concerned - and two that I guess was caught from the community - my mum and others around her had pneumonia also around the same time, though she had recently been in hospital for an operation requiring a stay. I was still working - in engineering - when I mentioned to a colleague that I was feeling breathless, after treatment, and returning to work a week later, the pneumonia moved to my other lung, and I needed further treatment, still working, and again commenting on my breathlessness to a colleague, whilst at Exeter airport, at the Devon and Somerset fire training centre. This time, walking down hill, and on the level was just fine, but climbing back up the hill to go home was an extraordinary struggle - fifteen paces and I would have to stop, with my muscles screaming in pain, and fighting for breath. I had coughed up a blood clot, which I told Okehampton, and later coughed up black phlegm, which I also informed them of. My sats as taken at home, are normally around 96, but a few months ago they fell to 93 periodically, and I was bringing up pink phlegm, and coughing persistently - I told Okehampton. I had been feeling awful a few weeks ago, months perhaps, and vomited as I got ready for work (still went to work) - as I washed away the vomit, it became very easy to see, against the background of the stainless steel, strands of what I assume to have been Candida - in the same way that you can do the spit in a glass check for Candida, but on a much larger scale, strands almost covering the whole of the sink, 300mm long strands, and strands branching off of it, like a mycelium. I had stopped the fluconazole, the rash was returning/worsening, so I started the fluconazole again - 450mg daily (now on 150mg, but I think it may not be enough). After time on the fluconazole again, at 450mg daily, I felt so much better, almost no cough at all but that which is normal to clear the throat, sats 98, which is so unusual for me, and no rash/skin pain - scalp still a problem though (bio-film), but a little better. I reduced the dose to 150mg again recently, and a little skin pain has returned over the weeks, and sats have dropped a little, so 450mg is it seems the necessary dose - for how long, who knows? Urine better on the 450mg, at least I can pee properly again now. But the cough, the cough everyone who knows me, mentions, has all but gone. Observing these things has helped me to be able to help myself - and I have certainly had to do that!

How has treatment at Okehampton shaped my opinion.

I do not like falling out with people, I hate it actually, I was going to send some flowers to the health centre recently, just to say thank you for your efforts, regardless of my challenge towards them concerning my own poor care and rude and belittling treatment (not just from Okehampton) which I will continue to challenge, as it is wrong for anybody to be treated in that way. How has the NHS via GPs, mainly, made me feel about/perceive myself? I read about a pathetically titled book, recently, written by a science writer (whatever that means) - "I made my husband ill with a few words," about the nocebo effect, written by Helen Pilcher - she lied to and deceived and manipulated her husband, to believe her lie, knowing he would trust her, as a result of his loving trust of her, as his wife, his knowledge of her character, and expectation that she would be telling him the truth, and not lying to him - that is what actually happened - she twisted that as much as it is possible for anyone to twist a statement, and put the responsibility for his subsequent belief in and trust of her, and her statement, firmly on his shoulders - if she was honest, and wise, she would not have done that - of course she was able to mislead and manipulate him - he loved and trusted her - if this is science, it is b****y poor science, and a significant reason so many are losing their lives to NHS negligence. We are not all fools, not all hypochondriacs, not all looking for any and every excuse to claim to be ill, and yet, that is how so very many people, young and old, are treated by far far far far too many within the medical profession - and it simply isn't right, it is very very wrong, dangerous, and costing many many lives through an arrogance among GPs, a psychosis of elitism - do you have to be so grandiose, can you not just be, well, just another human. I understand very well the power of the mind, and the power of words, which can do both great good, or great harm - it is no secrete, if it is new to science, then they are lagging very much behind the rest of the world. Am I a hypochondriac, seeking to be ill, or seeking attention, I have certainly been treated as if I am, by some: I was involved in a car crash at the age of thirteen, and had a few broken bones, nothing serious, nose, ribs, foot - I was in Devonport Hospital - the nurses came over and asked me if I wanted to sit up, I said yes, put my arms down by my side, and lifted myself up, to exclamations from the nurses of "No, we will help you," too late, I had it done - did it hurt, too right it did, but it could have been worse. I sat through a root canal, at the dentist (private), the first I had ever had, it wasn't until at the end when I said to the dentist "Wow, it gets hot when the blue light is used to set the filling doesn't it?" when she said "You can't feel that!" that we realised I had sat through the treatment, without the anaesthetic taking - I felt everything, even the detail of the root being removed - did it hurt, too right it did, but I had nothing to compare it with, I thought that was as good as it got as far as pain relief was concerned for a root canal, so endured it. The couch was soaked in sweat. I had a twisted bowel, and the pain was incredible! I went to a Holsworthy doctor at that time, who diagnosed the twisted bowel, and he said he thought it would improve on it's own in a week or so - I continued working (dairy farming) in incredible pain, every step, every jolt was terrible - I cannot remember if I had any pain relief or not, I do remember thinking to myself - "I thought a twisted bowel was a serious thing" - nothing more was done, and eventually, around about the week, it got better. I developed an arrhythmia around 2006, which over the years, got worse and worse, until it got serious for me - 1400PVCs an hour, salvos of six, two/three salvos of six in a thirty second test, I had had a heart rate of 240bpm for a period of 3/4 hour, NHS 111 made nothing of it, so I just carried on as normal, aware that it was very fast. More and more unusual ECG traces as time went by, and I was feeling awful, and missing work. Derriford Hospital were using my own ECG traces to help me, saying "Something is clearly wrong, but we do not know what," Later, Exeter RDE were asking me for more of my own ECGs to work with - I had my own ECG because Black Torrington had messed up an ECG, and lost the information it had recorded, information that caused the nurse to say "Oh, there they are (the irregular traces), you must be feeling awful (yes), we will get you in for an emergency appointment." All the information was lost, and no action was taken, the ECG was not repeated. I got to the point of collapse, when I begged Okehampton for help - didn't get it, was told I was "Perfectly healthy," twice, until I refused to leave the room until Dr Hamilton treated me for the known low thyroid function that I have, discovered ten years earlier, but I couldn't get treatment because it would entitle me to free prescriptions, that is what I was told by the Black Torrington GP, and he laughed as he refused treatment - I said I would pay for the treatment (and I did when I eventually got it from Okehampton, until the pharmacy kept on complaining to me about doing so, telling me that I am entitled to it) and that I am not looking for free treatment, I just need to be well, to be able to do my work - he didn't care I am afraid, he refused to help. Three weeks after I received the treatment with Thyroxin, the arrhythmia had almost completely stopped. I had been on my knees crying out with chest pains - yet never called an ambulance for help, just chewed some aspirin and hoped for the best - how many times am I supposed to call for help whilst trying to get the appropriate help from the GPs? I have been told off by nurses and consultants for not calling for help - yet I never have, and yet I have been told off by GPs for collecting my own ECG traces, and told to stop it, even when the RDE were asking for more, and telling me to collect my own traces - when I told the nurse that I have been doing so for a few years, ever since a trace was messed up and lost, but have been told off for doing so, she said "You were ahead of the curve, and they probably didn't like it, we now tell people to collect their own ECGs, to help monitor their own health, there are some very good machines available." I was advised that I may need a pacemaker - I refused. I was prescribed betablockers - I refused to use them, as not enough information had been collected by NHS equipment, and my pulse would drop to 47bpm at times - I worked at height, and drove machinery, drove a car - I couldn't afford to become at risk of fainting. I just needed the thyroxin - and that had been known for ten years, but had been refused. As well as a misdiagnosis of a rash, indicating the very nature of the infection it seems I am now fighting, a GP misdiagnosed a mole on my back - raised, black, glassy with a flaking top, a red circle around it, bleeding at times, and so very very very very very very itchy, I thought I should have it checked, which I did - the GP had a quick look with his naked eyes, and said he thought it was okay - five years later, never happy that it was actually of no concern, I had a different doctor have a look at it - he used a lens to look at it in detail, said "I do not like the look of that, I will get you in for an emergency appointment to have it removed," which he did. I had it removed and biopsied - thankfully it was not cancerous, but could have become so I was told. The consultant spoke to me about the GP that said he thought it was okay (no, it had not changed in those five years), he was very angry that the GP had said that, saying that the only way to know that such a mole was not cancerous, was to remove it and biopsy it, as it looked like a melanoma, and biopsy was the way to confirm or exclude cancer. At Okehampton, I sought Devon Doctors for help one weekend, feeling ill, and having been vomiting in my sleep a few weeks before, and breathing the vomit in as I slept - they referred me for an endoscopy, and were surprised that I hadn't already had one, as I have suffered (and it really is suffering at times) from GIRD for many years. An Okehampton GP told me that he had cancelled the referral, as he didn't think an endoscopy was necessary, and told me that he wouldn't be sending me, but asked me what I wanted to do - as I had been told by a very good young GP at Holsworthy, nearly forty years earlier, that diagnosed the GIRD, that I might get cancer of the oesophagus as a result, and that I must remember that as I get older, I said the the GP "Let's get it done, do the endoscopy, and at least we can then rule it out." So that is what was done. When I had the endoscopy, the doctor performing the procedure, took a long breath in and said, "You have had this condition for many years," and she then took I think fifteen biopsies, and I am now down to be checked every two years for the progression of the condition - a pre-cancerous condition that I would never have known about if I had listened to the GP - interestingly, the pain I am in now that I have had the condition for so many years, is nothing compared to the extreme pain I used to be in many years previously - therefore, it is very unlikely that I would have sought help now, for the same condition, as I am not in such pain, and can control it - so it would most likely have gone missed! I was badly crushed between two cows, that I feel caused the aggravation of stones in my gall bladder - I was in terrible pain when again I sought help from Devon Doctors one weekend, who told me off for being too stoical, reminding me that they have pain relief to help with such pain - they had seen me walking in from the car park - they told me that it is considered to be more painful than childbirth - I wouldn't know. I refused to have my gall bladder removed, as I was sure it was my being crushed that had led to it, and I have to date, some six/seven years on, never had any problems - the gall bladder must be there for a reason, so let's leave it there. I had a week off work. A cow slipped in the cubicles and her hoof caught my heel, striking it very hard, doing a lot of damage of some kind to my ankle/heel; I was struggling to walk for a very long time, around five years or more now, and I cannot run anymore, I sought help from Okehampton, only to be asked "Why now," and to be given some exercises to do - I had asked for an x-ray (I shall seek help from Julia Young, osteopath). Five years of walking on a damaged foot is surely exercise enough. The lump on my heel was so large that it rubbed on my work boots, some much so, that it rubbed the skin/flesh away, until I could see the tendon beneath - so painful - I used gel plasters to help it heal, kept working though, up to 19,500 steps a day - torture! I have no disc between L3 L4 - BUPA CT scan at Tiverton - after I lifted my niece without bending my knees, after changing her nappy - the vertebrae should be fused together by now I was told - twenty six years since I caused the damage. The GP (Black Torrington) laughed when I gave him the BUPA report, threw it down, and said "That is nothing" - fool! It took two people to help me stand and walk when I did it, and it causes me constant pain. "We need to help make sure you are not crippled when you are older," the male physio at Holsworthy said, Jane said they may have been able to help me if only I had sought help sooner - I let it heal on it's own for six years was it. And now I am struggling and fighting to find help with an infection that started some 14 years ago, that I am now having to treat myself. Exactly how do you expect me to feel? You have worn me down, and worn me out! I know you are trying to contact me, but I want nothing more than a referral, please - I hate confrontation. Till then, I will look after myself as best I can.

Jarisch-Herxheimer

Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction - the name is relatively new to me, but the condition has been plaguing me for years I now know - a reaction within your body to the toxins caused by the die-off, of, in my case, untreated (except for my own self-care with anti-fungal, still taking it) invasive Candida - oh I sought help, for years, just didn't get any. You would think all GPs would have a very curious nature, surely you have to have, delving into their science in search of answers, but it simply isn't like that is it, all the clues were there for anyone to see, even compiled for them, now along with a positive private antibody blood test. The most enthused GP I have ever met (with the exception of some very good young women at Okehampton), was almost falling over himself to help - to help himself that is - I had just paid him for a private HGV medical at the practice, and was about to leave, when he was almost falling over himself to get a sheet of paper on which he wrote his contact details, so that I could give them to any of my work colleagues that might want a private medical for a HGV - he said "If they cannot get to my home, I can come to them," at a cost of course - this is the same guy that told me in no uncertain terms, "I will not come out to you!" when I joined the practice, as I was outside 'his area,' indeed, did not attend a friend of ours who had sepsis, and she died - he may have been able to help her. Off work for the last few days (ill for 6 to date), feeling awful, as per-usual with this reaction, similar to having the flu - I now know the cause of these periodic bouts of illness that have cost me so much - work, reputation, financially. Still waiting for an NHS referral to happen - you really wouldn't think this condition requires urgent care - ho hum, I am still here, trying hard, working hard, caring, and trying to find some care. A little humility from some of the GPs at Okehampton (and elsewhere), some professionalism and respect for the patient, a bit of homework and study - even I do that, I need to be good at my job as well you know - and this whole sorry situation would never have developed as it has been allowed to. The improvement in my condition when I take fluconazole is clear, yet it seems unable as yet to clear the infection - just saying. My name is David C. I once reported someone for lying to the GP/DWP about their condition - they got away with it for thirty five years I think it was - DWP wrote and told them about my letter, I was confronted by a man that I thought was going to beat the **** out of me, son or not, and yet I am honest with the GPs, and struggle to find help - I am not alone, just listen to the news, but how very strange!

Just to clarify.

Just to clarify: private blood antibody test (the best I could afford to do at the time £200), not in and of itself conclusive of current infection, but coupled with the overwhelming clinical evidence of infection, a helpful and important confirmation of either past infection, or chronic ongoing infection, ongoing infection is 'painfully' - to me anyway - b****y obvious. 126u/ml is a positive test. Kidney pain for 4/5 months, difficulty urinating, stinking urine, worsening painful rash, headache back right lobe, earache, pink phlegm, endless wheeze, terrible dry cough, feeling ill and so exhausted - after taking my own blood sample for the private blood test, I went back onto Fluconazole anti fungal, sourced myself via eBay - thank goodness for them! Looked up the correct dose for help with my urine/bladder/kidneys taking 450mg daily for 21days, continued for longer, and will now be continued again for as long as necessary. Hyphae have been numerous in all sources, urine, saliva, phlegm, skin, hair, and still grows profusely on agar from all samples including blood - venipuncture - 30 colonies growing nicely. After 21 days of treatment, hyphae no-longer visible in a saliva sample, wheeze all but gone to date, cough almost gone, urinating normally, no foul smell, no kidney/flank pain, no pain in my skin followed by shedding, which can be so very painful and unsightly. These symptoms return when I stop the drugs, so I shall continue!

Update.

So, I have had back the results of a private blood test - antibody test for Candida Albicans. Make of it what you will GPs ( I know, "All normal") IgA - 13. IgM - 20 IgG - 126. This, alongside all the evidence you have been given of clinical symptoms, must surely mean something. Please use my full name. David Cole, I have nothing to hide.

Why did it all become such a struggle?!

For many years now, the pharmacy has been my first port of call, before taking up the time of the GPs, and the pharmacy I use have been extremely helpful, and knowledgeable - they really have shown that they know their stuff when it comes to the condition I am struggling with - their initial concern, when I showed them the samples I had cultured, was that the GPs were failing to understand and identify the condition, as it is considered rare in a person like myself - outwardly well to look at - indeed, they offered to treat me with the correct drugs, and monitor my health, but said they need the GPs to initiate the treatment - they recognized the condition, whilst the GPs were making wild guesses, and still refusing to test - NICE says they should have been testing - and they recognized the potential seriousness of the condition - the GPs I spoke to really didn't have the foggiest - hyphae were apparently hair, the eyes could apparently not be affected by invasive Candida - look it up, don't take my word for it! I mentioned to the GPs the help and advice that I had had from the pharmacy, including being sent to Exeter A & E to try and get help, as the potential seriousness of the condition really is, well, sever, and needs timely identification and treatment if I am to fare well - A & E just told me off for being there, and treated me with no better understanding of the infection than the GPs had - only the pharmacy knew and understood - wow, how can this be? Having said that, the pharmacy once contacted our family to say that "You cannot take those prescribed medicines together," when incompatible medication had been prescribed - so, thank-you for watching out for guys! Anyway, after a soul-destroying appointment with a GP - the curt and rude indifference was simply crushing - I sought the help of the pharmacy again, asking just what I could do to get past the obstacle that the GPs had clearly become, time is of the essence, it really is, and we have so clearly wasted so much time! But things had changed, the helpful, knowledgeable and concerned pharmacist, had suddenly become a GP clone - it was unreal, just as the GPs were saying, nothing to see here, all normal, all to be expected - my word, how can this happen? Had the GPs leant on the pharmacy, like a Mafia Capo might lean on a community - could this really be happening? I was stunned! Only suggestion the pharmacy had now was for me to pay £1,000 for a private blood test to test all aspects of my health. Anyway, I decided to write to Exeter University, and sent an SD card of photographs, as they work with the GPs to train new GPs, I also wrote to the R D & E, Dermatology, along with an SD card, who asked me to ask the GPs to refer me - that was promised, but has not yet happened, I have no idea if it will, as all that I have asked say they cannot see that a referral has been made. So, as things have got worse, I am now taking Fluconazole for the third time - thank goodness for ebay, hey, honestly, without being able to access these drugs, I would be in a much worse place - at a dose promoted for the treatment of invasive candidiasis of the kidneys, as I have had flank discomfort for a few months now, urine filled with candida bud, sudohyphae, ad septate hyphae for many months now - around two years now since I became aware of what appears to be taking place - possible fungus ball, and I am damned if I am going ruin my health waiting for the Okehampton GPs to get their act together, that may never happen, and I am sick of it! 450mg a day, for 14 days, I have completed that today, and will decide what route to follow next. Saliva once loaded with hyphae and bud, now almost clear of hyphae - yesterday 1am in the morning, I will keep testing and looking for improvement - all this is taking so much of my time, and I shouldn't even have to be doing it! I worked out roughly what the cost of this ridiculous battle with GPs has cost me over the years, and it is now around £16,000. Hyphae all over my skin/rash, still have a wheeze, a few weeks ago pink phlegm, sats 92 - 95, a little breathless, coughing on agar grows hyphae, indeed hyphae can seen immediately on the agar, so already formed. I used to vomit in my sleep, and breath it in, it caused aspiration pneumonia twice, and is known to introduce candida infection into the lungs - GPs have been told, but have never ever made anything of it - Devon Doctors did though! I feel invisible to the GPs, unwelcomed and unwanted, a b****y nuisance, when all I have done is to try and help them help me. Candida, I guess, growing nicely in the blood sample - serious stuff medical science says - I feel like a b****y experiment. Why can I not fight this infection off? who knows, but I have some interesting looking cells in my blood, what they are, I do not know. Ten or more years ago now, the FCN, and a loving family member saved my life I think it is fair to say, when others I sought for help, sat on their hands and did nothing, though lies and gossip have plagued my life ever since, and since that day when I, was attacked, I have never been able to get fair treatment from many GPs - suckers, don't believe everything you are told, you might just discover you are being played. Does it not say in the hippocratic oath that you will do no harm? Epic fail there then. They promised a referral, I hope their word counts for something.

Dangerous place.

Back on the Fluconazole again now, trying to help myself (save my kidneys) as no-one else seems to want to, things getting worse, still able to grow Candida I presume in blood samples - goes without saying everything else is growing just fine and dandy, but now skin samples showing hyphae just twenty four hours after collection on agar - that is new - rash spreading on face, as is bio-film. Organizing a private blood test for Candida now, as no-one from Okehampton ever offered one, a positive test and I will take legal action for medical negligence and harm. Another member of my family would perhaps - hopefully, but who knows - benefit from seeing the GPs, but she has been witness to how I have been treated, so although I offer to take her, she won't go - what a bl***y mess!

Online booking system works really well

The Okehampton Medical Centre's online services function effectively and the team members have been pleasant during my visits. I've consistently received responses to reported health concerns on the same day I've submitted them. When managing skin condition flare-ups, I've found the medical staff to be helpful, supportive and reassuring. Thank you all.

Helpful staff made the visit pleasant

Consistently demonstrated helpfulness and courtesy throughout my interactions.

A soul destroying struggle - now broken.

An alarming and dangerous struggle for good clinical care, for no other reason than their own shortcomings - they do not know enough, but are very quick to mock and belittle the patient.

Unwanted referrals made without my agreement

I am very dissatisfied with how my healthcare has been managed. Referrals have been arranged without my knowledge or consent, despite my clear objections. I am being asked to attend multiple appointments each week that appear unnecessary and unhelpful, even though I have explained that I cannot afford the frequent visits to the practice. The approach taken to my care is significantly impacting my wellbeing, and it feels as though the focus is on completing administrative procedures rather than considering my actual needs and circumstances.

Repeat prescriptions contain frequent unwanted medication errors

This practice seems to issue far more medication than necessary with no cost to patients. My repeat prescriptions arrive monthly with frequent discrepancies in what is supplied. It raises questions about NHS spending efficiency. I receive extra boxes of items I use alongside boxes of medications I haven't needed for years, and some I've never used at all. The surplus keeps accumulating at home to the point where I wonder about its monetary value. I do attempt to return unused items when collecting prescriptions, understanding they cannot be accepted later due to disposal requirements, but time constraints mean this doesn't always happen and my stockpile continues to grow. The stock management system appears to lack adequate oversight.

Family care with friendly receptionists and staff

Our family has consistently experienced excellent care at Okehampton Medical Centre. The clinical and administrative staff have been outstanding throughout our visits. We are very grateful for the service provided.

Phone callback took too long to arrange appointment

Contacted the surgery regarding concerns that a recently increased medication was causing significant adverse effects. A member of the clinical team advised discontinuing the medication and indicated an appointment would be arranged to review the prescription. Despite this assurance, no appointment materialised. Approximately a month later, received notification of removal from an appointment list, despite never having received a confirmed appointment in the first place. The practice appears to be experiencing ongoing difficulties with appointment availability, with wait times extending to several weeks or months. Continuity of care with a regular practitioner is not consistently available. Additionally, the current system for prescription renewals and appointment booking presents considerable challenges, particularly for older patients navigating these processes. The level of service falls short of expectations.

Helpful staff, though locum quality varies

The entire team has been pleasant and easy to work with. My experiences with the medical practitioners have been mixed, with a couple of temporary staff members being somewhat inconsistent, though I recently saw a younger male clinician who was outstanding. I hope he continues with the practice.

Reception staff were dismissive and unhelpful

The reception team displayed unhelpful attitudes and appeared to make judgements beyond their scope, which was disappointing. The initial assessment process also seemed to lack thoroughness in reviewing the information provided. This pattern of poor service at the front desk has been a recurring issue across multiple visits. Fortunately, some of the clinical team members have been more supportive and considerate, but the initial experience when arriving at the practice is generally unsatisfactory and needs improvement.

Waited long after being told a false story

I checked in on time using the automated system and waited approximately thirty minutes. When I inquired about the delay, I was told that the scheduled clinician was unavailable and that the practice had attempted to contact me earlier in the morning. I did not receive any such call or message notification. Upon checking my phone and voicemail, I found no record of any attempt to reach me. I was eventually offered an alternative appointment, though this required a further wait of around thirty minutes. I found it frustrating that the practice did not seem to account for the fact that patients have other commitments and time constraints. The situation was made more difficult by what appeared to be inaccurate information provided about the contact attempt, which made it challenging to remain composed given the overall experience of delays and miscommunication.

Friendly staff made us feel genuinely supported

We are very pleased with the team at this medical centre. Based on our extensive background and international exposure, we found the quality of all staff members, across both administrative and clinical roles, to be friendly, engaging, and genuinely proactive in addressing our healthcare needs.