Pelham Medical Group

Finally felt listened to at my appointment

I have just seen a clinician at this medical practice. What an absolute gentleman, he listens to you, he explained everything he was thinking about what you told him. Treats you with respect. I've avoided making appointments for years. I sincerely hope he's going to be staying.

Receptionist argues over appointment availability

They appear to prioritise delaying and rescheduling appointments rather than offering timely access to care. There seems to be limited communication about availability for consultations. I often find myself having to dispute matters with reception staff, or I receive calls instead of being offered face-to-face visits. I have concerns about whether serious health issues might be missed when assessments are conducted remotely rather than through in-person examination.

Doctors who actually listen and care

Excellent medical team. My circumstances changed dramatically following a serious health event years ago, which resulted in significant ongoing challenges. The healthcare professionals here are thorough and proactive in identifying and communicating any additional health concerns that arise.

Dismissive approach left me feeling unheard

I have ongoing issues with joint pain and mobility concerns, but the clinical team has been dismissive of my symptoms, suggesting my age means I shouldn't be experiencing these problems. They have also been unhelpful regarding my anxiety-related condition. I found the service unhelpful and would not recommend it.

Receptionists blocked access to the doctor

Felt that patient concerns were not prioritised. Submitting an online form requires navigating through multiple staff members before reaching a clinician, and access appears restricted unless the matter is urgent. Reception staff interactions felt dismissive, with responses that came across as unhelpful and condescending rather than supportive. There was a sense that reception staff were making clinical judgements beyond their role. Would recommend considering alternative healthcare providers.

Reception staff were consistently disrespectful and unhelpful

I have had a very poor experience with this practice. I am a carer for someone experiencing significant chronic pain. Over the past two years, I feel the practice has not adequately addressed her needs, instead focusing on prescribing medications that do not align with what we believe would be most helpful. Rather than exploring pain management options, the approach has consistently involved referrals to mental health services, which we do not feel is appropriate given her primary concern is physical pain rather than mental health difficulties. The reception staff interactions have often felt dismissive and unhelpful. Additionally, I have found the pharmacy staff to be unwelcoming and condescending in their manner. Overall, I believe there are significant issues with how patients are being treated and their concerns are being listened to at this practice.

Dismissive approach, always refers to hospital

I have had a very poor experience with this practice. The clinicians frequently refer me to hospital for issues that I feel could be managed in primary care. This approach has been frustrating, as it suggests a reluctance to engage with more complex cases. I am also disappointed by the recent industrial action, which I believe is unjustified given what I perceive as a lack of commitment to patient care.

Reception didn't apply proper wound protection after procedure

I had my contraceptive implant taken out approximately 2.5 to 3 months ago and a member of staff did not apply a protective strip to the wound. Since then, I have developed an infection at the removal site on my arm, which has become quite serious. Due to having a pre-existing skin condition, I am unable to use standard dressings as these trigger flare-ups of my rash. The discharge from the infected area has caused my skin condition to worsen significantly, and I now have two large infected areas on my arm as a result.

Reception staff didn't listen to my concerns

Uncaring approach, lacking in attentiveness.

Reception staff dismissive when booking appointments

I have been quite disappointed with my experience at this practice over the past couple of years. The reception staff have come across as unwelcoming, and I have found it very difficult to secure appointments with the clinicians. Whenever I call, the receptionists do not ask what my concern is, and if I choose not to disclose details, they seem unwilling to assist. Conversely, when I do share information about my issue, they appear to make assumptions and suggest that medical attention may not be necessary.

Phone team always helpful despite wait times

Yes, it does take a little while to get through sometimes, but when I do speak to the reception staff, they are always very helpful and make sure that I am satisfied with my enquiry every time. Just because there isn't someone sat constantly at the desk, some people think that they are just hiding in the back, but we actually have no idea what they are doing and for whom they are doing it for. People just assume that they are doing nothing. I think people should give the reception team a break as they have always been very professional with me, always help me with my problem, and always remain courteous even after a day of people speaking to them disrespectfully and complaining about things that we know nothing about. A lot of people act like they are the most important person on the planet and the staff should just drop whatever they are in the middle of doing and look after them and their problems only, which is very inconsiderate to others who are probably more unwell than themselves. I for one am very grateful for the amazing work that these staff members carry out on our behalf with little or no thanks at all most of the time. They do an amazing job and I am grateful for their hard work. If they are in the back and not sat at the desk, then I am very sure there is a good reason for that and they are helping a different patient with their medical needs. Well done to the team and keep up the good work. From myself and my family, I want to say a big thank you and keep up the good work.

Phone lines impossible to get through on

I would rate this experience extremely poorly if possible. I have been a patient at this practice for five years. I have consistently experienced difficulties reaching the surgery by telephone. After attempting to contact them repeatedly over an extended period, I was unable to get through, which resulted in significant inconvenience. When I tried to communicate via email, I was directed to either call the office or use their online system. Upon using the online portal, responses took approximately two days to arrive. This process felt frustratingly inefficient. When contact is eventually made by phone, conversations with reception staff often result in being redirected to the pharmacy, only to then be sent back to the GP. This circular pattern of referrals between different parts of the healthcare system is deeply unsatisfactory and wastes considerable time.

Couldn't get through on the phone

This medical centre fell far short of expectations and I would not recommend it to others. I would choose a different practice if given the option.

Long waits and hard to reach by phone

The practice takes a considerable amount of time to respond to phone calls, and appointments can be difficult to obtain unless the situation is quite urgent.

Reception turned away returning patient without flexibility

I registered my family at this practice, but was unable to attend the initial appointment due to a planned trip abroad, which I had communicated at the time of registration. I was advised to re-register upon my return. When I came back and attempted to register again, the receptionist indicated that registration was not possible and suggested I seek care elsewhere, stating that I would be unable to register at this practice in the future due to missing the first appointment.

Reception barriers made appointments difficult to access

I would rate this experience far lower if possible, consistent with other feedback I have seen. I have serious concerns about the care provided at this practice. The reception staff appeared to create significant barriers to accessing clinical appointments, and it took considerable persistence over an extended period before my relative was offered any form of assessment. All contact was conducted remotely, and face-to-face evaluation was not made available. Had an in-person consultation occurred, the clinical presentation would have been more apparent to a healthcare professional. Following a blood test, my relative's condition deteriorated significantly. She subsequently developed a serious infection and passed away. When presented with clinical evidence of a skin condition, the suggested treatment approach did not appear to take into account the broader clinical picture, particularly the concerning laboratory findings. The response felt fragmented and failed to consider the full context of her health status. I am deeply disappointed with the standard of care experienced and would strongly prefer to access healthcare through alternative providers if feasible. The overall experience fell significantly short of what I would expect from NHS provision.

Phone queues drop calls after long waits

Since the pandemic, contacting the practice has become increasingly time-consuming. This morning, my mum attempted to reach them and was initially informed she was 21st in the queue. After 18 minutes, her position had improved to 8th, but the call then disconnected without any action on her part. Unfortunately, this type of situation has occurred previously. When she called back, she discovered she was now 23rd in the queue. After waiting for 59 minutes, my mum decided to visit in person to demonstrate that she had been holding on the line for that entire duration. Only then did someone answer, though the conversation lasted merely around 1 minute and 30 seconds. This experience was extremely frustrating.

Phone queue finally answered but prescription handling slow

Wow. After spending close to an hour on the phone, I finally got through. I was requesting information about a referral and was transferred straight to the administrative team. They handled it swiftly. However, when I then asked about my nicotine replacement products, I was told they couldn't transfer me back to the relevant department. That seemed odd. I was informed I'd have to go back through the call waiting system again. But after I explained how long I'd already waited, the administrative team sent a message to the appropriate department and I received a response within minutes confirming my prescription had been sent to my pharmacy. This was 4 days after it had arrived at the practice. Given that I'm without my nicotine replacement products and actively trying to quit, I would have expected this to be handled more promptly. It's not as though the prescription is difficult to process and send. It seems inconsistent that patients can be removed from lists for missing appointments, yet the practice takes 4 days to process a straightforward prescription. Additionally, I haven't received any appointment notifications regarding my referral. I found this experience disappointing.

Phone-only appointments make booking unnecessarily difficult

Unable to book appointments through the usual methods and must telephone instead. When calling, there is a significant wait before anyone picks up. After waiting several weeks for test results, discovered they had not been reviewed. Requesting an in-person consultation was declined unless a phone consultation occurred first. Explained that being available for calls throughout the working day was not feasible. Eventually arranged for a callback after 5:30pm following discussion about appointment accessibility, but the call did not materialise as planned. Overall experience felt frustrating and unhelpful.

Appointment time changed without any notification

I would rate this experience much lower if possible. I was extremely disappointed with my visit. My children had appointments scheduled for a specific time in the morning for their vaccinations, but the clinic changed the appointment time to later without notifying us beforehand. My partner had to wait with both children, who were upset, and felt that the staff were indifferent to the situation. I felt the service has declined significantly compared to how it used to be.