Royton Health & Wellbeing Centre

Waited Days, Ended Up in A&E

The current appointment booking process is utterly frustrating. The inability to schedule a consultation through any conventional method is unacceptable. After submitting an online application, you're left waiting for someone to review it, with no guarantee of a response within a reasonable timeframe. Despite experiencing significant breathing issues and receiving guidance from a 111 consultation recommending an in-person medical assessment, the practice failed to provide timely support. Medical professionals were uncertain about the appropriate treatment - whether antibiotics, steroids, or a combination were needed. Ultimately, I was compelled to seek emergency care at Oldham A & E, where they were exceptional and immediately admitted me to the respiratory ward for urgent treatment. Royton family practice's new booking system demonstrates a complete lack of patient care and compassion. This approach needs to be eliminated immediately. Immense gratitude to Royal Oldham Hospital for their prompt and professional medical intervention.

Exceptionally hard to make any appointment and to even make contact

Having 7 doctors in my family I accepted their urging me to try to contact my GP for an urgent health need (not A&E level). You cannot get any appointment now other than via an online triage form that can take 48 hours to respond. Having done that - I also phoned - took well over an hour for a response. I was told that - even though I had done the online form and it stated "successful submission" - I was told they did not have it and to start all over again. The admin of this practice is, frankly, terrible. I really need a doctor but cannot get one! If this was a one off I would not write this. However, this is the norm for this practice which I now intend to leave after 35 years.

Quick and Caring Checkup with Dr. Vance

Quick and accommodating consultation with Dr. Vance earlier today

Friendly Staff and Quick Referrals After 4 Years

I truly want to express my heartfelt gratitude 🙏❤️ to every single staff member, who consistently demonstrate friendliness, helpfulness, and professionalism. While scheduling an in-person consultation might be challenging, their online booking system is absolutely ingenious. Having been a patient at this practice for nearly half a decade, I can confidently say my experience has been excellent - with rapid responses, skilled physicians, and efficient referral processes when necessary.

Helpful Staff Made My Day

The staff here are absolutely wonderful - courteous, welcoming, and highly competent in their work.

Frustrating Wait for GP Appointment in Royton

Hi today I attempted to book an appointment at your GP/Royton and found the process extremely frustrating. The limited options are inadequate. There's a clear lack of development in UK healthcare services. We desperately need better access to doctors and require your immediate support. Waiting a full week just to get a phone consultation is completely unacceptable. This practice clearly needs to increase its number of doctors and provide more in-person appointments. With hundreds, potentially thousands of patients on their roster and receiving funding for each patient, they are essentially risking people's long-term health by preventing early detection and timely treatment of potentially serious conditions. Why aren't they making meaningful improvements to their service?

No Appointments, Just Frustration

I've encountered the most abysmal customer service imaginable, consistently made to feel like an unwelcome burden. The reception staff are incredibly discourteous every single time I attempt to contact them. Their phone lines are perpetually unresponsive, and precisely at 8 am, I find myself 20th in line. After navigating their absurd phone system, I'm invariably informed that no appointments are accessible. I've even personally visited the surgery multiple times, which is especially challenging given my ongoing chronic pain. Each visit results in nothing more than a dismissive and hostile interaction with staff, who again flatly state no appointments are available. It's an absolute mockery of what should be professional healthcare service.

Terrible Phone Service Cuts Off at 8am

Constant phone line congestion precisely at 8:00am, followed by an abrupt disconnection. Completely unacceptable. This is the subpar quality of service we fund through our taxes. Utterly ridiculous.

Booking Nightmare at the Doctor's Office

What's the purpose of this system??? Impossible to book online, impossible to reach anyone by phone to schedule an appointment, and when you arrive in person, they just redirect you to book online. If you struggle with the online booking, they claim they can help you - but surprise, the booking system is down. The only remaining choice is to contact the out-of-hours medical service - which seems to be the standard procedure nowadays!! These complications were never an issue back when Dr. Pals was running things!

Long Wait, Unhelpful Nurse Appointment

Getting in touch with reception is a nightmare, consuming nearly an hour of your time, and if you actually manage to connect, they'll schedule a phone consultation. You'll likely end up speaking with a trainee nurse who lacks the authorization to provide any meaningful medical prescription. What a fantastic healthcare experience.

Frustrating evening appointment with unhelpful doctor

Impossible to connect, and if you miraculously do, the call drops 😭 No available slots! Booking an appointment feels like a futile mission, when will in-person consultations return??!!! Update: Managed an after-hours evening slot, but the physician was completely unfamiliar with my medical situation, and realizing I knew more than them absolutely destroyed any trust I had 😳

Linda saved me at the pharmacy today

A huge shout-out to Linda from the pharmacy who was incredibly supportive, courteous, and instrumental in resolving a significant issue that had been causing me considerable difficulty. Her assistance is truly valued.

Long Wait Times Are Hurting Patient Care

Waiting three weeks just to have a phone consultation is absurd. This medical practice clearly lacks sufficient physicians to provide in-person consultations. With hundreds, potentially thousands of patients on their roster, and receiving compensation for each patient, they are effectively compromising patient health by delaying critical early diagnosis and treatment of potentially serious, long-term medical conditions.

Rude Reception and Terrible Phone Manners

Originally posted years back, but just noticed a spelling error. Contacting this medical practice by phone remains an absolute nightmare. While I acknowledge the NHS isn't entirely to blame, those responsible for these devastating political cuts deserve serious consequences. The budget reductions are so severe they should be criminal. Basic telephone courtesy costs nothing. I understand staff are stressed and underpaid, but so is everyone else. No one wants to deal with an aggressive caller when they're already feeling unwell. Simply do your job professionally, be kind, or find alternative employment. The physical facility itself is clean and well-maintained, but with one exception, the reception staff are completely ineffective and discourteous. The attached pharmacy is equally useless. Obtaining letters or prescriptions through reception is an incredibly frustrating experience. I recognize funding challenges, but politeness remains free. Only one receptionist demonstrates competence, and I've been unable to see my personal physician for two years due to constant scheduling conflicts. Increased investment is desperately needed to realize this facility's potential. Attempting to register my daughter for online repeat prescriptions has been a total disaster. The reception staff are hostile, and the prescription team lack basic communication skills. Instead of a professional greeting, they aggressively shout "PRESCRIPTIONS!" repeatedly in an incomprehensible accent. The website is appallingly designed. Despite online ordering being recommended, I cannot create an account for my under-16 daughter. Their guidance is non-existent - tiny, unreadable fonts and zero clear instructions. The service is abysmal. Everyone agrees this medical practice is completely ineffective and wastes patients' time.

Quick and Friendly Phone Help

Appreciated the receptionist's supportive and informative phone conversation - great assistance provided

Early Morning Nightmare at the Clinic

Completely awful. Attempting to call is futile - they never answer. If you're unwell, you'll have to physically come in by 8am or give up entirely. Once you arrive, you'll discover a fully staffed facility where nobody bothers to pick up the telephone. Utterly useless, I'd rate this zero stars if possible.

Friendly Staff Made My First Visit Easy

Couldn't be more satisfied with my experience at this medical facility since becoming a patient here. Every interaction has been exceptional, and I have nothing but positive things to say about the care I've received.

Quick and Friendly Check-In Every Time

The front desk team is fantastic and consistently helps me secure a booking!

Nightmare Booking Experience at This Clinic

I've consistently been disappointed with this establishment. Scheduling an appointment seems like an insurmountable challenge, regardless of when I attempt to contact them. Getting in touch with their evening staff is equally frustrating. On the rare occasion I do manage to secure an appointment, the interaction is disappointingly brief, lasting barely five minutes.

Smooth morning checkup at friendly clinic

Very satisfactory visit with attentive treatment. Welcoming facility and friendly personnel.