Seaton Park Medical Group

Long-term patient suddenly unregistered without notice

I have been attending this GP practice for many years. After attempting to secure an appointment over a two-week period, I was eventually informed that my registration status had been removed from their system.

Staff helpful despite confusing appointment timing rules

I had a telephone appointment scheduled for the morning. I did not receive contact by the expected time and when I called the surgery to follow up, I was informed of specific time windows for when I could be reached. This information had not been communicated to me during the booking process. I would suggest making patients aware of these contact protocols at the time of scheduling. That said, both the administrative and clinical staff were helpful and made genuine efforts to assist me.

Friendly and thorough appointment experience

Had an appointment this morning for back-related concerns. The clinician I saw was exceptionally pleasant and conducted a thorough consultation. I found the service to be of excellent quality and would commend the professional approach demonstrated during my visit.

Impossible to reach and constantly kept waiting

I would rate this practice much lower if possible. The service has been deeply disappointing. Getting through to book an appointment proved extremely difficult, requiring numerous attempts before successfully connecting. When I finally reached the appointment booking stage, the call was disconnected, which added to my frustration. I was understandably upset about the difficulty in accessing this service. Although I expressed my dissatisfaction to the receptionist, I remained professional throughout. I was subsequently contacted by a member of the management team who expressed disapproval of my tone during that interaction. The appointment process itself is inconvenient, requiring patients to self-register despite staff being present at the desk. Additionally, appointments have consistently run behind schedule, with no consultations starting at their allocated time. The experience has been sufficiently negative that I could elaborate further, though I will spare the details. My partner has similarly experienced significant delays when attending, with waits regularly exceeding an hour, which has led him to avoid seeking care when needed.

Appointments hard to get, care found elsewhere

I have to concur with many of the negative reviews posted here regarding appointment availability, medication management, and concerning clinical comments. I was particularly troubled by a remark suggesting I should return only if a serious condition developed, which felt inappropriate. I experienced a significant health issue requiring multiple hospital admissions and extended inpatient care. Resolution only came through seeking treatment elsewhere. The current system requires substantial reform, as patient safety appears to be at risk without meaningful changes.

Staff listened and made me feel supported

I have consistently had positive experiences at this medical practice. While I am aware of some critical feedback from other patients, I believe the service has undergone significant improvement. The team across all roles, from front desk to clinical staff, have consistently demonstrated helpfulness and support when addressing my health concerns, including those of a sensitive nature. Their conduct has been thoroughly professional throughout. The one area I would suggest enhancing would be the privacy arrangements for sample collection or updating the overall appearance of the facilities.

Phone lines never answered when you need help

I have been extremely frustrated with my experiences at this practice over an extended period. As someone who requires essential medication to manage my health condition, I found it concerning when the practice restricted the quantity I could order and made changes to my repeat prescription arrangements. This left me unwell and forced me to use my medication sparingly. Additionally, attempting to contact the practice by telephone has been a consistent challenge, as calls often go unanswered despite staff being available. Both the clinical and administrative departments have felt disorganised and poorly coordinated. I believe the level of service falls significantly short of what should be expected.

Early morning appointment system worked smoothly

I accessed the new system earlier today. It was quite early in the morning. I received an email confirming that my request had been received, followed by a phone call shortly afterwards offering me an appointment the same day. So far, the experience has been positive.

Impossible to reach surgery by phone for appointments

I began attempting to contact the surgery at 8:30am today and after numerous calls eventually reached someone at 8:53, only to learn that all available appointments had been allocated. I am quite disappointed with how the appointment booking system operates. There appears to be a significant issue with the system if it requires so many attempts to connect. Overall, I am not satisfied with the standard of service provided to patients. I am frustrated that this ongoing issue has not been resolved over the past year. I have spent a considerable amount of time this morning trying to reach the surgery to book an appointment, making many unsuccessful attempts before finally getting through. The situation is causing me serious concern about continuing with this practice, as the current system is not meeting my expectations.

Struggled to reach the practice by phone

It took my partner numerous attempts to get through.

Callback system blocks face-to-face appointments

I would not recommend joining this practice if you are seeking face-to-face appointments. I have been a patient for over a year and have not had an in-person consultation. When requesting an appointment by phone, I am informed that someone will call me back, but during that callback I am not offered an appointment. This has been my worst experience with a medical practice.

Impossible to get an appointment when needed

The service has been disappointing. I have been attempting to secure an appointment for several weeks, but the practice consistently appears to have no availability. As a result of this difficulty, I have needed to seek care elsewhere as the situation has become more urgent. Very frustrating experience.

Impossible phone lines make booking appointments frustrating

I genuinely struggle to understand how one obtains an appointment at this practice. Nearly a hundred attempts at calling with continuous redialling from early morning resulted in reaching an automated message regarding a health matter that must be listened to before even entering the queue. At that stage, I was ninth in line. When I finally reached the reception team, I was informed that all available slots had been allocated for that day. There appears to be a significant issue with this system. This situation seems to be routine here, with patients typically being advised to contact the practice again the following day. On this occasion, fortunately, the practice had introduced some routine booking options for the next couple of days, allowing me to secure an appointment for the day after. However, upon confirmation, I discovered it would be a telephone consultation with a clinical professional rather than an in-person visit. This raises questions about the availability of doctors at the surgery. I now face waiting a day for a call at a specific evening time, which will likely result in being asked to attend in person regardless, creating unnecessary duplication. The likelihood of actually seeing a doctor appears quite low, with other clinical staff members potentially handling the appointment instead. The practice receives even this single star solely because the reception staff member was courteous, professional, and expressed genuine apology. I do sympathize with the staff here, as I imagine most patients become considerably frustrated by the time they manage to speak with anyone. On the rare occasions when I have secured an appointment, the waiting area has been notably quiet. If the practice intends to operate primarily through telephone contact, it requires sufficient staff members to handle the volume of calls. I have spent nearly three-quarters of an hour of my working time simply attempting to arrange a doctor's appointment.

Online forms replacing actual appointments

I feel reluctant to seek care anymore given how things are changing. You're lucky if you can speak to someone, but more often you're expected to complete online forms instead. It's the direction they're heading in, which is unfortunate and concerning. I was attempting to arrange some routine health checks and tried for a week without being able to secure an appointment with a clinician. I don't believe things will return to how they were for patients generally.

Reception blocked message request about test results

Had blood work completed by a helpful staff member last week to check hormone levels following a recent prescription. Received a text message today with results that prompted some questions. When I called to discuss this, the receptionist mentioned she could pass a message to the nurse practitioner but indicated there might be a delay of several days before a response. I said that was acceptable as I wasn't urgent. However, the receptionist then stated I would need to call at 8.30am the following morning to arrange a telephone consultation. I explained this was problematic for two reasons: I'm at work during those hours, and the phone lines are typically very difficult to get through on, often resulting in no available appointments. I asked again if a message could simply be sent instead, but was told this wasn't possible and that a phone call was required. The receptionist was an older woman, and the interaction left me feeling frustrated, as though the refusal was unnecessarily rigid. I decided not to pursue the matter further as I didn't have the energy to continue the discussion. I'm disappointed by this experience. The practice's overall system and approach to patient communication appears to need significant improvement. I'm aware that messaging systems are available within the NHS infrastructure and could be utilised more effectively.

Can't get through on the phone

It is difficult to reach the practice by phone, and by the time a connection is made, all available appointments have already been booked.

Receptionist was rude and dismissive throughout

Absolutely disgraceful!! The receptionist was dismissive and unhelpful. I waited a long time on the phone to get through, only to be told that no appointments were currently available and to call back the following day. This has been a recurring pattern where I'm asked to ring back, but appointments remain unavailable. I have since decided to change my healthcare provider.

Impossible to book an appointment here

I have been attempting to secure an appointment for an extended period without success. The telephone lines are consistently difficult to reach, and when contact is finally made, I am informed that no availability remains. I am then redirected to their online booking system, though this requires prior registration. The overall impression is that the practice is keen to end the call rather than provide assistance. I have found this establishment unhelpful and am considering transferring to another practice as a result.

Didn't feel comfortable with this practice

I have found myself dissatisfied with the practice overall.

Professional ankle assessment with clear recovery plan

An evaluation of my ankle injury today was, in my view, conducted with professionalism and thoroughness. The healthcare provider offered clear and easy-to-understand guidance along with a straightforward recovery plan. I appreciate the care received.