St Albans Surgery

Staff were helpful and genuinely caring

Excellent service. All the brilliant clinicians are here, and they are all wonderful. All the staff members are so caring and helpful. I'm very happy with the surgery.

Phlebotomist found vein instantly and painlessly

I usually have a hard time giving blood because it's difficult to find my veins, but the phlebotomist I saw was absolutely amazing. They found the vein instantly and took my blood quickly and painlessly. Their professionalism and skill made the experience so much easier than I expected. Highly recommend them for anyone nervous about blood tests!

Receptionists and staff treated me with care

I am extremely satisfied with my long-standing relationship with this practice. The entire team, from those at the front desk through to the clinical staff, consistently demonstrates genuine compassion and kindness. Throughout my time as a patient, I have consistently received attentive care and respect, and the team has been particularly supportive during times when I required additional assistance. They were especially helpful in arranging my referral to a hospital of my choice for a significant procedure. I am very grateful for the service provided.

Phone lines repeatedly cut off mid-call

I would not recommend this practice. I have attempted to contact them on multiple occasions by phone. Each time, the calls have been terminated after only a brief exchange. I have been unable to arrange prescriptions or book appointments through these interactions. Additionally, I have registered with the practice on several occasions and attended consultations, but have left without receiving adequate information or explanation. I intend to escalate my concerns through the appropriate complaints procedure.

Impossible to book appointments here

Attempting to secure an appointment feels nearly impossible, and the reception service appears to move at a slow pace. It is unclear how this practice continues to function without facing scrutiny. When I call during morning hours, the phone lines are extremely busy, making it difficult to get through, so I have had to resort to attending accident and emergency instead. The surgery does not seem to meet my needs.

Reception staff unhelpful and appointments hard to get

The reception staff experience was disappointing, and obtaining routine appointments has proven difficult with lengthy waiting times. My family members have encountered the same issue. Despite being told the practice is at capacity, the surgery often appears to have limited activity.

Can't get appointments when you need them

It has been very difficult to obtain an appointment when needed. During a time when I required medical guidance, I was unable to secure a consultation. This experience has been deeply frustrating.

Long waits despite scheduled appointment times

I attended my scheduled appointment and experienced a significant delay before being seen. The wait extended considerably beyond my appointment time, which was frustrating. This pattern of delays appears to be recurring during my visits to the practice. I had another appointment scheduled for the morning and faced a similar wait on that occasion as well. The repeated delays have left me feeling that my time is not being respected. I am quite disappointed with this aspect of my experience.

Impossible to book appointments when you need them

For those experiencing health concerns, this practice may not be the best choice. Accessing appointments with a GP proves extremely challenging. On multiple occasions, I have been informed that no appointments are currently available and have been directed to contact alternative services, use pharmacy support, or attempt to book an urgent slot by calling early in the morning. On one occasion, I obtained a prescription letter from an external healthcare provider to bring to the practice. After submitting this to reception, I later discovered that the GP had not received it and the letter had gone missing. I had to request that the external provider resend the letter directly via email to the practice. This experience was frustrating and reflected poorly on the practice's administrative processes. I am very dissatisfied with the overall standard of care and accessibility provided.

Staff didn't take responsibility for mistakes

I have attended numerous medical practices throughout my time, but this particular surgery stands out for concerning reasons. The team appears unwilling to accept responsibility for their actions and the manner in which patients are handled falls short of what I would expect.

Routine appointments impossible to book through reception

I have consistently struggled to obtain routine appointments, with staff repeatedly informing me that slots are unavailable on the system. After submitting a request for workplace documentation, I received no communication and subsequently visited the practice in person to follow up. I was then informed of a telephone appointment scheduled two weeks ahead, which felt unreasonable given that three weeks would have elapsed since my initial request. The timing is problematic for my financial situation, as I require the documentation processed promptly to meet an upcoming deadline. When I raised these concerns with reception staff, I was told there were limitations to what could be done to expedite matters.

Couldn't get appointments or prescriptions sorted

What a dreadful experience. The practice consistently struggles with appointment availability, and I have encountered ongoing difficulties with managing my repeat medications. When I eventually secured a consultation, I was advised to seek private healthcare instead. The entire team came across as rather unpleasant and fell short of professional standards.

Hard to book an appointment here

Extremely disappointing experience with significant difficulty obtaining an appointment. The practice requires telephone contact rather than in-person booking requests, and after extended waiting times on the phone, callers are frequently informed that all slots are unavailable. The staff interactions lacked helpfulness, and there appeared to be gaps in the information and support provided.

Long waits and lost patient information here

This practice has not met my expectations and I would advise others to consider alternative options. I found the service to be unprofessional, with concerns about how patient information is handled and the manner in which I was spoken to during interactions. 😡

Felt genuinely listened to and well cared for

Excellent people, particularly the clinician I saw, who is a wonderful doctor. Very caring and possessing great expertise, no wonder everyone wants to get an appointment with them. My relative is in great hands because of their utmost care. Well done to the clinician and team. Many thanks. May you be blessed immensely for your great work in the community.

Reception staff unprofessional and took personal calls

This practice has significant issues with reception staff professionalism. During a recent visit, I witnessed a receptionist handling a phone call in an inappropriately loud manner, discussing patient information in a way that lacked discretion. The call was then ended abruptly and noticeably. The same member of staff subsequently took a personal call at the front desk, which seemed to prioritise personal matters over work duties. This makes it frustrating when trying to reach the practice to book appointments, as lines appear frequently engaged. I attended with my unwell infant and experienced a considerable wait beyond my scheduled appointment time. The clinical staff themselves are generally courteous and competent, but the difficulty in securing appointments in the first place undermines the overall experience at this surgery.

Long waits and appointments that don't happen

Steer clear of this practice! Since registering with this surgery, my experiences have consistently been disappointing. Obtaining an appointment requires an extensive wait, and even once secured, appointments often result in prolonged waiting periods without receiving proper attention. It was particularly frustrating to have cancelled work commitments only to spend hours waiting without being attended to.

Reception team unhelpful, appointments impossible to get

I find myself extremely frustrated whenever I contact the practice, which I only do as a last resort after trying other options like the pharmacy first. I struggle to secure an appointment through this service. The reception staff have not been helpful in my experience. I cannot recall the last time I managed to get an appointment with the surgery, which feels like a significant issue for a service that should be accessible. When I called recently, I was informed that appointments were not yet available on the system until late January, which was disappointing to hear. I feel let down by the lack of available support, both for myself and my children, who have also been unable to obtain appointments. When directed to contact an alternative service, I found that they only had a limited number of appointments available before referring patients elsewhere.

Booking system chaos leaves patients without appointments

I'm uncertain about how much longer this practice will remain operational, though I hope changes occur soon. Attempting to secure appointments proves challenging. Either no slots are available despite the surgery appearing quiet, or when an appointment is confirmed and you attend, you're turned away with explanations about being scheduled with an unfamiliar clinician. I've been requesting a medication review for approximately one and a half months without success. Despite repeated assurances from clinical staff, my needs have not been met, and commitments made have not materialised. I have submitted a formal complaint regarding my experience.

Impossible to book evening appointments by phone

I have been attempting to secure an appointment for approximately two months. Due to my work commitments in an educational setting, I require availability outside standard working hours or during specific periods. Each time I contact the practice, I receive the same response regarding unavailable slots and am asked to try again after a fortnight. When I finally do call back, there continue to be no suitable times. I was informed that appointments outside regular daytime hours are not allocated through telephone booking. I find myself uncertain about the appropriate way to arrange an appointment given these constraints. The overall service experience has been frustrating. The messaging about contacting the surgery when concerned feels particularly at odds with the difficulty I have experienced in actually reaching them. I also raised a separate matter and was advised to communicate via email. Upon doing so, I received an automated response stating that appointment requests and medical enquiries should not be submitted through this channel. This response left me feeling quite exasperated about the available options for getting in touch with the practice.