Westerhope Medical Centre

Efficient staff but prescription queue needs improvement

The team members are excellent and work efficiently; I have no complaints about their performance whatsoever, and they consistently demonstrate helpfulness and a positive attitude. The main area for improvement is that the practice would benefit from additional prescription processing capacity, as current waiting times are quite lengthy given the size of the patient population served. This appears to be a resource constraint rather than a reflection of staff capability. Overall, a positive experience.

Staff doing their best in difficult times

The practice appears well-organised given the current circumstances, and the team members are making a genuine effort to provide good care.

Phone lines constantly busy and impossible to reach

The practice itself is excellent. The clinical team members and midwives provided wonderful care, and I felt well supported throughout my pregnancy and during the recent challenging period. However, now that I have my newborn (currently several weeks old), I am unable to get through on the telephone. Rather than being placed in a queue, the line disconnects immediately upon calling with a "line busy" message, leaving no option to wait. I experienced a concern with my baby at an earlier stage and contacted the health visitor, who advised me to speak with a clinician, but I was unable to establish a phone connection. When I eventually did reach reception, I was advised to try calling the following morning as no appointments were available, though my call only connected on that one afternoon attempt. I now need to contact the surgery again but continue to encounter the same "line busy" issue. I would greatly appreciate the ability to reach my healthcare providers without such considerable difficulty.

Reception staff attitude makes booking difficult

I have had mixed experiences with the reception team at this practice. While some staff members have been pleasant, others have appeared dismissive and unwilling to help. The customer service standards do not seem consistent with the practice's expectations. I was previously advised to call before 9am to request same-day appointments, which required me to arrange time off work. On one occasion, I called for an extended period anticipating the lines would be busy, but this was not the case. I noticed no background noise or indication of high call volume when I later visited the practice, which raised questions about whether calls were being properly received. On another visit, I experienced difficulty when requesting an appointment change. The staff member declined to assist, so I kept the original appointment. Subsequently, I was informed that I had cancelled it, which contradicted my recollection of events. This discrepancy was concerning. I have also found the telephone manner of reception staff to be occasionally unhelpful and dismissive. The staff frequently appear to be unavailable, with callers being asked to ring back later. Given that patients are making efforts to access healthcare, I believe the reception team should be held to higher professional standards. The quality of the reception experience significantly impacts the overall impression of the practice.

Impossible to book an appointment by phone

This practice has not met my expectations. I have experienced significant difficulty reaching the surgery by telephone to arrange appointments.

Impossible to book an appointment here

If I could give a zero rating I would. This is the worst place to try and book an appointment. You're instructed to call every day for availability, but the phone line is constantly engaged. The team members are pleasant, however.

Better than other practices I've tried

This medical practice has been significantly better than other surgeries I have attended. I have not experienced any problems so far :)