Walm Lane Surgery
GT
George T. 2 years ago • From Google
Bad
The appointment booking window to call for a routine visit is extremely narrow, lasting only 15 minutes (8.45-9.00 am), and in practice appears to be even shorter as the queuing message rarely comes through before 8.50 am, with a busy signal beforehand. The available appointment slots are severely limited, with roughly 4.5 hours of availability per day at most. While this may be known in advance, it makes the practice highly inconvenient, particularly as these 4.5 hours are split across two separate time slots daily. There is a notable lack of continuity in patient care and minimal personal connection. Most appointments are with different clinicians, though occasionally (around 25% of the time) you do see your assigned GP. It is unclear how this differs meaningfully from a walk-in centre or hospital, which at least offer the flexibility of dropping in without advance booking. Appointment availability typically extends one to two weeks or longer for non-urgent matters. When seeking a straightforward referral for a blood test related to an ongoing health condition, following guidance from a specialist already involved in my care and documented in my medical records, I was informed I would need to wait over two weeks for an appointment despite explaining the circumstances. Over the years, the practice has only contacted me once, to confirm I remain in the country, despite my reaching out to them multiple times during the same period. During a particularly severe weather event that disrupted the city for several days, I arrived 11 minutes late for an appointment booked 10 days prior, having left work early and allowed extra travel time. Despite my politeness, the receptionist informed me after a brief wait that the appointment had been forfeited and the clinician was no longer available. I will not be returning and intend to share this experience with others.
Maggie D.