Hopwood House Surgery
NA
Nadeem A. 4 years ago • From Google
Poor
The staff members here are genuinely excellent, which is the only reason this review reflects a positive aspect at all. Obtaining an appointment is extremely challenging, and when one becomes available it tends to be conducted over the phone. Even before the pandemic, the practice appeared to operate with insufficient staffing levels. Staff would regularly mention that recruitment for GPs was ongoing. Despite operating with limited resources, the practice continued to accept new patient registrations, which seemed counterintuitive. Existing patients faced lengthy waits spanning several months for appointments while the patient roster expanded. Following the departure of several experienced practitioners and some longer-serving junior doctors, accessing a consistent GP has become increasingly difficult. Appointments are typically with locum doctors or advanced nurse practitioners instead. Even in the post-pandemic period, appointment availability remains problematic. It has proven nearly impossible to see a regular GP. Since January, I have needed to access out-of-hours services on six separate occasions due to inability to secure a practice appointment. Additionally, I experienced a wait exceeding four weeks for an x-ray result to reach the practice. The value of being registered with a GP is questionable when every medical need results in referral to out-of-hours services. The practice would benefit from recruiting additional GPs rather than expanding reception staff numbers. A family member registered with this surgery due to its convenient location. They withdrew their registration after two months and returned to their previous practice, primarily because securing appointments proved impossible. They mentioned that despite their former GP being geographically further away, appointments could typically be arranged within a few days. I am seriously contemplating switching to a different GP practice.
James M.