Gosforth Memorial Medical Centre
LR
Lina R. 9 months ago • From Google
Great
This feedback concerns Reception services rather than the clinical team. Obtaining an appointment proved extremely challenging. After calling repeatedly over several days, both morning and afternoon, with each attempt consuming approximately two hours, no appointment was secured. As someone in full-time employment, dedicating multiple hours across several days to telephone calls seemed unreasonable and impractical. The situation was particularly frustrating because on numerous occasions, despite reaching the front of the queue, the call would be terminated by Reception. Calls frequently disconnected while waiting, necessitating starting the entire process from the beginning. This meant not returning to a position near the front but rather spending another half hour listening to automated messages, navigating menu options, and repeatedly attempting to reconnect. The constant need to interact with the phone made it impossible to do anything else while waiting. It should be recognised that people contact their GP because they are unwell and require medical assistance, not for discretionary reasons. The experience was deeply unsatisfactory. The practice should consider either ceasing to accept new patients or expanding its medical staffing. UPDATE: Since August 2025, the appointment booking system has shown considerable improvement. The medical centre now uses an application allowing patients to describe their symptoms briefly, after which clinical staff can contact them to arrange an appointment if appropriate. This represents a significant step forward from the previous arrangement. However, this system may present challenges for older patients, and appointment times cannot be selected by the user. Additionally, messages from the practice require logging into the app to view; those who do not check the app regularly may miss communications. Despite these limitations, the overall improvement warrants a higher rating. The practice has made positive progress.
Evidence D.