Egerton/Dunscar Health Centre

Reception staff caused repeated appointment booking confusion

The reception team's performance has been disappointing. I called in the evening asking about appointment availability and was told only daytime slots were possible. When I called just before 8am, I received a message indicating the surgery was closed. After calling back and waiting on hold for approximately 5-10 minutes, I was informed no appointments remained, though one could be arranged for several days later. When I questioned the earlier information about daytime-only availability, the receptionist reconsidered and managed to locate an appointment for that same day. I've also experienced being overlooked by reception staff on two separate occasions while waiting to be registered prior to my appointment. On one instance, I was told it made no difference which of the three reception windows I approached, so I positioned myself beside the only occupied window. Another person arrived after me, yet they were attended to first. When I pointed this out, I was told they hadn't realised I was waiting, despite my standing directly in front of them for at least five minutes with no other patients present. A team member called me without explanation, despite being the one who had informed me I would receive a call. The appointment system uses broad "morning" and "afternoon" slots rather than specific times for telephone consultations, creating inconvenient windows of 3 hours or 5-8 hours depending on when the surgery contacts you. I received test results via phone on a line with poor quality—heavily distorted with loud background beeping and frequent disconnections. The clinician mentioned being on speakerphone while I discussed sensitive health information. The conversation was difficult to follow, and the technical language used added to my confusion. Having relocated multiple times, I find this surgery significantly below others I've attended, primarily due to reception organisation and service. The nursing staff, however, are genuinely excellent—professional, attentive, and demonstrably compassionate. I had initially avoided registering here due to negative reviews, only to discover the affiliated surgery, which had a higher rating at the time, experiences identical problems. At that location, I felt dismissed during assessment, was assured about a scan appointment that the surgery had incorrectly booked twice without notifying me, and hospital staff were unaware of my correct scan location on the day. I would caution others to consider alternatives if possible.