janduplessis886/england-nhs-gp-reviews huggingface dataset:
GP surgery review: linthorpe-surgery
Title: tried !!!
Rating: 2 out of 5
Visited: October 2022
Monday 17th phoned, waited till 1st in queue 1 hour call dropped 
Tuesday 18th phoned, waited till 1st in queue 1.5 hours!!! reached 1st in queue again!! called dropped !!!!! Have tried econsult non available. approximatiley same time same queue position Same Result. There is no alternative !!!!
GP surgery review: linthorpe-surgery
Title: Never answer phones
Rating: 1 out of 5
Visited: September 2022
I completed an E-consultation as I couldn’t get through to make an appointment on the phone. I received an email the following day telling me that I needed to se a GP face to face. Guess what! I couldn’t get through to make an appointment on the phone. 
The receptionist service is diabolical and the call queues are ridiculous, you either get cut off or always join the queue at position 24 and have an exceptionally long wait
GP surgery review: linthorpe-surgery
Title: Fed up - so exactly how am I supposed to contact them?
Rating: 1 out of 5
Visited: September 2022
For some time now Linthorpe Surgery has encouraged people to use eConsult so it takes pressure off the phonelines....so I thought. Today when I received my response from the doctor the end said 'this is for advice only and not for getting appointments'. I'd not actually asked for an appointment, so I'm not sure what warranted this comment. Even so, I'd like to say that 'somehow' on most occasions when I have a health concern and use eConsult the surgery does normally insist in a telephone or in person appointment, so that doesn't add up. There is no consistency in their message on how to contact them!
I can't spend an hour on the phone at work trying to get through. This is a broken system. The only way I can get a regular non-urgent appointment is by waiting for my day off a physically walking into the surgery.....I wonder how long it will be before they ban that as well!
This is how people end up at A&E - they can't get to the doctors, so they put off concerning problems until it's acute. I know I am sounding overly dramatic, but that's because elderly relatives of mine are saying they'll not even bother trying to get hold of a doctor now. It's extremely worrying.
GP surgery review: linthorpe-surgery
Title: Contacting the surgery
Rating: 1 out of 5
Visited: September 2022
Listening to the lengthy message is ridiculous, then it connects you onto the phone system, another lengthy wait and then the phone goes dead as there are too many callers. You try this a couple of times and give up. So you go to fill an e-consult in, its after 1 o'clock and the service is not available, so you email them to find their email system is not available for queries from you the general public. How are you supposed to get in touch!!! Stop hiding behind covid and get your system sorted whoever is in charge of communications you are doing a pitiful job
GP surgery review: linthorpe-surgery
Title: appointment system
Rating: 1 out of 5
Visited: August 2022
The supposed new telephone system is a joke unless it has been designed to be deliberately unusable .
The previous system actually worked. You either elected to wait to speak to reception or you could request a call back which avoided having to hang on to a phone line. This one merely gives you a queue number with no indication of how long that will take to get you there. Yesterday I was stuck at 29 so gave up, Today I have progressed to 26 & have similarly given up. Absolutely appalling.
Tried to use the e consult system but that is unavailable.
GP surgery review: linthorpe-surgery
Title: My own experience
Rating: 5 out of 5
Visited: July 2022
I contacted Linthorpe surgery by phone and it took a while but I got through (alot quicker than a recent telephone group I tried to contact). The receptionist was polite and professional. I did get to see someone at the surgery who was very caring, easy to talk to and her advice was sound. She also advised me on another problem and whom to see.
GP surgery review: linthorpe-surgery
Title: The worst practice in Middlesbrough. They ruined my life.
Rating: 1 out of 5
Visited: May 2022
The practice stopped my Arthritis medication and left me unable to look after myself and unable to work. I live by myself, so there is nobody to help me. I been phoning this practice for past 2 weeks and can't get through. I send them a letter by econsult and doctor supposed to get in touch with me. Nobody got in touch they just send me a sick note, no medication. I can't get better without my  tablets. Today is Thursday I will have to wait till Saturday to go to an  A and E. Saturday is when I'm getting payed and I be able to get a taxi. I will have less money to pay my bills. I only work part time because of my disability. People who answer the phone are rude and they speak to you like you are an idiot. I fell down and damaged my wrist . I phoned this practice asking for help only to be told to get a bus to Redcar (hospital). I was unable to get dress or do anything else so I didn't go. For past 10 years I been ill and ignored by this practice. I asked to see a specialist only to be told by the doctor to go to Poland and see a specialist in there. Last time I was in Poland is when I was 13 years old, 39 years ago. My mother had the same experience with this practice. She past away 2 years ago, she doesn't have to suffer any more. My mum used to come to my house after seeing the doctor she was crying her eyes out because the way she was treated by this practice.
GP surgery review: linthorpe-surgery
Title: Almost impossibe to get through via telephone
Rating: 2 out of 5
Visited: April 2022
Phone system requires urgent review.  It took 3 days of being 'persistent' to get through and then told to ring back at 8.00am the following day for an appointment.  It took a further 2 days to succeed.  No pre-bookable appointments with GP.  In comparison with other surgeries, the call answering system is just not efficent, and as well as being stressful for the staff who have to take the calls from disgruntled patients,  I suspect many patients end up in A&E due to deterioating symptoms that could have been avoided had they been able to access GP services earlier.  Come on LS, you could do so much better!  Excellent service once an appointment is in place, it's just trying to get one that is the issue.
GP surgery review: linthorpe-surgery
Title: Can't get through and when you do no one wants to help.
Rating: 1 out of 5
Visited: April 2022
This surgery has never been the best as they constantly used to forget to send prescriptions to pharmacies then lie about having sent them but recently it has become a lot worse. You can hardly ever get through on the telephone as there are always 20+ people in the queue and if you do get through some of the doctors are unwilling to provide more than the most basic advice. Also, it seems that you can't get an appointment to go and see a doctor or nurse anymore as they only contact you through emails if you do an econsult.
GP surgery review: saville-medical-group
Title: Woeful practice.
Rating: 1 out of 5
Visited: May 2022
Truly woeful, trying to contact by phone is near impossible unless you want to get buried in a queue 30/40 deep. Avoid at all costs.
GP surgery review: saville-medical-group
Title: Awful place
Rating: 1 out of 5
Visited: February 2022
Iv been with this GP for a while but tha k god iv changed. Receptionists are rude. GPS don't have a clue. Several times I was fobbed off and not to mention you can hardly get an appointment. GPS have no time for you, want you in and out. Have to ask to blood tests/treatment. My new one is amazing and couldn't be more happy to help, so I would never recommend this!!!!
GP surgery review: saville-medical-group
Title: No answering from the phone
Rating: 1 out of 5
Visited: February 2022
Tried to contact the gp for an heart check as I been advised from the hospital , when I called in the afternoon the lines were busy so I tried to call early morning just as soon as they open the lines still didn't manage to speak with anyone .
GP surgery review: saville-medical-group
Title: Switch GPs if you're able to
Rating: 1 out of 5
Visited: January 2022
It's impossible to make an appointment, you have to call at 08:00 - even if you call at 8:01, the call won't go through. Half the time it doesn't even put you on hold, it just tells you the line is busy and hangs up... If you're lucky enough that someone picks up after holding for around an hour, they'll tell you there is an appointment available in a few days or a week. 

This sounds great, but when you attend it's a nurse practitioner and not a doctor. Nurse practitioners are great, but for acute health problems. I couldn't sort out any long term management or get advice on things which weren't a chest infection. I needed a doctor, so when I went through the whole process again of making an appointment, they revealed that you have to call at 8am ON THE DAY to have a chance of obtaining a doctor's appointment FOR THAT DAY. How can I plan anything if I don't even know whether I'll get a doctor's appointment until 8am on that day. I don't have free days lying around to simply hope I get an appointment. Not to mention that if you have a likely large number of patients all calling in at 8am to get the limited number of appointments for that day, 1. you will be put on hold for at least an hour 2. by the time you get through, there will be no appointments for that day, and if there are, they will unlikely suit your personal timetable if you have other errands to do.

The medical and nonmedical staff themselves are pleasant and well-intentioned so no problem with them, but it seems like the practice is overloaded far beyond its capacity and it's impeding them from providing accessible medical service to a majority of patients. There wasn't an appointment with the asthma nurse for 3 months when I had called. At first I just attributed it to the NHS being overloaded as it is, but it seems people I know are having better experiences in other GPs.

Summary: 
- Impossible to call and make appointments. 
- No appointments available with doctors as opposed to NPs. 
- Medical and nonmedical staff are not an issue
- If you have any problem that you can't go to A&E for, be prepared to wait at least a month before you can be seen by a doctor.
GP surgery review: newcastle-medical-centre
Title: Impossible to get an appointment
Rating: 1 out of 5
Visited: January 2022
They make it extremely difficult to get an appointment. Cant book online unless you have a registration letter which u physically have to get. Cant call in the day because youll be stuck in a queue at 8am. Useless. Get a new system
GP surgery review: prospect-medical-centre
Title: Rude and unhelpful reception staff
Rating: 1 out of 5
Visited: July 2022
I had an appointment which I asked for the receptionist to change to my mums name as she had a lot of pain in her arm. The receptionist was rude and abrupt saying I cant change it. I explained she was halfway there and if she could just ask the Dr if it was ok for him to see my mother instead. Her response was 'well if shes fine to walk then what's wrong with her'. The receptionists are rude and almost bark at you. It's not just me, this is noticable when you are sat waiting to be seen, they are the same with most people, it's like they enjoy having the authority.
GP surgery review: prospect-medical-centre
Title: Appointment
Rating: 1 out of 5
Visited: March 2022
It wasn't an appointment, we can't get an appointment..my husband has been trying for over a month.  He has very bad depression, after losing a parent.  Rude staff also. Very worried wife,as he's getting worse
GP surgery review: denton-turret-medical-centre
Title: Terrible practice
Rating: 1 out of 5
Visited: April 2023
The staff are absolutely disgusting! Especially the receptionist got no manners what so ever and think they can over ride everything and think they know it all, attitude is disgusting honestly lucky there’s still patients there, need sacked if the staff they have and actually get new staff which have a lot more class and respect and can learn to talk to people nicely
GP surgery review: denton-turret-medical-centre
Title: Chaotic
Rating: 1 out of 5
Visited: April 2023
My husband and I went for our Spring Covid Boosters at 3.30pm this afternoon.  Our appointment was for 3.35pm.  Parking was a nightmare and once inside it was absolute chaos with about 60 to 70 people crammed into the waiting area mostly standing room only.  We had to join a queue to register we were there , which took forever.  We overheard the receptionist say “you should have been here this morning, it was even worse”!! We then had to go to another staff member who handed us a number for both of us - number 69.  I asked her how long we would have to wait and she said she hadn’t a clue but they had just called number 35.  So that was at least 34  people,  probably a lot more because there was quite a few couples.  If you reckon on 3 to 5 minutes by the time they check your details etc and give you the jab that adds up to quite a wait.  We weren’t prepared to wait and walked out in disgust.  People were still piling in.  When I look back to all the other covid jabs we have had, they were an absolute dream, so organised and professional.  When I ring up to rebook our appointment I certainly will not be going back to Denton Turret
GP surgery review: denton-turret-medical-centre
Title: difficult to contact
Rating: 2 out of 5
Visited: April 2023
Tried to book an appointment Tuesday 11th April firstly on the patient access App but GP practice is currently disconnected, so had to ring waited 50 minutes from caller number 9 to the phone ringing believing someone would now answer but no just kept ringing! This started at 4.50 pm, this happens regularly, really should hire extra staff or upgrade their systems.
GP surgery review: denton-turret-medical-centre
Title: Terrible
Rating: 1 out of 5
Visited: April 2023
On hold for 50 minutes yesterday to make an appointment, none available, went to surgery 8am this morning to make an appointment, only telephone appointments available, accepted this, now 6.30pm and still no call. Disgusting service!
GP surgery review: denton-turret-medical-centre
Title: You will never get an appointment
Rating: 1 out of 5
Visited: April 2023
They open at 8am dont expect to get an appointment that day as you'll find out when you call you will be 40 (sometimes 60+) in the queue to get through. When you do you'll be quizzed by the reception staff as so why you want an appointment, then to be told they have nothing for that date anymore.

Unfortunately you cant make appointments in advance in unless its for a nurse but to be told you need to ring the next day at the same time to be in same situation on hold for 50+ mins to be told they have nothing is frustrating (I done this 4 times and still nothing) unfortunately not everyone works from home and cant just drop things to be at an appointment in the middle of the day or wants to have a conversation regarding there health concerns which is private at work but it seems like everyone has forgotten that.

So if you want to see a doctor or speak to them about anything expect to be seen nearly a week later when you finally get through to there shocking phone system which each time they tell you is new but they've had it for nearly a year so this cant keep being an excuse for the phone lines.
GP surgery review: denton-turret-medical-centre
Title: Poor communication
Rating: 3 out of 5
Visited: March 2023
I’ve been registered with the practice for nearly 20 years now and am now at an age when I would expect a wellness check (reaching 55)
I have to say, I haven’t been invited yet to have this check. I have contacted the GP to have my PSA as I thought it was important for a check, but have never receive an invitation for BP check or routine bloods. That is until today. Today I received a text inviting me to “pop” along to the surgery at my own convenience to have my blood pressure checked via a machine in the reception.
I think this is very worrying. Not only will I be expected to do this just so that a box is ticked for the surgery, I have to do this without speaking to a health care professional! 
Not great service at all. I understand that Covid has changed the way that the NHS providers see patients, but feel that a lot of underlying health conditions could be missed by removing a health check and substituting it with a BP machine in a reception area.
GP surgery review: denton-turret-medical-centre
Title: Telephone frustrations
Rating: 3 out of 5
Visited: March 2023
Just an overview of my telephone experiences of trying to make an appointment with a nurse this week on three separate days and times. First time 9 in queue and disconnected after 30 mins. Second 15 in queue which went on after 6 o’clock, so no answer. Third today 9 in queue And answered after nearly an hour. It only took 2 mins to make appointment. (Unable to book nurse on line). I did not complain to receptionist as I know they have been given more work. There is no indication of whether you are moving up the queue adding to the frustration.
Everyone I speak to makes the same complaint so surely it’s time to sort the problem out. 
Pat Q (Anonymous)
GP surgery review: denton-turret-medical-centre
Title: Denton Turret Absolute Joke
Rating: 1 out of 5
Visited: March 2023
My partner rang the doctors for a phone appointment regarding some concerns we have with our son. An appointment was made for the days time and when she eventually spoke with the doctor they just nothing sounded concerning basically ignoring every concern we say. I booked an appointment myself for another phone consultation and was supposed to be called by 6.30pm yesterday at the latest and still no phone call. I have attempted to contact the surgery but the waiting times are disgraceful. We are genuinely concerned about our child's well being and have contacted the hospital but we have to be referred from denton turret. The system is failing our little boy and nothing we can do about it. Deeply disappointing
GP surgery review: denton-turret-medical-centre
Title: Pointless
Rating: 2 out of 5
Visited: March 2023
Tried on consecutive days to get to see a doctor. First day 20 minutes on hold to be told nothing available second day 25 minutes to be told only telephone consultation available which was pointless. Told to attend a walk in centre. What is the point of being registered here if you can't get face to face appointments
This practice has never been the same since covid
GP surgery review: denton-turret-medical-centre
Title: Bad practice
Rating: 2 out of 5
Visited: March 2023
I’ve tried for 4 weeks to get an appointment at this practice only to sit in a queue for an hour on 3 occasions and be told no appointments left I have a social prescriber who had emailed requesting an appointment and after 11 days still nothing this is very bad I’ve been with this practice for 60 years and I think it’s probably time to look elsewhere
GP surgery review: collingwood-health-group
Title: Disappointing
Rating: 3 out of 5
Visited: April 2023
I phoned to see if I could get an appointment for my 8 year old as he had been unwell for 4 days. After a considerable wait for a call back, The receptionist couldn’t have been more unhelpful. Told me the next appointment I could book for my son was in 8 days. End of conversation. My issue wasn’t this- although obviously quite a shock to have to wait so long, my issue was with the lack of alternatives. She offered no other options of what to do- I had to keep probing about what I could do to have him seen by a doctor. To be kind I would say she was apathetic, disinterested, or even annoyed I was asking. Surely it’s not difficult for the first person of contact for the surgery to have a level of customer care which would at least demonstrate some form of caring and understanding. It would have taken all of 30 seconds to outline what I could do to get some help. We so rarely contact the surgery, I was left upset and confused about how I get help for a sick child knowing he wasn’t at the stage of needing to go to hospital but needing to get some help to clear up his strep throat. I can’t comment on the doctors - I have always had a good experience in the past when I have visited - it’s the front of house I have the issue with. A bad experience with the first point of contact leaves a bad taste in the mouth. So much so I was compelled to leave this review. I do understand staff are under pressure and under resourced but I would implore the surgery to give proper training to their reception staff and to offer useful practical advice when people phone for help.
GP surgery review: collingwood-health-group
Title: Bad Receptionist
Rating: 1 out of 5
Visited: March 2023
I came for app 20 March only to be told it was on 28th March Receptionist said more than once it was 20th
Receptionist also said I should go to pharmisy after I told her I had a cough for 2 or 3 month often sever coughing throughout the night and day I had to insist on seeing a doctor Receptionists should not make over the phone diagnosis
GP surgery review: collingwood-health-group
Title: Impossible to get help, to the point of being dangerous
Rating: 1 out of 5
Visited: March 2023
Impossible to get help, to the point of being dangerous.
I've had a strep a infection for over 3 weeks. I have never been seen by a gp from the surgery, nor would they even speak to me over the phone initially after I'd waited from 47th in the queue to get through. I had to go and buy my own strep a test from a pharmacy and take it to the walk in centre to get treatment.
 After those antibiotics failed, I again waited on the phone for over an hour to speak to Collingwood, who again refused to see me as I apparently couldn't possibly still have strep. Again I was forced to buy my own Strep a test and called back (yup another hours wait) with the proof I was still positive for strep a. Finally got a doctor callback, from someone who was on the phone to me for less than 2 minutes, refused to let me ask any questions but did send me off with more antibiotics.
My third lot of antibiotics are not working. I have severe pain in my joints, chest pain, a very high temp, tonsillitis and difficulty swallowing. I have been off work for nearly a month.
Today I contacted the surgery yet again to try and get some help for this horrible infection and excruciating pain that has me bedridden.
They have just sent me a message to say that an appointment has been made for me at the hub in 9 days time. Nine!
How can someone with a known infection that is not responding to antibiotics, in excruciating pain, and experiencing chest pain & breathlessness (I'm asthmatic) be left for 9 days with no help? 
Im now forced to go to a walk in centre or a & e, if I want to get any help. Neither of which I can do, because I can barely walk, and I need to be at home to look after my daughter, who unsurprisingly is also now sick after catching strep a off me.
No wonder emergency department's and walk in centres are so under pressure, when it's impossible to get anywhere with your own surgery
GP surgery review: collingwood-health-group
Title: Still waiting for call back
Rating: 3 out of 5
Visited: January 2023
I called surgery this morning, just before 9 o clock, rang 5 times  to say I was in a queue and then no sound. Eventually got through and I was no 46 in queue, and decided to
Press 5 for call back. It is now 17:15 and still waiting. I did call again approx 3:15 to be told same in a queue and to press for call back, still waiting. The message says you will be called back when you’re at the front of the queue, must be a very long queue!!
GP surgery review: collingwood-health-group
Title: Great service
Rating: 5 out of 5
Visited: October 2022
I needed a same day appointment for my two year old grandson, I went to the surgery for 8.30am and the receptionist was absolutely brilliant - professional, polite, good natured and friendly. Doctors receptionists do often get a bad press but I was very impressed. Thank you