Eltham Medical Practice

Trying to get registered as a new patient. Already not a great first impression!

In short, I have recently become partially deaf in one ear (likely due to ear wax) so I tried to get registered with Eltham Medical Practice.

I brought documents of identification to the Well Hall Road practice and was told they could not scan the documents for me but was told I could submit them online so I returned home.

After calling them up again to ask for an e-mail to send the documents to, they provided me with an email that was invalid. After sending the email, an automatic response was generated telling me “delivery has failed…the email address you entered couldn’t be found”.

I called again, waiting through the long telephone queue once more. The lady on the phone told me that the email address was correct and, after verifying that I had indeed sent it to the correct e-mail address (not a fault on my end), no alternative e-mail was provided.

I then decided to print off copies of the documents of identification to give to the Well Hall Road practice in person.

When I arrived, a member of staff told me that the NHS had stopped running services for ‘ear cleaning’ (for want of a better phrase) and that I would be better off enquiring in Specsavers.

In conclusion, a complete waste of time. I had made them aware of my issue from the very beginning and would have appreciated it if they had told me from the start that I should go to Specsavers as it would have saved me a lot of time.

Aside from the long queues on the telephone, I am also displeased with how difficult they have made it to register as a new patient.

They should update their website to make it clearer that prospective registrants need to bring in copies of their documents.

Additionally, they should fix their e-mail address and potentially train staff to not give misleading information.

Nothing personal to the staff at EMP so I’ll give two stars, I just think it’s not a great first impression and I do hope they can redeem themselves in the future – what if I had been a vulnerable/elderly person with a more serious issue wanting to get registered?

Pay attention to the warnings of the other 1 star reviews... they’re absolutely spot on. This is by far the worst medical practice I’ve ever had. Sadly I have a lot of interactions with this surgery as I have a chronic medical condition. Without fail, they manage to screw things up every time, from repeat prescriptions, to poor communications, to getting different advice on their processes depending on what day of the week it is. Ineffective, inefficient, dysfunctional and just not fit for purpose.
Dealing with them is incredibly stressful and I wouldn’t put your health in their hands. After 18 months, I’m actively searching for another surgery. Not easy as other surgeries have merged with this one recently to create a ‘super-shambles’... avoid like the plague.

Avoid at all costs!! If you don’t get cut off you or not called back you will get the wrong medication. Nurses are lovely but doctors are young and inexperienced. Been with them 2 years and changing as dealing with them is making my anxiety and depression worse!

I used to be a patient at Eltham Park Surgery on Westmount Road and the merger with Eltham Medical Practice couldn't have been a worse move. I have no complaints about the staff. They have always been helpful, apologetic and friendly in my experience, but the system is broken. I'm not clear whether it is just the system at this GP surgery or the NHS in general - I fear it might be the latter - but I now have to wait 6 weeks for a 30 second conversation about some simple medication (nothing with any great side effects or concerns). Desperately sad for our once great NHS.

I feel this surgery has really gone done hill over the years. This is the second time in the last 3 to 4 months that I have spoken to a receptionist asking to speak to a gp and not a nurse, pharmacist or anyone else. I confirmed this was the case and said briefly what the issue was. The lady on the phone confirmed this was a gp appointment, happy so I thought until I received the call today from a pharmacist not the gp. It is not for a receptionist to decide who I should and should not see, they can suggest who they thing can help best with the problem. However if I say I want to speak to a gp then that is who i should be booked with even if I had to wait longer that is my decision and my prerogative not for reception staff to decide for me. Unless reception staff have all suddenly become medically trained.
This does not obviously apply to all receptionist at the practice there are some very helpful and nice receptionist. But I am just getting very fed up with being put through to staff that just do not know what they are doing and telling me one thing and then booking another this needs to be addressed.

I couldn’t fault this surgery, every concern I have is treated ASAP, for myself or for my baby. I’ve never had a bad experience with them!

This is not complain or even complement
I never saw such disaster in a surgery before, and we are able to do anything to make this surgery better.
All I have to say, I am sorry for all us
Our tax and N/I has been wasted by such a surgery

Medication stopped again even after having 3 medication reviews 2 face to face & 1 on the phone this is happening repeatedly with different medications I think the practice has a real problem of concern