Dr D M Edge - Longton Health Centre

The Health Centre gets mixed reports from locals. However I went in twice over the last seven days and each time the staff and Doctors have been very helpful, reasonably friendly and happy to explain things. I hope it continues in this vein.

I've just moved after been dissapointed on numerous occasions. The phone takes forever to be answered, an ordinary routine blood test wait if one is asked for is around three wks and the doctors are hell bent on ringing first before booking an appointment with no actual time given within the day as to when this will happen and on the two occasions an appointment was needed within the last couple of yrs they over run both times massively without even a simple 'sorry'. When i joined 14 yrs ago it was far better, the impression i get now is that it's basically got to many patients for the number of doc's and staff. I dont normally bother to do reviews good or bad for anything but i'd think twice before joining this doctors if you are moving to the area.

Dr Ansari

Would like to this opportunity to say a big thank you for all you have done for me over the last three weeks,
You have made me feel at ease and I couldn't have asked for better service
Thanks
Regards Trevor Brown.

Longton Health Centre Manager
I've been at your practice now for years and only had well man checks.
I've had to to use the service of 2 of your Doctors over the last four weeks, I can only praise the service that I have received from everyone at the surgery.
Please accept my thanks.
Regards
Trevor Brown

Longton.

I rang to ask a simple query on behalf of my mum, but was 6th in the waiting queue and after 5 minutes it was 5th. In all likelihood the remaining calls would take 5 minutes, half an hour to answer a phone for the health clinic is totally unacceptable, it wasn’t like this when I lived in Longton. My mum advised me that if you want to see a particular doctor, it’s normally about a 2-3 week wait. The system, rather than the doctors, isn’t working Longton Health Centre.

We moved to this practice in 2015 when we bought a house in Much Hoole. The practice was excellent compared to our previous health centre in Cleveleys. But what a change since Covid! So hard to ask simple questions or arrange non urgent appointments. What has changed? Less staff? Less resources? I suspect other surgeries are just the same or worse. I must say the staff are always pleasant and welcoming but getting beyond the phone call can be a nightmare

I think the waiting time is disgusting. As someone who was bleeding heavily from a UTI, I was expected to wait SEVEN hours for an appointment. For something classed as an emergency. This place has definitely gone downhill and it’s a disgrace.

I have been satisfied with the level of care when I finally do get to see a GP. The issue is that despite being post covid, it is near impossible to get an appointment. The online form system just does not work. First form I completed for my teenage daughter and they had to speak to her and not me which is fine but she missed the daytime call as at school. So when we rang, as it had been about a week since they contacted her, we were told to fill in another form … bureaucracy gone mad. Still waiting for the . second call! Plus, cannot fill in the online form outside of surgery hours???

Getting through by telephone today took me 21minutes, I think it is totally unacceptable, the Practice Managers talk at the beginning is unnecessary, I was placed in position 5 and after the talk I waited a further 20 minutes. Once connected everything was completed in 2 minutes The receptionists are brilliant once through