Hilly Fields Medical Centre

I have been trying to get an appointment for my child since Monday and have been unsuccessful. When I call the practice, the message says please hold, and then it says "we are closed" at 8:12am and I get disconnected.

I understand the NHS is under extreme pressure but surely you can answer the phone at least.

Is there a way to give ZERO stars? This GP deserves none. As they don’t have appointments at all.
Tried many times to book a doctor for my one year old son, that has a hernia on his belly. They only book through telephone and despite calling them from 1 minute before the starting time in the morning, after 10 minutes, they don’t have any appointments available. They just say: ‘try again tomorrow’. Sometimes it seems like they just don’t answer the phone at all on that day. Awful. I made a complaint to the NHS, but they just back this vile behaviour of the GP, saying I need to talk to the GP.

Awful experience with doctor. His communication was awful and he seemed totally unsure what to do and asked irrelevant questions like if I'd been swimming when I already told him I'd been too ill to leave the house for 2 months. At one point he literally said 'what do you want me to do?'. Eventually asked me to send photos of the skin problem after I had to suggest he could do this and said he'd call back to discuss but never did. Only booked with this surgery because it was the only appointment available on patient access but won't again.

The doctors and nurses are reasonably helpful and competent. Unfortunately, that does not help much, as it is frustratingly difficult to see them. Reception staff, phone system and online appointment system seem to be trained, configured and programmed with the sole purpose of denying treatment. The resulting overall service level is by far the worst I have seen in Europe (I have lived and worked in a few countries). So I guess in line with NHS targets.

My medication was sent to the wrong pharmacy miles away, I noticed this immediately after my appointment and flagged it. I was told I would have to go there to pick it up. When I said I can barely walk due to my injury and cannot go all the way there I was told I could try to give a different pharmacy my NHS number and see what they say, receptionist rude and snappy when asked if there is a way to correct the error and said this was my only option. Also made rude comments about me after I left. Totally dehumanising treatment, will not return here as the staff are not trained in even basic respectful behaviour much less in the context of sick people.

Simply a disgusting place to interact with. It's humiliating. I was called in to fill in a form to get on to the online booking system. I did that last week and was told the system was down. I followed up with a call today only to be told that the system is still down and I'm still not on there. I have had a GP visit in years, but my hair is thinning and I have to get blood tests done. I'll probably be bald by the time I do it. And I hope they will be too!

Once you get through to a doctor or nurse the quality of care is usually good. However, trying to make an appointment is incredibly difficult and frustrating. It takes forever for someone to answer the phone and when they do they say that appointments are released at 8am and 6.30pm. I tried at 6.30pm to be told that the surgery was closed. The receptionists fob you off with misleading advice such as, 'Try going online to 111 NHS online or using the Ask First app,' neither of which have been of any use in getting an appointment. Recently my only way of getting a doctor to ring me was to ring 111, wait 14 hours for a duty doctor to call back and then he contacted the surgery and got a doctor to ring me. This is appalling. The whole thing is a lottery, a farce and an insult to people who are sick and in need of help.

Worst GP ever. I’ve been calling all week to get an appointment. More than an hour waiting on the phone, never have appointments for the day. When I got one, the doctor never called. I called reception (another 30 mins waiting on the phone) they reassured me they will call (two sick babies). Never called and when I called back at 6.10pm nobody was picking up the phone (they close at 6.30pm). It’s disgusting to treat unwell patients this way. Do not get more patients if you can’t offer coverage to them all.