"Great experience, very respectful."

My whole experience was a pleasant surprise from start to finish. Firstly, it was very easy to contact the surgery, my call was answered very quickly, and after a few short exploratory questions, I was not expecting what happened next, which was to be offered an appointment to see a GP the same day! Given all that has been published in the press of late about GP availability, this was a very pleasant surprise and a great start.

The reception team member I spoke to over the telephone about my appointment, was very respectful, polite, discrete and reassuring, and was very much in tune with my needs.

When I arrived at the Health Centre, that continued. The same reception team, if not the same team member was very welcoming, friendly, polite and efficient. They went out of their way to make the check in experience very easy indeed. I should also mention at this point, that there was ample parking right outside the health centre, and that meant for a stress free experience for me, and that I was on time for my appointment.

And speaking of being on time, I arrived 5 mins before my appointment time, and pretty much straight after I sat down in what was a very clean, well maintained, calming and informative waiting area (there was lots of useful information and advice on show), I was called by a GP for my appointment, right on time.

The GP that I saw, as with all team members that I'd interacted with beforehand, was very reassuring, understanding and genuinely interested in me. They really did go out of my way to put me at ease. They were clearly listening to what I was saying, and very interested in helping me, and I think that assisted with the understanding of the root cause of the symptoms and the next steps. The GP did a great job of asking probing questions in support of this, and also in explaining and checking my understanding throughout. I was asked several times if I was comfortable with treatment and next steps, which was once again, very reassuring.

After my appointment had ended, and it did not feel rushed at all, booking a follow up appointment, was so simple. The very helpful reception team member worked around my needs, and booked me an appointment for three working days time, and when I returned, the whole of my brilliant experience was repeated all over again, so this was no one off.

All in all, every single member of the team went out of their way to make it as pleasant an experience as possible. Thanks very much.