"Unhelpful and Disorganised Practice "

I rarely write complaints, but my recent experience with Edith Cavell Surgery has left me feeling incredibly frustrated and let down. Over the past week, I’ve tried calling 4-5 times to get an appointment, but each time has been a dead end.

No Assessment of Need: Despite multiple calls, at no point was I assessed or asked about the reason for my appointment. This left me feeling neglected and unheard.

Unhelpful and Rude Staff: On at least three occasions, the staff I spoke with were rude and dismissive. Their tone and lack of willingness to help made an already stressful situation so much worse.

Call Disconnected: One of my calls was randomly cut off, and nobody called me back or followed up. It felt like I was completely ignored.

Confusing Online Booking System: After spending over an hour on the phone waiting, a practitioner who guided me through the app to book an appointment, I was finally hopeful. I left the page open as I had a work meeting, which I was running late to since I was waiting on the phone for over an hour to speak with somone from the practice (meeting lasted 30-40 min). When I was done with the meeting and looked at my phone the page said, "online consultations are now closed." It felt like a complete waste of time and energy.

Still No Appointment: Despite all my efforts, I’m still without an appointment. It’s been incredibly frustrating, especially since there’s been no effort to assess the urgency of my issue or offer a clear pathway to get the help I need.

Things Have Gotten Worse: The old system wasn’t perfect, but it was much better than this. I used to be able to call during opening hours, explain my situation, and get an appointment within a reasonable time frame, even if it wasn’t at my usual practice. Now, it feels impossible to get even the simplest help.

Honestly, I’m really disappointed. The whole experience has been exhausting and stressful. It feels like patients aren’t valued anymore, and the new system has made things so much harder.

I hope this feedback is taken seriously. I wouldn’t wish this experience on anyone, and I truly hope the practice makes some changes soon to prioritize patient care. Right now, I can’t recommend this practice to anyone and feel compelled to escalate this issue further.