Lordswood House Group Medical Practice

Can’t get an appointment, either over the phone or on the laptop. No choice of appointment. Hold on for ages for them to answer. Have to wait for at least 30 to 45 minutes before you get through and no appointment. Could give you one in 3 weeks.

I have suffered the arrogance of the receptionists at Lordswood for many years, but in recent years it has started to affect my health and I feel I need to warn people.
Initially, my concerns were triggered by listening to the receptionists slagging off telephone callers (by name and sometimes by address) while I was sitting, waiting to see a doctor. I used to comment on this behaviour to whichever doctor I saw (including the managing partner) but nothing ever changed.
Since Covid, Lordswood Practice seems to have abandoned the concept of patients seeing doctors. In 2022, I tried for two months without success to get an appointment to discuss coming off one of my medications. Every day I was told “No. No appointments. Try again tomorrow.” even though I was happy to accept an appointment days or weeks in the future. My carer even turned up every day in person for two weeks before they opened the phone lines for appointments. She was literally first in the queue, ahead of everyone else, but every day she was told the same thing “No appointments” Eventually, she broke down in the street after she caught the receptionists sniggering and nudging each other as she walked in. She had to be comforted and helped home by a kind, passing hospital doctor. After two months, I accepted defeat and just stopped taking the drug (an antidepressant) without medical supervision. And yes, it was horrible (but I am glad I did it). When my carer asked me “Why are they (the receptionists) like this?” I answered “Because they can be. It’s an abuse of power. They are little people trying to punish the world for their littleness.”
Finally, Lordswood is yet another practice that is trying to force patients to see ‘physician assistants’ rather than qualified doctors. These assistants only have to have a science degree to be employed (eg geography or geology) and don’t need any medical or first aid training or experience. The original justification for this idea (which came from American healthcare and private equity firms as a way of boosting profits from deprived areas and vulnerable people ) was to help with administration. But now they are to be the first line of people seen by patients.
I wish the regulator would do something about this place. For too long, It has been allowed to be a goldmine for the partners at the expense of patients. But if you can never get an appointment with a doctor, why is the NHS continuing to give the place millions of £’s per annum (I meant it when I said it is a goldmine)? The taxpayers should not be paying private businessmen (the partners) for a service that is not being delivered.

Good doctor and appointments. See my son when I need them to.

It's a fort knox. I've signed up with them but they're difficult to approach. I've not had a face to face appointment with them, I had a telephone call from a GP but it sounded a bit like a scam. I don't like it over the phone. The GP didn't tell me their name over the phone.

Doctors are good but long waiting time. Environment is clean.

Good – get an appointment 2 days after you call. Pretty quick turnaround of appointments and never have to wait too long, when I go there. They also send medication to the pharmacy next door really quickly.

Not needed to get an appointment but can if I do need one, does take a while to get through but I can get seen when I need to.

Not happy with GP waiting time for referral to hospital for finger. Have to take tramadol for pain. Went for an appointment on 27th and they said need an operation and they will send an appointment for operation but not received anything.

Can get appointments with them. I do wait a long time for them to answer but I can eventually get an appointment. It won’t always be with the same doctor but I do get an appointment.

Can't get an appointment, until you speak up louder. Takes a while to get an appointment then it's over the phone and I would rather see them face to face.