Newtown Health Centre

I am very happy and satisfied with my GP.

They are ok but you can’t get through most of the time. Staff is very good and helpful.

Appointment bookings can take days or a week or longer to get trough Gp operators, when answering the call is mostly is already full booked. The booking window is only from 8am to 10 am. After that hour mostly the phone is only answered to tell to call back next day at 8am. It is a nightmare.

Request in or book a call back tomorrow morning and the wait in the cue to see of you are one the lucky ones that will receive an appointment for a call back

Have an extremely bad experience with the practice. They have mis-diagnosed me for over two months when I have been constantly chasing them and they have been telling me to take ibuprofen when I had actually blood clots and a life-threatening condition. When I asked for them to see me in person they said they want me to send them pictures instead and took no samples whatsoever to see what exactly my condition is. Booking an appointment whilst you are inside of the practice is impossible. When you call practice at 8am as they only want you to call at 8:00 am, when the lines are full and they cut you off. if you call any time after, receptionists ask you to call the next day, without even asking what the issue is and understanding the severity of the problem. I called 7 days in a row to be able to get a blood thinning prescription sorted, on 6 of the days without success. I asked the practice to speak to a doctor because I have severe side effects from the blood thinners and am heavily bleeding on my period and have clots as big as my hand coming out, on first day they put on the record that they called me when they never did this, on second day, as I spoke to them the phone cut off whilst I asked them a question. Doctor said she tried to call me several times and she couldn't get through which clearly shows the practice has phone line issues since my phone is available at all times. Since patients can only be reached and discuss via phone this is HORRIBLE and it is scarry to see its not addressed in any way! I explained to practice that I am a single mother in full time employment who is feeling as sick as a dog and receives 0 help from them and that it is extremely hard for me to call every day and be put on hold for an hour, whilst I get kids ready for school as well. Last doctor I spoke to referred me to the hospital, which I feel its the only sensible decision so far, given my situation, but getting to that point was a clear battle and when you are not well this is the last thing you need. I tried to speak to the management on multiple occasions too, to address this, raised an complaint directly with them, called multiple times and received 0 feedback because they simply do not care about the people. They blame it all on Covid and say everyone needs to wait on the phone line. No option to book anything online. Going to practice is only recommended for putting a paper in a box for repeat prescriptions (which reception advised "there is no other way"), whereas for them to check the records and book an appointment for you in any day of the week is impossible...this in the context where bookings are taken only for the next day. 0 logic...if I have no credit to call or no phone access or if my English was poor, I could basically die in my house and they would not care. I really do not want to even imagine what people who have a poor English have to go through when ringing this practice...And I will not start about the second class letters they send for appointments, because that is a totally different level of absurdity in the year 2021 when we have so much technology at hand...appointments made 2 months after you had severe symptoms etc...

Online survey questionnaire: What has worked well for you during lockdown?
Answer: My GP - Newtown Health Centre.

My GP is very good, he referred me to the hospital for my problem but it’s the hospital that keeps me waiting.

Always have to wait for an appointment. Have to call early in the morning to get an appointment. Doctors are good and explain the treatment well.

Seen nurse asked a few questions and she kept saying ask a doctor

Very good and helpful GP service. I am with them since long and can say they are the best.