Absolutely awful
My son required a referral to see a private medical professional. As per the T&C’s of our insurance company, a referral must be obtained by my son’s GP prior to making a claim. This usually means either a phone call or an in-person appointment with a GP to assess and a referral letter is issued hours later to be collected. Not the case in this practice. They are, apparently, the only practice in the entire United Kingdom that does not provide medical referrals to patients to be seen, not by NHS professionals, but by my own privately funded medical insurance. They proceed to show us a leaflet that shows that there is a cost of up to £100 for referrals depending on the urgency of the situation. While at the practice, they categorically refused to speak to my insurance company who was on the phone at the time of the incident. The person from the insurance company was in disbelief of what was going on and expressed that it had never happened before. Thank goodness that my insurance company offered me a solution. My son will be assessed by a medical professional through my insurance, over the phone early next week and they will issue the referral my son requires. At no extra cost to myself. Never was I advised of the possibility of requesting a second opinion regarding my son’s need to be seen by a medical professional. I have been with my insurance for over a decade and moved countless times. Never have I been witness to this sort of thievery and lack of care. Not only do I pay an exorbitant amount for National Insurance, I also pay an exorbitant amount for our private insurance. And this practice has the cynicism to want to charge me £100 to write a letter for my son to see a medical professional provided by my own private insurance. If you are thinking of joining this practice I highly advise against it. Look elsewhere.