Alwoodley Medical Centre

This GP has been one of the best I have ever been to. For the past five years, I have been with them the doctors have always looked into my matters carefully, given me good advice and not dismissed my concerns. They have referred me to a specialist when needed. Even the reception staff and team answering the phone calls are brilliant and professional. I have never felt dismissed by them. Yes, it takes some time to be seen sometimes but that's fine, they have other people to prioritise. Personally, I am fine with that. I am satisfied with the level of service by this practice. A big thank you to the staff at Alwoodley Medical Centre.

A GP surgery that turns getting medication into an Olympic sport As a new patient, I emailed on Monday for my prescription as advised. I was told it would be at the pharmacy by Wednesday. It wasn’t. I called, they promised an “emergency request.” That didn’t happen either — shocking, I know. When the prescription finally appeared, two of my heart medications were missing and won’t be in stock until Monday. Nothing like a five-day gap in essential meds to keep life interesting. And the receptionist? So rude she actually hung up on me. Impressive customer service — if the goal is to make patients give up and stop calling. If this surgery aimed to create chaos, confusion, and mild despair, they’ve nailed it. If they aimed to provide basic healthcare… well, there’s room for improvement.

Fantastic GP surgery, quick and efficient process of getting an appointment. Receptionists are very helpful and the clinical knowledge and acumen of the GPs is outstanding. Highly recommend for anyone new to the area or considering changing practice.

Disappointed by the Frontline Experience I want to start by saying the reception team, doctors and medical staff at this practice are absolutely brilliant — professional, caring, and thorough. However, the experience of dealing with the telephone operatives is consistently upsetting and unacceptable. Every time I’ve had to call — often on behalf of my elderly grandmother — I’ve been met with rudeness, aggression, and a complete lack of empathy. They talk over you, argue unnecessarily, and seem more interested in confrontation than helping. I’ve left calls feeling shaken and nearly in tears, which is the last thing anyone needs when trying to arrange care for a loved one. It makes me wonder if these individuals have had any training or experience in patient-facing roles. A couple of staff members stand out as particularly unpleasant, though I didn’t catch their names. Sadly, even the “better” ones are just the best of a bad bunch. To whoever is responsible for overseeing professionalism and patient experience: please step in. Either replace the team or urgently provide training. If this is the standard you accept, it reflects very poorly on the practice as a whole. Patients and carers deserve better.

GPs are good but the appointment system is abysmal. Contact is difficult and some reception staff are not overly helpful. I have requested twice in two weeks for the Practice Manager to contact me… no response from her. I contacted reception again today to be told there is nothing on my notes about a request for the PM and all the receptionist could do was submit a request. I asked how I could be certain she would get this as she has not responded to the previous two requests. The receptionist said she would request it but no point in asking to be put through to anyone else and we were just going round in circles. She then hung up on me as I was asking for her name!