Rother House Medical Centre

I am not a patient at this surgery but my 78 year old mother is so I am reviewing on what I have heard from her experiences. My mother has a serious blood condition, diagnosed well before Covid hit and which probably in itself took way too long to diagnose-thankfully, she now receives regular medication and checkups at the hospital for this condition. She has recently started to experience mobility issues, likely connected to the two replacement hips she has but which have meant that in a short space of time she has gone from being able to walk a mile or two or three times a week to now not being able to get around her kitchen. Trying to get passed a telephone consultation and actually see a dr for an examination has got harder and harder and as for x rays and scans it was at last mentioned by the dr she did get to see last week. At the same appointment she was given gel and co codamol for the pain with the second giving her dreadful nausea and stomach problems. She was also prescribed a cortisone injection for the pain, has heard nothing and when she called to chase today was tersely told she is in a q with other patients. I actually cannot believe how bad things have got and feel like patients are in the middle of the war between government and the nhs. I am positive we are treating our animals better - I could and have cried for the pain my mum is in - we should be doing better

I would not recommend this surgery at all. I'm afraid to ask for an appointment, I have health concerns, but in the past I have been made to feel like a time waster. I don't feel like the GPs actually care, they just want to send you away with a prescription. I have been prescribed so much co-codomol over the past few years I was starting to think it was a problem. Instead of getting to the root of any problems they send you away. They don't seem to like to refer to any specialists. I had to insist my child was referred, after a specialist asked family members be referred for genetical testing. My child does infact have the rare life threatening condition. So I'm glad I insisted. The reception staff are very unfriendly and rude, and lack basic empathy and politeness. You can never get an appointment, even pre covid I would call at least 60 times to try and get through to find all appointments we're gone by 8:30am. Now you can't see at dr at all it seems. I have one child with numerous health conditions and disabilities, and have found Dr Banfield to be incredibly thougher with her. I have only found him to be helpful, caring and supportive. When a patient is too afraid to ask and seek help from a doctor, because they fear being ignored or made to feel like they're awaiting everyone's time, there is clearly something wrong. I would not recommend this surgery, nor do I think I have received good and knowledgeable care from here.

When I spoke to one of the doctors about having a colonoscopy as I have been experiencing certain symptoms I was told the procedure was too risky as my bowel may be pierced by the procedure - I ignored his advice and proceeded to see a consultant privately - he was horrified by this GP’s advice and said it was tantamount to condemning certain patients to an earlier death as obviously a colonoscopy can detect early bowel cancer - was this about saving money ? I shall in future ignore a GP’s advice and see a specialist directly