Woodley Village Surgery

I’ve been kicked out of The Village Surgery despite it being my family practice since 1997, due to us recently moving 160 metres further than our previous address. Completely let down by the team who insist on this policy, despite it not being enforced by the NHS. Now I have been forced to join a far less adequate and over-subscribed GP, which appears more like an online front, with a bunch of links to inadequate digital tech that has replaced dealing with actual humans. All the while, The Village Surgery continue to throttle the volume of appointments they service… having never seemingly recovered back to the service they successfully ran pre-covid. The (often) empty waiting room and the doctors wearing casual loungewear, gives the impression of their part-time / part-private sector / work from home type approach. Happily accepting more and more ‘new’ patients no doubt, whilst kicking longstanding patients off the register with no discretion. So having been always satisfied and familiar with this surgery, I’m now in a pool of barely any GP care, due to the negligible distance of a mere 160 metres further than our previous address. Appalling disregard to longstanding family members of this practise. Furthermore: To reassure me somehow, on one of their last interactions, I was informed that they were even kicking patients off-register who are currently receiving palliative end-of-life care, for the same reason as mine. Citing the fact home visits would be out of area as the excuse. Home visits! As if it is still common place for doctors to go out on home visits. Ridiculous! It’s a poor show that they can’t seem to use some professional discretion. I guess it pays more into the pockets of those in charge of these decisions to just callously farm out a patients care, even at end of life, due to an administrative formality. I feel so so sorry for our elderly population if this is the attitude nowadays. To be clear, this is a decision that is made by the practice themselves, as it states on the NHS website that a practice may consider a patient application request, even if out of area. So they have the authority, but choose not to honour longstanding patients. So the Village Surgery aren’t powerless to this position. They just insist they have no choice as lip service. Such a shame. Instead of maintaining their own integrity and quality of service, they have instead decided to deteriorate their service in line with the current rate of universal decline of accessible nhs services available to the general public. How could I possibly recommend this surgery to my friends and family? We have been monumentally let down. I’d avoid this surgery at all costs if I were you. The Village Surgery no longer seem to prioritise the fundamental care of their patients. And will ultimately bin you off if your circumstances change, no matter how minimal.

I don't know how anyone with any pride can work in this appaling excuse for a medical practice. Everythign about BVS is an uphill climb from securing an appointment with an actual doctor (as opposed to turning up and finding you're with a nurse practitioner) to finding out your results which have been presented to me by a receptionist with absolutely no qualifications to do so or to answer the inevitable questions that follow. I was told my x-ray showed signs of arthritits through sniggers! I asked for a follow up call with the practice manager and I am 3 weeks on and still not a word. Communication is a real weakness here. The premesis is like a squat, unused furniture piled up in consulting rooms and the doctors look like they have given up certainly in relation to how they present themselves. I was kept waiting for 45 minutes (they have never been on time) becasue they didn't have the required instrument required to inspect my mole. Didn't bother coming to update me whilst I sat in the depressing chair in the depressing waiting room. I was then told my mole was nothing! And was told with glee if I want a referral to dermatology they wouldn't authorise it and it would be at least 18 months in any event. Helpful - no. Pro-patient - absolutely not - you are treated like an inconvenience. Appalling front of house and call handling - they will simply cut you off if you dare to raise any kind of complaint. Remember they receive an allowance for all registered patients so do vote with your feet.

It is difficult at times to get an appointment but the surgery is very busy. If you get to see a doctor hope the it is Dr Goldspink. He is very good.