"Positive experience at GP surgery"

This story has been posted by Healthwatch Tameside on behalf of a member of the public. We have their details and will forward any comments to them. They said…

I am a patient at Haughton Thornley Surgery in Hyde. I rang to make an appointment on Wednesday afternoon a couple of weeks ago. The only option I had was a telephone consultation after 2pm on the following Friday. I duly waited in all afternoon but no call came.

I rang the surgery on Monday and was told a message was left on my answer phone, but there was no message on my phone. I was given an appointment for Wednesday.

The original reason for wanting an appointment were some symptoms I was having that were troubling me, particularly as we have a family history of bowel cancer.

When I eventually got an appointment it was Dr Gutteridge. She was extremely thorough, I had blood tests at the surgery and she referred me to Tameside Hospital for a colonoscopy.

The same afternoon I received a call from the hospital to go for a colonoscopy on the following Thursday.

The next day I got a call from the surgery to say the blood tests had revealed an underactive thyroid and that there was a prescription waiting for me and that I wouldn’t have to pay for that.

All in all, once you do get to see a doctor it’s a very positive experience.