Forum Topic

Chiswick GP surgeries. Looking for recommendations.

After more years than I dare admit with my current GP practice I am thinking of going elsewhere. After all the recent amalgamations and the opening of the new Health Centre in Fishers Lane does anyone  have any up to date experiences to draw on for recommendations - or indeed otherwise? I would be particularly interested to hear about people's opinions  of the Health Centre.

Bruce Hammal ● 24d29 Comments

Everybody will have their own preferences but for many years I was with Wellesley Road Pracatice and was very satisfied. Then there was the change in leadership, the amalgamation and the introduction of PATCH which was awful and impersonal. So I jumped ship to Chiswick Health practice which is now in the new Fishers Lane Health centre. I have been satisfied with my move and I like the fact that one can just phone for an appointment with little wait time, trouble or interogation.  Nice polite people. Hopefully Wellesley Road is now back on track but it was a difficult time.It is worth saying that switching practices is not difficult - it is a pretty seamless exercise - I have done it twice in thirty years and it wasn't a problem.  I wasn't interogated and it wasn't bureacratic. 

Jackie Elton ● 14d

Thanks Kimberly - I am finally close to at least differentiating between the various combos. However I am delaying making a move as I am currently in a rather confused diagnosis/treatment cycle that I don't think would be helped by switching at this point. I suppose we should count ourselves lucky to have so much choice - even if it is of the Hobson's variety!

Bruce Hammal ● 15d

Bruce- Yes, my new GP practice, Chiswick Health Practice is in the new Chiswick Health Centre building, on the second floor. I will admit my own confusion when initially muddling through multiple 'Chiswick Health' options as I was planning my switch and wonder how many people end up at an unintended practice due to the similarity of names. Even then I pondered who it is that has the enviable task of deciding what to name a GP practice, and what factors would steer them to pick a name so close to 4 other businesses! I understand the 20th century logic behind naming a business AAA Auto sales. This newer approach must certainly be related to internet search algorithms and placements?  Hope you have found all the info you need to make a sound decision and find the best practice for you.

Kimberly Collison ● 15d

Personal observations:1. New health centre in Fishers Lane is fab, if a little clinical (no pun intended).2. I really like the Grove Park reception area and location.3. Wellesley Road has been a mainstay for my wife and boys for years.4. There is no point 4.5. Essentially they are all the same, just location preference.I think it is all down to how convenient the site is for you. Making an appointment is just as difficult in all of them but once you get an appointment the wait time on site is negligible (at least it is at Fishers Lane).

Chris Blackwell ● 18d

Thanks all for your suggestions and observations. As far as I can make out there is no clear winner to this competition! The amalgamating of practices and the (presumably imposed) online booking system which is common to all of them makes it hard to choose. The plethora of practice names constructed around the words "Chiswick", "Health" and "Medical" only adds to the confusion. That, and the fact that the new Chiswick  Health Centre is the name of the building and not the practices it contains!Anyway I will read through all of this again and eventually come to a conclusion - which may well just come down to proximity or a stab in the dark.

Bruce Hammal ● 18d

Just to add to the confusion!To clarifyThe practice that merged that was previously in the Health Centre & remains there is Chiswick Family Doctors Practice. As opposed to Chiswick Family Practice which was on Southfield Rd.One word different!If you go on to NHS choices you can read & add reviews of local practices. There are also Google reviews

Gina Auerbach ● 18d

I wish there was a better way to understand the quality of service by GP surgeries. After all, we put our health in their hands. I’m thinking of changing my GP… so useful to read this thread.

Emma Elizabeth ● 18d

The Doctors are all excellent. Now .. The receptionists are extremely difficult to deal with.  My partner wanted to do an appointment for me and she couldn’t find my details. In the end she screamed at him :”She is not reeeeegistred!!!l”I had it on 2 occasions that I went in person and asked for repeat prescriptions and Campbells never got the request. One time Cambells again went out of their way and gave them to us without a prescription. The gentleman at the main entrance is super polite, the receptionists … often unfriendly and I honestly don’t want to go there anymore.

Katja Urban ● 20d

I stayed at the Fishers Lane surgery when I moved to Brentford because I knew the GPs and the way it worked there. The practice I used is now merged with Grove Park (as was) and Wellesley Road (as was). My old GP practice was pretty good but it is far, far better now. If I need an appointment I go on line in the morning and so far on every occasion I have had an appointment on the same day. Sometimes that is a video appointment online which is fine with me. GPs decide whether they need to see me and I am happy to go to any of the sites.I have been to Wellesley a couple of times, Grove Park once and the new Fishers Lane place several times. I agree the signposting in Fishers is confusing and needs to be improved, but the facilities are much better and there are more services on site. I think the change is fantastic.

Guy Lambert ● 20d

To add to the malaise, if your appointment is on the 2nd floor and you wish to inform reception of your arrival go to the 1st floor counter, not the 2nd.Have a nice day.

Denis I. Fox ● 20d

...yet at the time there was much talk of GP practices 'merging' in the new premises, but although that happened to some extent, we still have several practices in the same building with their subtly different names and segregated facilities. Seems a missed opportunity.

Peter Evans ● 21d

I, like Kimberly, am also a patient at Chiswick Health Practice. I have been a patient there for many years and am very happy with the care I receive.I agree the names are confusing. I understand that there are 3 different GP practices in the Health Centre.Chiswick Health Practice is on the 2nd Floor (my practice) and W4 and Chiswick Medical Practice are both on the 1st floor. Chiswick Medical Practice is a merged practice of Chiswick Family Practice (who have always been in the health centre) and 2 other GP practices, outside of the Chiswick Health Centre (Wellesley Road and Grove Park Surgery). If you are looking for a new GP, I would definitely recommend Chiswick Health Practice, on the 2nd Floor of Chiswick Health Centre

Pat Cox ● 21d

Will do Jim. Thanks.

Bruce Hammal ● 21d

Speak to local Pharmacists too Bruce!

Jim Lawes ● 21d

Suggestion Bruce!Google: "GP reviews Chiswick"!

Jim Lawes ● 21d

Jim, as it happens the Burlington Lane surgery - currently called the Chiswick Medical Practice but previously known as Grove Park Surgery - would be the nearest to where I now live. I believe this too is part of an amalgamated group of local surgeries, namely Chiswick Family Doctors and Wellesley Road Surgery. Talk about spoilt for choice! However comparative user reviews are hard to come by and I'm starting to think they're all much of a muchness, all operating on the principle of keeping the GPs away from their patients at all costs.

Bruce Hammal ● 21d

I hate the new system I miss being able to just ring up for an appointment, or turn up and wait in the morning for a GP visit. It takes weeks now and is so difficult and confusing. Mine is CMP.

Petey Rosebar ● 21d

As others have suggested, the ‘restructuring’ of the Chiswick Health Centre has coincided with the introduction of numerous new processes - make an online application, send an online picture, have a phone conversation - that make seeing an actual doctor more remote. No wonder the spacious new waiting room is usually empty! Having said that, I’ve yet to test what would happen if I just turned up with a problem. In addition, what might have been a merger of several GP practices, potentially offering access to more doctors and greater efficiencies, appears to be the same separate practices sharing the same building, even with separate reception positions. ‘Sorry, I’m the Chiswick Medical Practice. You want the Chiswick Family Doctors!’ Like the legendary Judean People’s Front and the People’s Front of Judaea!

Peter Evans ● 22d

Three GP practices under one roof occurs in Brentford too Bruce.There's a large central reception / waiting area at the Brentford Health Centre in Boston Manor Road ... and each of the Practices has their own reception counter.Performances of the three have been discussed locally over the years and one that was considered 'poor' has seemingly improved a lot.Is the performance of the Chiswick 3 discussed anywhere ... on line even?I find attending my GP's reception desk late in the afternoon produces results.There's a GP practice in Burlington Lane, near Chiswick Station, any reports on that?

Jim Lawes ● 22d

The merging of Chiswick's three practices into one building in Fishers Lane whilst retaining the locations of the original practices can cause confusion.Kimberley, your decision to change doctors has worked out well for you; for me I follow the doctrine "Once a Gunner always a Gunner" and have stuck with Wellesley Road who have served me well for years.Sometimes a change of personnel in reception can make things awkward and that can happen in every practice.

Denis I. Fox ● 22d

Adding to the mystery was this: "The centre is home to three GP practices – Chiswick Health Practice, Chiswick Medical Practice, and West4GPs – and the Chiswick Primary Care Network staff and services."Do you then have to choose which of the seemingly separate practices to opt for?

Bruce Hammal ● 22d

Thank you very much for your reply Kimberly. Can I assume that by "Chiswick Health  Practice" you mean the new facility in Fishers Lane on the site of the old  place? Misleadingly the building's signage calls it Chiswick Health Centre which led to some confusion when I was researching the various options.

Bruce Hammal ● 22d

Bruce, After many years with another local GP practice, in 2024 I decided to  take the risks and change GP's. Was not an easy change for me to consider, as like football teams, I always thought you stuck with a GP until one of you was.... out of action. I did a lot of research, and asked everyone I ran into for recommendations. Finally took the jump last spring to Chiswick Health Practice. Best decision I made last year as the difference has been night and day. It's fast and easy to get appointments, communications with their office are prompt, the online services are streamlined and......gasp....logical! My prescriptions come through on time and without any issues so far. I've gotten referrals quickly and the follow up has been breathtakingly quick and thorough. The admin team has been friendly, smiling and quick thinking. It feels as if I have a health care team on my side working to get me to my optimum health. Sitting in the new, clean, spacious, light filled and pleasant smelling waiting room last month waiting for a follow up appt, I actually caught myself wondering if this was real, or all a pitched fever dream. It's real, I have a GP practice that is, so far, playing a blinder. Good luck in your hunt!

Kimberly Collison ● 22d

I replied to Bruce's enquiry from an architectural point of view.That said I agree with the many frustrations aired here on the high use of tech used by GPs to correspond with patients; for example  much deftness is required to make an appointment for a simple jab.To be fair to doctors I do believe that for elderly and sickly patients diligent attention is given, even contacting them by letter or main line phone begad.

Denis I. Fox ● 23d

Bruce, they are all much the same, impossible situation.

Janice Evans ● 23d

Robert, this exactly sums up my recent experience with my current practice, and is why I am considering a move. Your reply however indicates that I might as well stay put!It does indeed now seem impossible to have a face-to-face consultation with a GP. I couldn't even manage to get a phone call, instead being subjected to the horrors of the PATCHS thing that seems to be the gatekeeper for all GP contact. If you manage to outwit  the system you might just rack up a score high enough to get you onto another level of the game and a step nearer an actual human being, but only if you are really persistent. This is why A&E departments are overflowing with patients, many of whom should have been seeing their GP. That was my fate last week when I had the pleasure of spending eight and a half hours at Charing Cross.I suppose I must now consider myself as elderly, though thus far I just about manage to keep up with the technology. The problem is that so much of that NHS technology is dreadful - a mish-mash of systems and websites, none of which seem to be properly integrated and which are often very difficult to navigate. "Don't get old, don't get sick".

Bruce Hammal ● 23d

The new health centre does little to address the problem of difficulty of access to a GP. Face to face  consultations are becoming as rare as hens' teeth, and telephone call-backs are inherently unsatisfactory. You get one call from the GP, miss it and have to start again. And how are elderly people supposed to cope with the increasing use of online systems for reporting medical issues?

Robert Fish ● 23d

Pristine, spacious, eerily quiet, functional, underwhelming.Oh, two nice lifts.

Denis I. Fox ● 23d

Anybody?

Bruce Hammal ● 23d