Let me first start by writing that The NHS is a wonderful national institution that has seen me…read morethrough many operations safely and I admire and respect its employees. However, when my Dad had his operation cancelled, TWICE, THE DAY BEFORE, enough was enough and he went private. Being admitted to The Spire was like checking into a four star hotel. No queues, no waiting time, no stressed out nurses and sleep deprived junior doctors, No busy wards with dubious bed neighbours telling you all about their prolapsed piles, no, no, no, The Spire is private darling and that would never do!! It had free parking, a lovely, friendly receptionist and pleasant waiting area which we were in for almost a minute before a porter came to fetch dad and introduce him to his room. Quite honestly, having had no experience of private hospitals before, the room was not quite as elaborate as I expected. Maybe the chaise longue and swags and tails curtains in my imagination were a bit farfetched. The Spire's bedroom looked like a nice Premier Travel Inn with a TV and a lovely white en-suite bathroom. I suppose I was regarding the whole situation from the wrong perspective. The Spire is not about the decor, it is about providing excellent quality individual care in an environment where a patient can choose their own consultant, experience tremendous facilities and have their ailments addressed promptly. Actually, it was well posh! Dad had to choose from a menu of full English or Continental breakfast, a typical dinner was chicken and sweetcorn soup and prawn salad- he didn't want to leave!. All the staff were so friendly and there were no visiting restrictions. Dad was more than amused to realise that most of the patients were there for cosmetic surgery and I must say that I did have a look at what procedures are performed there ( boobs, nose job, lipo, tummy tuck, eyelid surgery and bingo wings...... I was just curious). Great hospital, lovely staff and dad received the treatment he deserved.

Had hip replacement surgery recently, completed by Professor Max Fehily. From the start of the…read morewhole situation it has been extremely good. The Professor is a wonderful gentleman supported by a Brilliant team within the hospital. At every stage from appointment to admission through recovery to discharge the staff have been wonderful. The Hospital Director Mr Eadsforth has continued to improve and enhance the experience of both patients and staff, and he is well- liked and respected within the organisation. The food is excellent and I highly recommend this hospital if you are contemplating a procedure in the near future.

I was so nervous for my appointment as I have never been to one like it. I was having my coil…read morefitted for the first time. Staff were so friendly and talkative which made me feel at ease. Many struggle to take my bloods but the nurse was amazing and got it first time. I had a very pleasant experience and would fully recommend. ( sorry I didn't get any names )

The Hathersage Centre is *the* place to go for any issue relating to sexual health. The only things…read moreyou need to book in advance for are the HIV clinics. For everything else you simply drop in, write down your name and date of birth for the receptionist and wait your turn in the queue. The centre is modern - in fact it's brand spanking new - and the staff are friendly and professional. They will give confidential advice (which won't be passed to your doctor or anybody else without your consent), free contraception including condoms, the pill, injections, the IUD and emergency contraception, test for STIs and give information about abortions. On Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays they run clinic especially for under 25s - check the website for times.

A fairly decent Doctors surgery in the middle of Stockport, I've never had any problems here and…read morethe staff are usually on it and pretty efficient! There's a Lloyds pharmacy as part of the whole compound which makes it easy to pick up a prescription if you've just been given one by the Dr. They'll also do electronic delivery to any chemist of your choice which makes it easy if you want to prompt them over the phone. Flu jabs for free are always available from Oct/Nov - my arm is still killing 4 days later but it's worth it not to get ill this winter! They're very in/out and they do Saturday flu clinics in case work is a bit manic in the week. The only prob with this place is that it shuts for a good stint at lunch times when sometimes it's the only time you can chat/pop in so make sure get in late morning before the close down.

Surrey Lodge is a lovely medical centre based on Anson road (just after Upper Brook Street). The…read morereception staff are helpful and always make their best effort to get you an appointment which suits you. The practice itself is clean and friendly with a family feel. The building is an old house rather than a custom-built medical centre so the rooms are a little dingy and cramped compared with modern hospitals, but the service and standard is great. The major draw back is the stairs, but if you have difficulty climbing steps the staff will book you an appointment in one of the ground floor rooms. I've been lucky enough to only have to come to the practice a couple of times, but on both of my visits the reception staff and doctors have been pleasant and efficient and I never felt rushed in my appointment as I have done before with some other GPs. There is also a pharmacy next door to the practice which is very handy and stays open past the last appointment so you can always pick up your prescription there and then. If you live nearby I'd recommend Surrey Lodge over other medical practises I have visited.

I've been with this surgery for 2 years....should have run a mile when I first joined them! On day…read more1 they mucked up my prescription from my previous surgery and since then many things there have been just not kosher. I've had dealing with 3 of their doctors each worse than the other. The top floor is the worst. Many's the time I sat there (most appointments are never on time), and listened in sheer embarrassment as some poor client who probably doesn't realise, has his personal details broadcast to all of us outside. So be aware that there's no soundproofing, and this particular doctor is very loud and very obnoxious, and the few times I've been forced to see her, she happily eats her meals during your consultation. Professional behaviour clearly is not top of their priority. I myself am in the medical field, so maybe I have a bit of a bugbear about respect and client confidentiality! More worrying and what made me actually leave this surgery and look for another one, any one...........was when I was started on a medication and when it ran out, they refused to continue the treatment until I had another review (I already had about 4 and this was now to be on a repeat), except with this particular medication, it's dangerous to stop a dose and the side effects are as bad as someone coming cold turkey off heroin. I called the surgery in a flat panic, they took my number and never called back...nice! For 5 days I was unable to function at all, my sugar levels dropped dangerously as I could keep nothing down, I shook so much I couldn't even hold a glass of water without dropping it. The pharmacist was horrified as any doctor should know better than discontinuing this medication without tapering the dose down slowly. Parking is a nightmare too, many a time I've seen cars almost collide as one goes in and one drives out. All the windows are sealed so people sit in sweltering heat be it winter or summer. The magazines are a hundred years old. If you're not good on your pins, those stairs are a nightmare...I mean bloody hell, who has stairs in a surgery for goodness sakes, fine if there's a lift or something! Final rant has to be the receptionists who loudly announce what they do in their private lives, gossip loudly about how inept their doctors are (LOL...even if I agree) but personally I have no truck with them apart from their lack of professionalism. Finally, this is Manchester...very multicultural, so I did think it a tad odd that there was no sign of it amongst their staff...hmmmmm. Goodbye and good riddance :-)

Withington Community Hospital isn't really in Withington. It's in West Didsbury. I was a bit…read moresuspicious when I was referred to this hospital as in my experience any establishment with the word 'community' in it has had zero sense of community and on the contrary has been pretty rough. However, this NHS hospital is large, modern and welcoming with nice artwork on the walls - or so my boyfriend tells me. The dermatology department, which I was referred to, is located in a little old portacabin just down the road. Every time I've been there I've had to wait for at least 20 minutes after my appointment time. The walls are covered in little posters warning patients not to abuse staff if they're running late, which made me think that my experiences were not uncommon. When I was finally seen the treatment I received was absolutely excellent, the nurse was always so friendly and didn't give the impression she was rushing through (probably the reason for the wait). On one visit I also saw a specialist Dr who was just as friendly and helpful. You can park free for 30 minutes (which would be enough to drop someone off but not for an appointment), there is a pay and display machine for longer visits and the 84 bus stops right outside the hospital. There isn't an A&E, so this is only really a hospital you would visit on referral from a GP, but there is also a walk-in centre in the main building.

I have never seen Willington Community Hospital. I looked it up on the internet because I had hoped…read moreto find someone there that would look for information on my grandmother Rose Annie Baldwin (nee Gibson), - grandfather Leonard Edward Baldwin - who gave birth at the hospital to my mother Rose Anne Baldwin on June 27, 1925. Does anyone know if they still have the old records there, or were they moved to another location? Thanks Dale PS I cannot look it up because I live in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

I'm not entirely sure what to write in a review of a GP surgery, but here goes nothing anyway…read more Heaton Moor Medical Centre is a surprisingly large practice, situated about a minutes walk away from the train station. The building itself has just undergone some minor renovation and redesign work. There are a few parking spaces outside, though typically some go unused due to the - we'll say "unorthodox" - parking styles of some other drivers. Inside, the building is clean and well maintained with plenty of seating in the waiting area. All the staff are very friendly and very helpful, which is what you'd expect really. There's also a pharmacy attached to the centre, which is a Well (formerly Co-Op) Pharmacy. It's a decent size, the waiting area is a lot better since they've redesigned the place. Would recommend to anyone in the area who needs a GP.