Westgate Health Co-Op Ltd.

"I’ve been attending this clinic for over 15 years and had always found the care excellent by a few select doctors. Usually my regular doctor is excellent however she is currently away and I recently saw a different doctor, Dr Bennett Salvin. I would never recommend Dr Salvin. I felt minimised and as if I was drug seeking by this arrogant doctor. As someone who avoids medication as much as possible but currently has a back fracture and is in severe pain, I could not believe how unprofessional Dr Salvin was. I have complex health issues and was shocked that it seemed like he didn’t even read my patient records. I found him extremely unprofessional and dismissive and if I could give him half a star I would. Avoid at all costs."

"i always thought a co op were supposed to look after its members for years we have been paying a members fee to receive bulk billing but now the board and committee have changed that without any consultation with its members and are no longer bulk billing every one including pensioners and health care card holders even after paying the membership fee i was told this change was due to not getting doctors that may be a fair statement but when it comes down to pensioners and health care card holders they still no longer bulk bill them how caulous and narrow minded to not bulk bill them as with the cost of living going up they are the least to be able to afford it i rang around to some none bulk billing clinics and asked if they bulk billed pensioners/health care card holders and the answer was YES (AND THEY DON,T CHARGE YOU A MEMBERSHIP FEE) it now seems that this clinic is all about the dollar and no longer about its members and please don,t give me the spiel that that you can,t get doctors because they don,t want to bulk bill the disadvantage if that,s the case then maybe they should not work in clinics maybe more to come on this matter ps i have been coming here for over 40 years"

"Used to be an excellent health co-op with a great range of doctors, but that changed several years back due to internal politics and the mistreatment of one of the doctors, which over time resulted in all the good doctors leaving. Remaining doctors are either focused on churning through patients at a quick pace without delving into issues properly, or the good ones are too over extended to complete follow up work. While I appreciate the need to move away from bulk billing, the overall current vibe is very much about recouping losses over patient care."

"When you pay for an annual membership you can forgive the lateness of appointments, the bad connection on telehealth calls and the wait lists for doctors, as it is such good value for money. Now they're charging for appointments as well as the membership, it should be a better service. My test results telehealth call with the doctor wasn't on time, was a broken conversation with a delay and took less than ten minutes, yet I was charged for a full consultation. Results to a test ordered by the doctor in a previous appointment should be an extension of that appointment. So, my word of advice is, don't ring with one medical issue, make sure you fill your 15 minutes"

"I was reading the below reviews. After being a patient here for about 25 years ... there is always the good and the bad. One thing that surprised me though was the negatives here about reception staff. I've always found they have always been most helpful and courteous to us. I've not had a problem with them in 25 years! They have a very complicated and undervalued role there. Covid would not have helped! So thank you to all of you for your role in our community. The public forget the pressures on businesses everywhere which needs to be factored in if staff appear grumpy some days. Consumers are equally as responsible for courtesy, as reception staff are on the front line of others' frustrations. I've always feel the doctors are very overloaded there and seem constantly under time pressure which can lead to a feeling of being fobbed off often and not listened to effectively which is not safe in and of itself and causes onging stress for patients. I've been misdiagnosed or ignored and gone elsewhere a few times during that time which was concerning. But I blame that mostly on the time pressure and lack thereof. Which of course, is no excuse and is also unsafe. I love a great all round physician. But they can be challenging to find. One of the most important skills is to actively listen to a patient and parents to give effective care. At the same time I've had individual valued care from a few on numerous occasions. I hope that going private may change this culture for the better and supports staff morale. As I fully appreciate and support the crucial roles our GP's play in society. Sadly, gone is the town family doctor and the community policeman. It is a struggle to keep with the same one these days. There are and have been many great doctors there all doing their best with a too massive workload. So to those who own the clinic, look after your staff and excellent patient care will naturally follow. Cultural attitudes often come from the top!! Please listen to your staff's needs at your clinic. Because it can become more costly to you in the long term if you don't. But thank you to all the positive support we have had over the years.It has not gone unnoticed. And yes, I miss Dr Dinesh too! One of the few who makes his patients feel listened to without feeling rushed. I hope this honest review is constructive and helps one way or the other. Kind Regards to All"