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 have been with the Whittaker Lane Medical Centre for years now, and apart from the tired decor…read moreand a few many minutes too long sat in that waiting room I can't complain. Best to make an appointment here. I only remember ever having seen Dr. Schryer who has many devotees in the area (always a good sign) and Dr. Taylor but I'm sure Dr. Bromley is a top class GP too. One other thing; I had to re-register recently and it was a bit of a farce. I rang up the first day and was given the name and time that the 'manager' would be in. Next day: ring at the allocated time and she isn't in but a second member of staff says it will be fine to come down. Can I make an appointment? No, it takes a few days to process. But the first person says it was fine once I'd spoken to the manager? Anyway its a messy system when you're not in urgent ill health then they stick to their laboured paperwork and protocol. Yawn.

In most places in the country you have to wait until the Blood Donor service visits before you can…read moredonate some blood, but Norfolk House is here all year round. It's bright, clean and modern with very friendly staff. Make sure to book your appointment in advance. Although it is possible to walk in and donate, you may have quite a wait - especially whilst social distancing reduces the number of people they can accommodate at any given time. And it goes without saying - once you've donated your blood you get a drink and a snack... cup of tea and a chocolate orange Club biscuit for me, thanks!

This is where you go to donate blood - look away now if that makes you feel icky!…read more Where I'm from there is no dedicated blood donation centre and so to donate blood I'd have to go to a church, village hall, or a porta cabin etc. So it's great to me that this place has one purpose and is open most days for that purpose. It's clean and bright and welcoming in here, which is helped by the very friendly staff who will take time to chat to you and make you feel at ease. There are closed off rooms where you discuss your health questionnaire and get the dreaded finger prick (worst bit of donating blood - seriously). In the makeshift blood donation centres I'm used to going to this would just be a table with a screen pulled round it - not very confidential if you're discussing something sensitive! I've never had any pain or discomfort during the actual donation here, even though I have small uncooperative veins. Tip for anyone who struggles to make a full donation within the time limit: you might be dehydrated, up your water intake in general and drink loads of water in the days leading up to the appointment. The staff always make sure I'm happy and have a laugh and a joke with me. After your donation you have to sit for a few minutes so the staff can monitor you in case you die (I'm kidding...) and so you can have a hot drink and some snacks which include Seabrooks crisps. Yes, king of all crisps, for the small price of a pint of your blood. You've (hopefully) got plenty of that. Dropping one star because on my most recent visit, my arm felt weird (sore, tender, painful) after the donation and when I asked a nurse about it they said I should ring the helpline if it got worse. Of course there was nothing wrong and while I fully believe that they'd have helped me if there was, I didn't feel particularly supported in that moment. In terms of city centre location and the fact that I always have a good experience here, I'd recommend coming here to give your blood away to those who need it.

Needed a physio as i pulled my achilles and found city-physio on the interweb…read more Based on an initial consultation; the amount of information, treatment (sports massage and ultrasound) and exercises that fitted into a half hour session was phenomenal. The consultant appears to be honest, but time will tell (as long as I do what he says!!).

They also have a Yelp review with their London address in Harley Street…read more The operators at the call centre are wonderful. The doctor responded quickly and was very professional. They were very expensive but I was desperate. The thing that let me down was that when I called back for a re prescription of the medication I had gotten before, they tried to charge me for a phone consultation and to fax it. Their fees were extremely high for the service offered and most doctors will re prescribe medication without the need for a further consultation. They are obviously trying to maximise their profits as any ruthless business would do. If you use their services you will be considered a client and not a patient. Only to be used in desperate situations and if you are prepared to pay extortionate prices.

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.

I had mini macs face lift surgery by Mr Raghavan February 2016 under general anaesthetic…read more Unfortunately for me the results were non existent as can be seen clearly in the before and after photos. I immediately raised my concerns at numerous post surgery appointments with Mr Raghavan where he explained the stitches had failed under my skin resulting in my face/skin dropping back to pre surgery status.. He agreed to revision surgery but told me I had to wait a year for my face to settle properly... 2017 attended 6 further consultations travelling 1 & 1/2 hours each time. Eventually it was booked for Sept 17 (1&1/2 years later) but it was cancelled as Mr Raghavan had an injury and couldn't perform surgery..however I was assured it would be re scheduled for October at the latest...and I was left with a week booked off work that I couldn't rearrange... By December 17 I was still waiting. Mr Raghavan called me to inform me it would be another year before he could perform surgery therfore offered me fillers or surgery with a colleague instead. January 2018 almost 2 years since original failed surgery I repeatedly call Pall Mall to try and arrange a consultation with another surgeon. Eventually one was arranged with a Mr Al Gawad and I attended not 1 but 3 consultations and a pre op and revision surgery was finally promised for as soon as possible.... However it got to March and no contact, calls never returned and no explanations...They informed me Mr Al Gawad would call me and they arranged these calls twice and both times I received no call.... Finally they answered my calls only to be told I again needed to travel all the way to Newton Le Willows again (10 x times) to again see consultant Mr Al Gawad...whom I confirmed that the revision surgery would be under general anaesthetic? His reply , quote "of course, we don't do torture here" . It was again all agreed and confirmed, as I had now been messed around for 2 years and taken endless days off travelling back and forth I stayed and waited for a surgery date to be arranged... First I was told none were available until May I explained I had been continually messed about since January 18, they eventually gave me a date for 17th March, I filled in all consent forms and they assured me everything was in place, I was given pre/post op instructions and time to attend etc. I booked another week off work to recover. The evening of Friday 16th March less than 24 hours before I was due my revision surgery I received a call from an Adele Smith who informed me my surgery was cancelled.... Reason being my original surgeon Mr Raghavan was insisting my face lift be performed under local anaesthetic only, even though I had paid and had my original failed surgery under general anaesthetic, and the surgeon who was booked to perform my revision surgery Mr Al Gawad would not do it under local anaesthetic only!!!!!!! I simply couldn't understand how I again had been put in this position having been promised revision surgery, again booking a week off work and having waited now 2yrs 1 month, just because my original surgeon didn't want the expense of general anaesthetic even though they are indeed insured for revision ops etc.... I immediately explained that this was completely unacceptable, and they are very eager to take your payment of thousands of pounds at the beginning but their patient customer service is utterly appalling when things go wrong... I had unsuccessful surgery, I travelled back and forth 15 +times and had surgery cancelled twice with less than 24 hours notice..... I made a complaint to Adele Smith (whom I'm told is practice manager) however they seem to have no complaints procedure in place!!! I put my complaint in writing over 8 weeks now and it's now going on 2&1/2 years since my failed surgery and thousands of pounds out of pocket.... Surprise, surprise I have had NO response to my complaint and Surprise, surprise Adele Smith never returns my calls..... It seems now the courts are my only route... If you're even contemplating surgery /treatments or a consultation with Pall Mall medical then Don't, once they take you're money they simply have zero patient care Avoid and go to one of the numerous far superior private medical centres....

I consider myself extremely lucky not only to have my doctor's surgery so nearby it's almost the…read moresame building as my apartment block, but this doctor's surgery. I'd travel to it. Located adjacent to the Angel Centre, a place so lovely and charitable you feel better about humanity just walking past, Trinity Medical Centre has a good vibe to it from the get-go. The staff here bend over backwards for you and make you feel safe and comfortable. An example is when I realised I'd run out of something, I called in to get my blood pressure taken for a repeat prescription and although they were mega busy, when I explained the situation and said I needed it for tonight, the receptionist said, 'Ooh, you are cutting it fine aren't you!' and managed to squeeze me in with a nurse. However this meant that the prescription was only an emergency one and some pharmacies wouldn't accept it - not only did the receptionist know of a pharmacy that probably would, she rang them up, checked, and when they confirmed she told them to expect me in about an hour. She was doing her job and then some. The nurses here are spot on. When I went for my first smear, a well-known uncomfortable experience at best, the gentle, calm lady with a terrific sense of humour talked me through every single step of it and told me what to expect. As a result, I don't fear my next one. She was both professional and reassuring. She even talked me through what would happen to my sample and how they'd analyse it, with medical knowledge and enthusiasm, a winning combo. Trinity Medical Centre exudes an aura of tranquillity. Even if you're stressed out you'll soon be put at ease. When I returned from France having been in hospital there for a knee operation, my mother was obviously somewhat frantic about getting my aftercare and physiotherapy sorted. Again, the superb receptionist (Paula) sorted it all out. We were worried about the French medical notes, she said they have translators at the hospital as 'this sort of thing happens all the time'. She rang the orthopaedic ward at Hope Hospital on our behalf and bagged us an appointment for literally the next morning (this was done the day I'd flown back from France). With the sheer amount of students that descend on Salford every year, any that need to visit a doctor regularly for prescriptions should register with this local one. I did, and I still use it to this day. Heck, even if I move I'd probably jump back up here for appointments, I trust it that much.

Only problem is getting through to the practice by phone is hard/almost impossible.read more

Yep, it's a pharmacy. Manor Pharmacy. Situated just along the Stretford Road next to another…read moreessential business, a post office. And essentials are what Manor Pharmacy is all about really. Its everything you'd want from a local pharmacy but not the place to go for your posh cosmetics, fake tanning produce and Amazon rainforest insect repellent. As well as plasters, bandages and simple medicines, it also does prescriptions so you don't have to go far if your doctor is the one across the road. Its got a few everyday essential non-medical stuffs as well such as shower gels and deodorants, but if its anything more you're after you'll have to journey elsewhere. There are one or two gems, such as the 79p box of asprin whuich contains a bargainous 36 tablets (that work) and a vast array of flavoured lip salves and a huge amount of 10p chuppa chups to fix the pain after you've grazed your knee!

Manor Pharmacy.... Completely unhelpful senior staff. Refused to accept a northern Irish STERLING…read more£20 note. Clearly not very educated staff on the sterling notes of Great Britain. Not a pharmacy I will ever visit again and would recommend that people just nip up to Asda where the senior pharmacy staff are much more helpful