Queen Square Medical Practice
2 Queen Square, Lancaster, Lancashire, LA1 1RPContact details and opening times
Patient ratings and reviews
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Reviews
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Review titled Impossible for working parents to get appointments
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Will Faithfull - Posted on 06 February 2025
I'm a parent who takes my child to nursery in the morning and works an intense job where it's difficult to take calls in the day. I have been trying for the last month to get an appointment to assess a mole for melanoma. Their policy is - They only book urgent appointments on the day - You have to sit on hold at 8am, possibly for over an hour, to have a chance at getting one - They offer a callback service, but if you miss the callback (because you're at work) they won't book you an appointment, and just expect you to start again. I tried booking through the online form, and they actually called me back just to tell me that "my ailment was too urgent to book an appointment through the online form" but that they wouldn't book me an appointment on the phone. They just said call again tomorrow at 8am. In the end, I've gone and booked an appointment through a private practice instead.
Visited February 2025
Review titled Queen Square Medical Practice
Replied on 18 February 2025
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I’m really sorry to hear about the challenges you’ve faced in trying to secure an appointment. We understand that for working parents, finding time for healthcare appointments can be especially difficult, and I apologise for any added stress our processes have caused you. I can appreciate how frustrating it must have been to navigate our booking system, particularly with the urgency of your situation. While we aim to provide quick access to appointments, current demand is such that many routine appointments are booked well in advance, and I realise that our policy of same-day booking may not always accommodate the schedules of all our patients. Please know your concerns have been heard, and we are actively reviewing our appointment booking processes to ensure that we are better serving people with busy and demanding schedules. I’m sorry that you had to resort to seeking care elsewhere and that our systems made it even harder for you to get the assistance you needed. We truly value the opportunity to support your health and will take your feedback into consideration as we make improvements. We sincerely hope that your health is well, and we would welcome the chance to support you in the future under more convenient circumstances. If you have any further concerns or questions, please don’t hesitate to make contact. Janet Byrne Practice Manager
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Review titled Abysmal organisation
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 04 September 2023
They can't update their available hours on Google, can't provide an appointment within a month, and all they do if you ever manage to get through to them (which takes half an hour) is ask you to phone back at 8 the next day. Unfortunately, their phone line won't connect at 8 due to the volume, so you have to keep trying until 8:15, at which point you'll be told there are "more than ten" people ahead of you in the queue, so there are still no appointments. I've done this 4 times now. Nothing has changed or improved technologically since the 90's.
Visited September 2023
Review titled Queen Square Medical Practice
Replied on 18 February 2025
Dear Patient We’re really sorry to hear about your experience and understand how frustrating this must be. We recognise the challenges with appointment availability and the difficulties in reaching us by phone, and we sincerely appreciate your patience. We are actively working on improving our booking system and have recently had a new phone system installed to improve accessibility. Regarding updating available hours on Google, we’ll look into that to ensure accurate information is displayed. If there’s anything specific we can do to assist you directly, please let us know.
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Review titled Was an excellent practice, but service has deteriorated
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 01 August 2023
I joined Queen Square several years ago after moving to Lancaster and always found it to be excellent, however, more recently I have found it impossible to get an appointment. As a disabled person with a long-term health condition, this is especially problematic. In addition, I found out recently that my named GP, who I had a good relationship with and who was very familiar with my medical history, had left the practice, however, I was not informed of this by Queen Square. This information was confirmed during a phone conversation when I called to check after reading something online. Only then was I told who my new named GP would be and this was someone I had never seen previously. As a result of my recent experiences with the practice, I have moved to another local practice with a better CQC rating. I hope Queen Square work out their appointment booking process and communication with patients, as I believe the remaining medical staff there are very good and they are being let down by both, as are their patients.
Visited July 2023
Review titled Queen Square Medical Practice
Replied on 02 August 2023
Thank you for your feedback i am sorry that you feel the service offered by the practice has not met your expectations. As you have posted anonymously I am unable to look into your comments fully. Please be aware that whilst patients have a named GP who oversees their care within the practice, as a patient you are registered with the practice not a certain GP. We are currently in the process of changing the appointment system which will hopefully improve access, as current demand for appointments is outweighing capacity, affecting all Practices nationally. If you would like me to look into anything further please feel free to contact the practice. Thank you Janet Byrne Practice Manager
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Review titled Things aren't what they used to be
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 20 March 2023
I was once prevented from placing a highly positive review of this practice because it was my second positive review and was considered inappropriate. I regret to say that the service provided by the practice has deteriorated dramatically of late. Communication with the practice by 'phone can be time consuming and communications from the practice following hospital tests does not occur unless requested. At age 82, having been with the practice for many years, I am saddened and a little frightened by the difficulty of obtaining care and medical support.
Visited March 2023
Review titled Queen Square Medical Practice
Replied on 21 March 2023
Thank you for taking time to leave us your feedback. I am sorry to hear that you are unhappy with the service we are offering. As you have posted anonymously, I am unable to contact you directly. If you would like us to investigate any issues you have with Queen Square Medical Practice, please let me know and we will happily address them. Unfortunately, due to current pressures within the NHS we do have longer call waits at certain times of the day, however we do have a system in place that tracks all calls coming into the practice and will allow us to see how long each caller is waiting and where possible increase staff answering the phones. Any tests carried out by the hospital are the hospitals responsibility to make the patients aware of the results. Practices only receive a letter advising of the outcome. If I can be of any further assistance please let me know. Janet Byrne Practice Manager