GP Now Swords Clinic

jeepers101

I found the GP Now service very disappointing. I had a family membership in Swords for a few months (up until yesterday). I first needed to use the service three weeks ago.

I rang at midday on a Wednesday looking for a late appointment but was told there would be nothing available. The lady on reception told me that I'd have to ring at nine o clock in the morning if I wanted a same day appointment. I went to see my old GP at a cost of 50 euro.

The second incident happened yesterday. My daughter was sick and needed a GP so I rang again (on a Tuesday) looking for an appointment on Wednesday. Again I was told there was nothing available and that I'd have to go on a waiting list. Again, we went to our old GP at a cost of 50 euro.

Needless to say I have since cancelled our membership.

charlietheminxx

Seems like mixed experiences. I have to say I find it great. The receptionist was lovely and the doctor really listened. I've only been once though.

JC12345

I haven't been to the GP Now in Swords but was a member of the Sandyford branch. My advice would be to avoid at all cost. They seem to follow a practice of referrals rather than actually treating the patient themselves. I would also question the doctors level of professionalism on the three occasions I visitied. Avoid avoid avoid!!

Sir Humphrey Appleby

JC12345 wrote: »

I haven't been to the GP Now in Swords but was a member of the Sandyford branch. My advice would be to avoid at all cost. They seem to follow a practice of referrals rather than actually treating the patient themselves. I would also question the doctors level of professionalism on the three occasions I visitied. Avoid avoid avoid!!

Have to say thats the direct opposite of my experience , I attend Sandyford reasonably regularly and have had blood tests and ECG done on the premises. Got some very frank and very sound medical advice as well.

DublinWriter

We're looking at signing up at the Swords clinic. Any updates on how people found the service there?

The Hill Billy

Threads merged.

tHB

L1011

Branch in Portmarnock now also.

2Shae

I have it. Doctors are great. When your told your appointment is at 12:45 they are not joking. Ive never waited more than 2 minutes past my set time, and they apologised!

Blood tests etc all covered.

To be honest its given me much better health as I do not think twice about booking an appointment as im not thinking about money.

The doctors are well trained and have given me great referrals when I had to goto specialists and even worked with my insurance company when it came to passing me on.

And if there is two more reasons. Late opening wednesday and early open saturday. No extra charges.

FiveSive

They are offering a discounted 10 year membership package for families, 2 adults and 3 children for €999...Large upfront payment but definately a good deal

RobFowl

FiveSive wrote: »

They are offering a discounted 10 year membership package for families, 2 adults and 3 children for €999...Large upfront payment but definately a good deal

I'd worry about the sustainability of this tbh.
If 500 families signed up for this that means they would have €499,500 to provide care for up to 2500 patients for 10 years. That figure is the amount traditionally thought to be the amount needed to support a single handed GP private practice.
This works out at just under €50,000 a year to cover all costs!
A receptionist might work out at €25,000 a year and rent if they are lucky with a small premises at maybe €10,000. That leaves €15,000 to employ a GP.
Considering as a full time GP I have to pay €8,000 in insurance, almost €1000 in medical council and educational fees as well as €1200 to be a member of the Irish college of GP's it looks to me like there will have to be a GP willing to work fulltiime for €5,000 a year!
Add in computers, equipment, supplies even paperwork/postage etc

I've rechecked my figures but if I've made a mistake please show me where it is.
For the life of me I can't see how this will work out as a viable business....

Gael23

I dont think anyone would be willing to commit to seeing the same GP for 10 years?

ethernet

I joined at the end of last year and can see the cracks already.

The place has been chaotic both times I had to go. No doctor there the first time (they had to try and find another one for the day). They boast about being different and keeping appointments. I was left waiting for 40 minutes to have bloods done. The receptionist instructed me to go into one of the doctor's surguries and then the doctor told me to leave again. The doctor who did take my bloods was throwing the viles onto the table and being totally eccentric. It's really put me off.

So if you're sick a lot and need to visit the GP quite often, it can work out well because of the cost. Otherwise, I'd look elsewhere for quality care.

FiveSive

RobFowl wrote: »

I'd worry about the sustainability of this tbh.
If 500 families signed up for this that means they would have €499,500 to provide care for up to 2500 patients for 10 years. That figure is the amount traditionally thought to be the amount needed to support a single handed GP private practice.
This works out at just under €50,000 a year to cover all costs!
A receptionist might work out at €25,000 a year and rent if they are lucky with a small premises at maybe €10,000. That leaves €15,000 to employ a GP.
Considering as a full time GP I have to pay €8,000 in insurance, almost €1000 in medical council and educational fees as well as €1200 to be a member of the Irish college of GP's it looks to me like there will have to be a GP willing to work fulltiime for €5,000 a year!
Add in computers, equipment, supplies even paperwork/postage etc

I've rechecked my figures but if I've made a mistake please show me where it is.
For the life of me I can't see how this will work out as a viable business....

They told me they only had limited offers of the €999 deal, 100 per clinic. I am tempted to sign up but the Cork one is in the city centre and this may not always suit. They are only offering this deal until Friday, maybe they are at capacity for those deals. I think it is probably a better option to go for the individual at €15 a month.

RobFowl

FiveSive wrote: »

They told me they only had limited offers of the €999 deal, 100 per clinic. I am tempted to sign up but the Cork one is in the city centre and this may not always suit. They are only offering this deal until Friday, maybe they are at capacity for those deals. I think it is probably a better option to go for the individual at €15 a month.

The individual deal at €15 per month is one I can see being sustainable but the €999 10 year one for a family of 5 simply doesn't add up (IMO).

Sure aren't we all going to have free GP care by 2016 anyway :rolleyes:

Khannie

RobFowl wrote: »

the €999 10 year one for a family of 5 simply doesn't add up (IMO).

I couldn't figure this out either. We had 3 kids when I saw that and our annual GP bill is significantly more than 100 euro between the 5 of us so initially the cost bit did seem attractive. When I thought about it though, it seemed too good to be true so I figured it probably is. I did hear that there was a lot of referring going on so maybe they try to keep patient times down that way (or others). Don't get me wrong - referrals are super when they're appropriate, but they could be used (and I'm not saying these punters are using them this way) as a way to keep visit times lower.

Personally I'm looking for a relationship with my GP (Ooooh MATRON!). All GP's are not equal and it seems likely to me that a profit focused outfit is not going to give me the kind of care I want. Of course my GP is doing it for profit too. Everyone needs to get paid. My GP's just doesn't seem like a profit focused business and that's healthy (IMO).

pinkypinky

My own experience with them: several visits last year (and one so far this year) for all relatively minor complaints. I've seen 5 different doctors in this time, only 2 twice. All were fine but no time to build a personal relationship with them. They pushed for me to have routine bloods done, to which I finally consented. I was kept waiting quite a long time without apology, and a follow-up email to their office about that particular experience was ignored. That said, the price is excellent, they are very local to me and convenient and I'm keeping on with them for now. If I had a longer term problem, I might like to cultivate a more personal relationship with the doctor, but have decided that as long as they are all doctors, I don't really mind.

justsomebloke

Started off on the €15 a month when the swords one first opened and moved onto the 10 year plan around a year ago.

Been grand for us as we have an 18 month old who we've been able to bring to the doctor any time we feel he is sick without having to worry about having the money handy to pay for it.

Also last week when sick we couldn't get a short notice appointment in Swords but they booked us into Malahide and as your membership travels it was free to go there.

However I wouldn't use it as a one stop shop and we still maintain a relationship with the family Dr but for the most part it is paying for it self in spades and even though I don't think that model is sustainable once they are open for another 2 years it will have paid for itself.

L1011

Suspect the long-term plans are based on assuming that enough people will move outside the coverage area, or forget they have it, or die to support it.

Alicei

justsomebloke wrote: »

Started off on the €15 a month when the swords one first opened and moved onto the 10 year plan around a year ago.

Been grand for us as we have an 18 month old who we've been able to bring to the doctor any time we feel he is sick without having to worry about having the money handy to pay for it.

Also last week when sick we couldn't get a short notice appointment in Swords but they booked us into Malahide and as your membership travels it was free to go there.

However I wouldn't use it as a one stop shop and we still maintain a relationship with the family Dr but for the most part it is paying for it self in spades and even though I don't think that model is sustainable once they are open for another 2 years it will have paid for itself.

Hi, do they have practice in malahide as well?

L1011

Alicei wrote: »

Hi, do they have practice in malahide as well?

Malahide side of Portmarnock more or less.

FiveSive

I joined the Cork branch yesterday, they said i could pay €50 walk-in fee and if I liked it, the €50 would be taken off my membership package. Was very happy with the doctor, he was lovely and really thorough..which was great cause i had a few different issues.

Signed up then for €180 altogether for the year. I nearly always go to the doctor about 4 times a year or more so it will be worth it for me. Am hoping they stay open in Cork, they were very quiet when i went in there so I'm not sure if they will to be honest.

Ginny

justsomebloke wrote: »

Started off on the €15 a month when the swords one first opened and moved onto the 10 year plan around a year ago.

Been grand for us as we have an 18 month old who we've been able to bring to the doctor any time we feel he is sick without having to worry about having the money handy to pay for it.

Also last week when sick we couldn't get a short notice appointment in Swords but they booked us into Malahide and as your membership travels it was free to go there.

However I wouldn't use it as a one stop shop and we still maintain a relationship with the family Dr but for the most part it is paying for it self in spades and even though I don't think that model is sustainable once they are open for another 2 years it will have paid for itself.

'Twas Portmarknock, beside the Art and craft cafe. We joined up Nov 2012, and it's been great with a toddler. I've only seen 3 different drs in the swords clinic, we usually see the main guy. The times we couldn't be accommodated in the Swords clinic they gave an appointment in the Portmarnock one, I was actually just back there today and found the dr's. Fantastic. I still have my records with my family gp, but it's pretty hard to get an appointment with him at the last minute, he himself thinks it's a great idea to have somewhere we can go to last minute. Twice there hasn't been a last minute appointment, but they've done eveything they can to find us one.

charlietheminxx

Am pretty fed up with my membership at the moment. I need to see a female doctor but they don't have one on their late night Wednesday or on their Saturday half day, so I need to book time off work if I want an appointment. I am going to have to pay to go to a Well Woman clinic, which I can't really afford right now and it completely makes it not worth paying a GP subscription service.

Jimdagym

charlietheminxx wrote: »

Am pretty fed up with my membership at the moment. I need to see a female doctor but they don't have one on their late night Wednesday or on their Saturday half day, so I need to book time off work if I want an appointment. I am going to have to pay to go to a Well Woman clinic, which I can't really afford right now and it completely makes it not worth paying a GP subscription service.

Did they advertise female doctors for those odd hours? Did you ask would one be available when you signed up?

(I understand that probably reads quite snotty, I'm asking genuinely. Snottiness not intended).

rubberdiddies

i was a fan but have since changed.
they have closed the portmarnock clinic and now redirect everyone from there to Swords. Not sure if its related or not but it's very difficult to get an appointment within 24 hours these days. it didn't used to be like this.

that coupled with the fact that one particular doctor in one particular clinic (im purposely being vague here) has told me and my family on more than one occasion how tired they are and how they have in the past fallen asleep in between patients.

doesnt exactly instill confidence.

we have decided to stop our membership, however I also know people who are very happy with the service.

Ginny

They closed Portmarnock? FECK!
Yeah it seems pretty busy all the time now, I know there were days they were supposed to have 2 Dr's but only had one on the day..:(

FiveSive

Yep Portmarnock closed, my sister contacted them as she was a member & they told her that she can join Sandyford or Swords or else she could cancel her membership...She joined Swords instead as she wanted to stay with them as she doesn't really want to find another doctor in Dublin.

I'm joined to the Cork branch and am hoping it wont close! I think its a great service but i'd hate if i wasn't able to get same day appointments. There is no problem getting appointments in cork.

forzacalcio

GP Now gone bust!

Jimdagym

forzacalcio wrote: »

GP Now gone bust!

Where did you hear that?

RobFowl

forzacalcio wrote: »

GP Now gone bust!

Nothing on their website and a/c twitter account were still taking on patients on friday