I was referred by my GP to HealthHarmonie dermatology in Oldham for a birthmark excision in June 2025. From my first consultation with the dermatologist, I was left feeling uninformed and lacking confidence in the proposed excision. After weeks of waiting, I rang to explain I had not received my clinic letter and detailed my poor experience to which they apologised and immediately offered me a slot for the 24/Nov/2025 which I felt was strange given I had previously been told it would be some time before this. I decided to attend and judge on the day whether I felt comfortable to go ahead. Myself and my partner arrived for my appointment where I was told that the HCA had called in sick so there was going to be a delay of ~1.5 hours whilst they waited for the replacement HCA and equipment to come from Birmingham. After waiting ~2 hours, I was told from the receptionist (not affiliated with HH) who had kindly chased where my appointment was up to, that I was not on the list. The HH staff did not have the courtesy to tell me this directly but eventually, on request, came to see myself and another gentleman in the same situation. The explanation from the HCA was as expected from HH, insincere and lacking resolution. We were told our appointments had been cancelled on the Friday to fulfil urgent appointments and they never informed us. Myself and my partner had taken time off work for this appointment and I had been anxiously awaiting it. For them to allow this oversight to happen was nothing short of poor care and left me feeling both upset and humiliated. I was told I'd hear from them to have a rearranged appointment which to this date, 15/Jan/2025, I have heard nothing. I attempted to contact PALS regarding my experience but was shocked to find that as a private company, although FUNDED by the NHS, complaints are not accepted and instead have to be directed to HH. This left me feeling quite helpless - I don’t trust HH to deliver my care so why would I trust their complaints procedure. To prove this point, I submitted a complaint on the 28/Nov/2025 and was informed they would be in contact within 28 working days. Unsurprisingly, it is now past day 28 and I am yet to receive any response to my complaint and indeed any apology or rearranged appointment. I have instead submitted a complaint to the CQC since they inspect services providing care, including HH. I have now contacted my GP to be re-referred under the right to choose pathway to an NHS-led service but this had to be passed on by HH to my local hospital. HH insisted I have a telephone appointment to approve my re-referral which was on 28/Dec/2025. Predictably, I spent the next week chasing this to find out on 05/Jan/2026 that the clinician had not documented our conversation and I had to have ANOTHER appointment. On the day of said appointment, I received a call to inform me I instead require a face-to-face appointment with the next one being 02/Feb/2026. This now means I have will have been waiting 8 months, and due to the delay in getting my referral forwarded, I'm going to be waiting even longer before I can join the NHS wait list. I can't express enough my complete dissatisfaction for this company and I find it infuriating that this is deemed an acceptable solution to NHS waiting times. There is no organisation, coherence, communication or accountability throughout. Complaints are ignored and frustrations are met with, after at least 30 minutes wait, an attitude of 'this is our way of doing things'. Despite multiple failings from them, I've not once felt anyone try to make things right or sincerely apologise for how I have been treated. I urge people to raise their concerns with the CQC, and continue to fight for the care that you deserve. It shouldn’t have to be this way but for some reason, it seems it is. Let's stop privatising the NHS and instead re-invest in our own NHS public service that will likely cost less long term and be a service we can trust.
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