The Ridge to feature on Channel 5 show GPs: Behind Closed Doors

Over the past couple of months, The Ridge Medical Practice has once again been participating in Channel 5's GPs: Behind Closed Doors.

For filming, the programme has brought its own two GPs and surgery, a temporary cabin, to the practice's car park.

The Ridge says it has provided them, at no extra cost, with 100 more appointments, double the length of a normal one, for each of the six weeks the show is there.

Unaware of the situation, one frustrated patient said: “I actually hate The Ridge Medical Practice.

"I phoned them and they told me we only have an appointment for you to be seen if you want to go on GPs: Behind Closed Doors.

"So, I said no I do not want to go on TV and she said well I'll have to get a doctor to phone you back.

"How can they decline you an appointment just because you do not want to be on TV? It is an absolute joke.”

Another person added: “I needed an appointment for my child today at The Ridge Medical Practice and was told the only appointments available are for GPs: Behind Closed Doors and that the appointment would be filmed, and we may appear on TV.

"If I did not agree, we could not have the appointment, so I agreed.”

The Ridge Medical Practice (Image: Newsquest)

A spokesperson from The Ridge Medical Practice said: "We are sorry that patients are being made to feel that they are being coerced into being filmed for a show or that they are being denied access because they do not wish to be filmed.

"We were approached by “GP behind closed doors” with whom we have previously worked on a series, to be involved in their new format of the show that they have devised since Covid restricted the previous approach.

"In the current format, they bring their own surgery (in a temporary cabin) and place it in our car park and they bring in two GPs every day (external to our organisation) to provide appointments for patients. They are with us for a six-week period. 

"This does not affect our normal capacity in any way which we continue to deliver in the normal way within our own building.

"What this does provide for us (at no extra cost to us) is an extra 100 GP appointments for each of the six weeks that they are with us.

"These extra appointments are also double the normal length at 20 minutes each which is beneficial to the patient.

"Clearly they are here to get enough footage to make their show and therefore that is a condition of getting one of those appointments – being prepared to be filmed. 

"We felt that we could not pass up the opportunity of getting 600 extra appointments in December/January and this has provided significant extra capacity for our patients."

It added: "Without this capacity, all the patients who are being offered this as the only means of getting an appointment would otherwise have simply been refused an appointment as our core capacity had already been fully used up. 

"We, therefore, believe that what we are doing is in our patients' best interests and is both morally and ethically OK, though we do appreciate that some patients may interpret this otherwise as a result of the way it is asked – especially at the time of day when all our capacity has been used up.

"Our experience is that many patients enjoy being filmed and also many are grateful of the opportunity to get an appointment they would not otherwise have been able to get."

In 2018, The Ridge Medical Practice in Great Horton - which lies at the heart of a diverse population and has over 20,000 patients on its books - was used for the filming of the show’s sixth series.

The programme offers a disarmingly honest and often entertaining look at the stresses, strains and joys of working in and using, the NHS in modern Britain.

The latest series is due to air on Channel 5 in the coming months.