Initial Medical Reviews 

3,691
TrustScore 5 out of 5

4.9

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Looking at 223 reviews, reviewers overwhelmingly had a great experience with this company. Customers frequently mention that the staff are exceptionally helpful, friendly, and professional during regular visits. People also appreciate the prompt communication regarding collection schedules, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently. Consumers frequently emphasize the dedicated support teams who go above and beyond to resolve any issues. Some reviewers were not happy with the service, experiencing frustrating instances of missed collections. Others noted that poor communication and a lack of timely resolutions caused significant operational disruption. These individuals experienced difficulties when trying to get support or chased a resolution without success.

What people talk about most

Staff

Customers consistently note positive experiences with staff, highlighting their professional, polite, and... See more

Service

People report positive experiences with service, highlighting professional and efficient waste management.... See more

Customer service

Clients share positive opinions on customer_service, noting that representatives are always helpful and... See more

Delivery service

Users describe ambiguous interactions with delivery_service. On one hand, many reviewers praise their drivers... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Gary Edge is a very professional initial team member. He is always polite, and friendly to everyone he meets. Gary is very good at communicating with each clinical area to make sure all their needs ar... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Lee Rose is a credit to the Initial team. He's an incredibly friendly, helpful and professional man. He's patient when having to wait for our medical room to be clear of children to go in. He goes abo... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I am with initial medical for a few months now. So far so good, great communication, unproblematic service and good price. Peter, person who collects waste, always let me know day before when he’s go... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Always arrive on the right day and around the same time. Lee is always smiling and polite when he enters our business. He is happy to wait if we are busy with patients and if we have any queries alwa... See more

Company replied


Company details

  1. Garbage Collection Service
  2. Waste Management Service

About Initial Medical

Written by the company

We are the experts in healthcare waste management and infection control, providing a complete collection, disposal and recycling service for hazardous and offensive waste produced by businesses and organisations associated with healthcare provision within the UK. The safe management of healthcare waste is vital to ensure your activities are not a risk to human health.

Contact Us

Setting the standard in healthcare and infectious waste management in the UK

Local, Expert Consultation
A reliable, effective and fully compliant service, built around customer need, and delivered by our highly trained local teams. ISO 9001:2015 quality accredited.
Integrated Technology
Technology is fully integrated into our operations, providing full traceability of service delivery, electronic waste documentation and the best customer experience possible.
Innovative Solutions
Offering innovative healthcare waste management services and infection control products to help break the chain of transmission and prevent cross infection.
Legal Compliance
Keeping our customers compliant with the complex legislation and audit requirements surrounding healthcare waste and infection control. #followthecolourcode
Legal ComplianceHealth & Safety
A company with a ‘World Class’ Health & Safety record and ISO 45001:2018 accredited.
Sustainability
A company accredited to ISO 14001:2015 environmental standards, and focused on delivering sustainable products and operational solutions.

Contact info

4.9

Excellent

TrustScore 5 out of 5

4K reviews

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4.9

All reviews

(3,691)

216 reviews in the last 12 months

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Companies on Trustpilot aren't allowed to offer incentives or pay to hide reviews. Reviews are the opinions of individual users and not of Trustpilot. Read more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Always excellent

Always excellent and prompt service. Especially from Scott nothing is ever too much for him. Goes above and beyond. Thanks

21 August 2026
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Scott is a fantastic ambassador

I have to admit: Scott, our Initial representative, is absolutely amazing. I’m genuinely not sure what we would do without him!

He is always approachable, helpful and incredibly supportive. Nothing ever seems too much trouble. Before he leaves, he always takes the time to check that we have everything we need and is more than happy to wait while we double-check with the nursing team in case there is anything else required.

What really stands out is that Scott doesn’t feel like an external contractor visiting the practice – he genuinely feels like a member of our team, without actually working for us!

Having someone so reliable, friendly and willing to help makes such a difference, particularly in a busy GP practice.

Scott is a fantastic ambassador for Initial and deserves recognition for the excellent service he provides us.

20 August 2026
Initial Medical logo

Reply from Initial Medical

Thank you for your kind feedback. We are delighted to hear that Scott has provided such exceptional, reliable service for your practice.

Providing a supportive and seamless experience is our priority, and it is wonderful to know Scott feels like an extension of your team. We truly appreciate you taking the time to highlight his dedication.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Jude - always happy and polite

We get Jude regularly to collect unused medication and is always happy and polite, nothing is ever a bother for her if we need to find someone for the keys etc to open the treatment rooms she just takes in her stride, nice, chatty and pleasant, always smiling.

6 August 2026
Initial Medical logo

Reply from Initial Medical

It's wonderful to know that Jude`s efforts to provide helpful and friendly service are appreciated. Initial Medical UK values your kind words and looks forward to continuing to assist you.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great service

We have always found the service to be very reliable. The staff, Jude in our case, is polite, friendly and efficient. A great service.

12 August 2026
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Reply from Initial Medical

We're so happy to hear about your positive experience with our service and technician, Jude! We truly appreciate you sharing such wonderful feedback with us.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Jude Mccarton does an exptional job

Jude Mccarton does an exptional job. Always polite and helpful.

11 August 2026
Initial Medical logo

Reply from Initial Medical

We're so happy to hear about your positive experience! We appreciate you sharing your kind words about our service and employee, Jude.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Professional and efficient waste…

Professional and efficient waste management service for our tattoo studio, our collection driver Aaron hart is friendly on time and always a pleasure to deal with. Overall don’t think we could ask for more 👍

12 August 2026
Unprompted review
Initial Medical logo

Reply from Initial Medical

We are so pleased to hear about your positive experience with our waste management service. We truly appreciate your kind words regarding our team's professionalism and efficiency. We are glad we could meet your expectations.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Jude always goes above and beyond

Jude always goes above and beyond, very friendly and professional

11 August 2026
Initial Medical logo

Reply from Initial Medical

We're so glad to hear about your positive experience with our team member. We appreciate your kind words!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Appalling customer service — blamed me for a missed collection using a photograph of someone else’s door

I have been an Initial customer since 2019 for clinical waste and sharps collection at my clinic in Kent, so I am extremely disappointed by how this situation has been handled.

For years, my regular drivers — Gary, Darren and Jim — all who were fantastic. They understood that I am deaf, work alone and do not have fixed working hours, so they would text me on the morning of collection to check I was at the clinic and arrange a suitable time. For example, I would tell them I was available between 9:30am and 12:30pm and they would make sure to arrive within that window. It was a simple arrangement that worked perfectly for years, and I never had a problem with missed collections.

When my previous driver left Initial earlier this year, I specifically asked for this arrangement to be explained to the new driver. Instead, it was ignored, resulting in TWO missed collections.

When I complained, Initial’s solution was to move to email-only notification and tell me that if I wasn’t there when the driver arrived, the collection would simply be carried out the following week.

That is completely unacceptable. I work alone and don’t have fixed hours. If the driver does not communicate with me and arrives when I am not there, I could potentially go weeks without a collection and be left with a full clinical waste bin that I cannot use. This is not a minor inconvenience… it directly affects the way I am able to operate my clinic safely and compliantly!

What makes this even more frustrating is that Initial had a system that worked successfully for YEARS, with previous drivers simply communicating with me. There was absolutely no reason to make the process more difficult and less reliable.

I have also had serious concerns regarding a quarterly price increase. I was not given what I consider to be clear, meaningful notice explaining the increase, the new price or when it would take effect. The only “notice” I was subsequently shown was a generic line buried in very small print on an invoice showing my previous rate.

A significant price increase should not be something a customer has to discover retrospectively on an invoice and then have to question. At the very least, I would expect a clear and prominent explanation of what the new charge is, when it takes effect and the basis for the increase.

I also raised a business name change and a problem with the customer online portal back in APRIL. These issues were left unresolved for months. The business name was only eventually updated after I raised the matter again as part of my formal complaint, while the online portal issue STILL remains unresolved.

But the most appalling part of this entire experience was the evidence I was sent regarding one of the missed collections.

During the dispute, Initial sent me a photograph as “proof” that the driver had ‘attempted’ the collection.

THE PHOTOGRAPH WAS NOT OF MY PREMISES.

It showed a completely different door at a completely different looking property (a white door with a glass panel and door number hand written on a note stuck on the glass!). My actual clinic has a solid black door with the number in silver metal plate font drilled on the door and looks absolutely nothing like the property and door shown in the photograph! I’ve had to tell them to look on Google street view to see for themselves that it isn’t my premises.

I find it absolutely shocking that a photograph of what appears to be somebody else’s premises was provided to me as evidence of an ‘attempted’ collection at my clinic.

After all of these failures, I requested to terminate my contract without fees, I have now been told that I am liable for a 90 days’ notice period, an early termination fee AND a further payment for the notice period, totalling more than £250.

I am disputing these charges given the repeated service failures, the missed collections, the unresolved issues I raised months ago, the problems surrounding the price increase and, most seriously, the fact that I was provided with photographic “evidence” to support their claim of an ‘attempted’ collection, despite the photograph clearly showing a completely different property and having no resemblance whatsoever to my premises!

I have been a customer since 2019. After years of being happy with the service, the way this has been handled has been extremely disappointing and, quite frankly, appalling!

I would NOT recommend Initial based on my recent experience. If you are a small business looking for clinical waste collection, I would strongly suggest looking at alternative providers before entering into a contract with them!

10 August 2026
Unprompted review
Initial Medical logo

Reply from Initial Medical

We are truly sorry to hear about your extremely disappointing experience. We sincerely appreciate you bringing these significant concerns to our attention. We understand your frustration regarding the communication breakdown with your collections, especially given your long-standing and effective arrangement with previous drivers. The issues you've raised about missed collections, the unaddressed business name change and online portal problem, the lack of clear notice for price increases, and particularly the deeply concerning photographic evidence, are serious and not reflective of the service we aim to provide. We are actively investigating each point you've highlighted to understand what went wrong and to prevent similar occurrences in the future. We are committed to reviewing your account and the circumstances surrounding your contract termination request, taking into consideration all the service failures you have detailed. Your feedback is invaluable as we strive to improve our services.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The best customer service!

The best customer service!
I have amazing, reliable, very professional driver Carl Smith. Been working with Initial medical company for over 3 years and cannot recommend them enough. Everyone is very helpful, from admin staff to drivers.
Highly recommend

26 June 2026
Initial Medical logo

Reply from Initial Medical

We are so happy to hear about your positive experience with our team, especially with our drivers. We truly appreciate your kind words and your continued support over the past three years. Thank you for highly recommending us!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Excellent We use initial and it’s a great…

We use initial and it’s a great service. John the man that collects and brings our bins is very helpful, polite very efficient at his job .

3 August 2026
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Reply from Initial Medical

We're delighted to hear you're so pleased with our service and the excellent work of our team member. Thank you for sharing your positive feedback; we truly appreciate it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Very good service

Very good service. Always timely, polite, friendly staff, helpful and professional. Many thanks.

27 July 2026
Initial Medical logo

Reply from Initial Medical

Thank you for your wonderful review! We are so pleased to hear that you consistently receive timely, polite, and professional service from our staff. We truly appreciate your kind words.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Friendly and helpful staff

Friendly and helpful staff. Always polite and cheerful. Would recommend.

30 July 2026
Initial Medical logo

Reply from Initial Medical

We're so glad to hear our team's friendliness and cheerfulness made your experience great. We truly appreciate your recommendation!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Karl is an absolute credit to the…

Karl is an absolute credit to the company. He collects our orange clinical waste, and every visit is a pleasure. He is always friendly, professional, and incredibly helpful, with a smile on his face no matter the day. His positive attitude and willingness to go the extra mile never go unnoticed.

We genuinely look forward to seeing Karl each time he visits our practice. It's rare to come across someone who consistently provides such outstanding customer service while making every interaction so pleasant. Thank you, Karl, for all your hard work, you are truly amazing and a real asset to your team!

28 July 2026
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Reply from Initial Medical

We are so incredibly grateful for your wonderful feedback! It truly brightens our day to hear such positive comments about our service and our team members. We are delighted that our colleague consistently provides you with such a pleasant and professional experience during their visits. We pride ourselves on delivering outstanding customer service, and it's incredibly rewarding to know that our efforts are appreciated. We will be sure to share your kind words with our colleague and the entire team. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience; it means a great deal to us.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great friendly service

Great friendly service. Jude always goes above and beyond to make sure the service runs smoothly and we never get a missed pick up. Many thanks Jude.

24 July 2026
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Reply from Initial Medical

Thank you for your fantastic review! We're delighted to hear that our service is consistently friendly and that our team goes above and beyond to ensure smooth operations and no missed pickups. We truly appreciate your kind words.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

always a pleasure to see Dan.

always a pleasure to see Dan.
lovley chap .
always asks how we are .
nothing ever too much.

24 July 2026
Initial Medical logo

Reply from Initial Medical

Thank you for your wonderful five-star review! We're so pleased to hear that you consistently have such a positive experience with our team member. We appreciate you sharing your kind words.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Gary Edge is a very professional…

Gary Edge is a very professional initial team member. He is always polite, and friendly to everyone he meets. Gary is very good at communicating with each clinical area to make sure all their needs are met. Clare wood. ESS supervisor. RAF Marham.

21 July 2026
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Reply from Initial Medical

We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your positive feedback. We are delighted to hear about the excellent experience you had with our team member. We are committed to ensuring clear communication and meeting all needs.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Gary is always helpful and friendly

Gary is always helpful and friendly. He always checks if we need any more bags and lets us know when he is next coming to us and also when he is on holiday.

21 July 2026
Initial Medical logo

Reply from Initial Medical

We are delighted to hear such positive feedback about our team member! It's wonderful to know that their helpfulness and clear communication are so appreciated. Thank you for sharing your experience.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Waste collection

Hi a really friendly guy who communicates well with us regarding sacks and ties.
Always has time to say hello to us and Kim
Excellent service

Thank you

6 July 2026
Initial Medical logo

Reply from Initial Medical

We are so happy to hear about your positive experience with us! We truly appreciate your kind words and are glad our team provided excellent service.

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