Accessing Appointments
In reaction to the continued rising demand for GP Surgery services and the increasing difficulties nationally of recruiting GPs, we have implemented a new appointment system. This system is designed to allow all of our patients appropriate access to our services.
You can no longer book an appointment at the reception desk before 8.30am. Our telephone lines continue to be open from 8.00am. We would encourage you to use the telephone or register for on-line appointment booking via reception. We release appointments at 8.00am so you can log on to book these from that time. We have increased the number of staff available to answer the telephones and also increased the number of appointments available to book on-line.
We have some appointments that we book one week ahead but the majority of our bookable appointments are available from 8.00am to be seen on that day. These are not 'urgent' appointments so if you are available on a particular day and want to see a GP on that day, please telephone from 8.00am for an appointment.
We have some early morning and late evening appointments that can be pre-booked and these form the basis of the practice's extended hours. These appointments are available with GPs and nurses.
We will make sure that anyone who needs to be seen urgently on the day is dealt with on the same day. We will usually telephone you back to give you advice or to arrange your appointment. We have a duty doctor working who will triage requests and deal with them appropriately.
To make sure we book appointments appropriately our reception team will usually ask you for a brief explanation of the nature of your problem. This is not meant to be intrusive but allows our staff to ensure you are given the most appropriate appointment. We are also checking all patients' contact telephone numbers when you call in to ensure our records are correct. If you know you have changed any of your contact details recently, please ensure we have the correct information.
We have to balance the appointments we use for long-term problems against those kept for urgent use. Our GPs together with our nurses and health care assistants and non-clinical staff work to offer all our patients the best possible care.
Cancelling or changing an appointment
If you can not make your appointment let us know as soon as you can so another patient can book the appointment time. You can cancel or change your appointment:
Emergencies
If you are confronted by a serious problem such as severe chest pain or severe bleeding, call an ambulance (tel: 999) before calling the surgery.
Weekend and Night Cover
If you need medical help fast but it’s not a life-threatening situation, you can call the NHS 111 number. When you call 111 a trained adviser will ask you questions to establish what is wrong, give you medical advice and direct you to someone who can help you like an out-of-hours Doctor or Community Nurse.
If the adviser thinks your condition is more serious, they will direct you to hospital or send an ambulance. If you don’t speak English, tell the adviser what language you want to speak and they will get you an interpreter. You can call 111 any time of the day. The call is free from landlines and mobiles.
You can also use NHS 111 online (111.nhs.uk) or call 111.
111 online is for people aged 5 and over. Call 111 if you need help for a child under 5.
Try the NHS App
You can now use the NHS App, a simple and secure way to access a range of NHS services and your GP account on your smartphone or tablet.
You can use the NHS App to check your symptoms and get instant advice, order repeat prescriptions, view your GP medical record and more.
If you already use online access you can continue to use it. You can use the NHS App as well.
For more information go to www.nhs.uk/nhsapp
Home visits
Home visits will be made, if needed, for housebound patients and those who are terminally ill. The vast majority of patients, including children, will be expected to attend the surgery unless they are too ill to leave the house. If a home visit is needed please ring the practice before 11.00am and one of the healthcare team will telephone you back initially to assess the urgency of your need.
Home visits take a long time (we can often see 3 or 4 patients at the surgery in the time it takes for 1 home visit) and we would appreciate your coming to the surgery if you can. The receptionist will ask you for some idea of your symptoms to enable the doctors to judge the urgency of your call and the need for any special equipment.