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 and we would encourage you to use the telephone or register for on-line appointment booking via reception. Our appointments are released 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 prebooked 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.
In order 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.
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.