Appointments

How to request an appointment

You can make an appointment in the following ways:

All appointments are triaged to ensure that you are seen by the most appropriate clinician. Appointments are available to book during our opening hours.

Appointment System

All patients requesting to see a clinician are triaged by our trained care navigator team with support from the allocated duty doctor. It may be that the most appropriate clinician for you to see is not a doctor, it may instead be a member of our extended clinical team (for example, a pharmacist or paramedic).

We operate an on the day appointment system. We therefore ask you to contact us on a day that is convenient for you to have the appointment. Our online forms open at 08:00 and our telephone lines open at 08:30 Monday to Friday. Our care navigator team work through the incoming forms and telephone calls as quickly as possible whilst maintaining patient safety so please be patient with them.

For this service to run efficiently, it is advisable that you arrange an appointment with the practice and do not arrive without doing so, as this will only delay your treatment and assessment. We do not provide a sit and wait service.

When contacting the surgery to request an appointment, please provide our trained and skilled care navigators with enough information to pass to our medical team. They only ask questions that the doctors have requested; this is to accurately assess the need and urgency of your condition.

Our care navigators will, where possible, contact you through the same method that you contact us. If you are requesting an appointment through our online form, please check your emails to see if you have had a response from us.

Appointment times can be checked or cancelled using SystmOnline or the NHS App. If you would like us to set up this access for you, please use our register for online services form.

Telephone Appointments

If you have a telephone appointment, the clinician will call you on the day. However, we cannot guarantee the call will match your appointment time. All our incoming and outgoing telephone calls are recorded for training purposes and to protect our staff.

Home Visits

We realise home visits are sometimes necessary. However, they do take our doctors three times as long to undertake as a surgery consultation. Potentially limiting our ability to see as many patients as we would like.

If you need a home visit, please request this before 10:30 and be prepared to provide the care navigator with your symptoms.

A member of our team may call you back to offer advice, provide an estimated time of visit, or alternatively, request that you attend the surgery.

Clinical Photographs

Photos sent to the practice may be stored on the patient’s record. If you have any specific objections, please contact the practice immediately.

Advanced Practitioner Appointments

Advanced practitioners (AHP) are qualified to assess patients’ physical, psychological and social needs and to diagnose and implement agreed management plans with patients, including appropriate prescribing and referrals to specialists.

We have a team of advanced practitioners who work closely with the doctors and provide appointments for patients.

Nursing Team Appointments

Our nursing team is available by appointment for a range of your healthcare needs. These include asthma and diabetic checks, blood tests, removal of stitches and wound care, ECGs, health checks, cervical screening, blood pressure checks alongside much more. To request an appointment with our nursing team please use this appointment request form or ask a member of reception for more information.

All appointments are booked in advance and while a few appointments may be available on the day, this cannot be guaranteed. The care navigator will ask you the purpose of your appointment as certain procedures are allocated longer appointment times.

Text Message Reminders

You can register to receive information about your appointments and healthcare by text message on your phone.

Enhanced Access Appointments

We provide enhanced access appointments to support patients who have difficulty accessing appointments during our traditional opening hours. We offer GP, AHP and Practice Nurse appointments as part of this service. We are open:

  • Wednesday 18:30-20:00
  • Every third Thursday 18:30-20:00
  • Every third Friday 18:30-20:00
  • Every third Saturday 09:00-17:00

Please note, not all services are running during these hours and they are for pre-booked appointments only.

Out of Hours Service

Between 18:30 and 08:00 Monday to Friday and all day at weekends and bank holidays, your call will be redirected to the NHS 111 service. If you require urgent medical advice when we are closed, please telephone 111.

Out of hours services are generally busy so please think carefully before asking to see a doctor and only do so if you genuinely cannot wait until the surgery re-opens.

Emergencies

In a genuine emergency, you should call 999. Chest pains and/or shortness of breath constitutes as an emergency.

How to cancel an appointment

It is important that you let us know if you need to cancel your appointment so it can be booked by another patient. To cancel an appointment, you can:

Interpreter services

For non-English speakers, we use the translation services provided by DA languages. If you feel this service would be of help to you or others please tell the care navigator when booking your appointment.

For patients who require sign language, we use the interpretation services provided by Language Empire. If you feel this service would be of help to you or others please tell the care navigator when booking your appointment.

Our policy for late arrival for an appointment

Our care navigators operate to the following protocol where patients arrive late for an appointment with a clinician:

Patients can book in up to 10 minutes after the appointment time without further formality.

Between 10-30 minutes after the appointment time, the Care Navigator will ask why you are late and then speak to the clinician. Depending on the circumstances, which will include the clinical workload, the clinician will then decide whether you can be seen later, which may not be until the end of the session or be asked to re-book.

If you are more than 30 minutes late for an appointment, the Care Navigators will ask you to re-book another appointment, which may not be available the same day, without reference to the clinician. As part of re-booking, you will be required to contact us via our website forms or phoning the surgery.