Please note – The online service is temporarily suspended due to the current COVID pandemic.
All requests for appointments should be made by telephoning the practice first (please avoid entering the building). Appointments with a doctor will be by telephone triage in the first instance, any face to face appointments will be made at the discretion of the doctors only.
Can another healthcare professional help?
Do you need to see the GP?
Sometimes the GP is not the most appropriate healthcare professional to deal with your ailment. Please see the information on see a doctor or healthcare professional, which might help you decide whether a GP appointment is truly necessary or whether it might be better for you to see a pharmacist, optician, dentist, or other healthcare professional.You can even self-refer for some services without seeing your GP.
For real life-threatening emergencies such as those below – RING 999
- Chest pain (suspected heart attack)
- Suspected stroke
- Suspected meningitis
- Anaphylactic shock (severe allergy)
- Heavy bleeding or deep lacerations
- Fluctuating levels of consciousness or completely unconscious
- Difficulty breathing or stopped breathing with a change in colour
- New seizure, fit or uncontrollable shaking
- What to do in an emergency
For immediately serious conditions such as the following, GO TO Emergency Department (A&E) IMMEDIATELY
- A fever and lethargic (drowsy) child
- A feverish and floppy (unresponsive) infant
- Difficulty breathing
- Sudden, severe abdominal pain
- Accidental or intentional overdose of medication
- Trauma (including falls) and possible broken bones or road traffic accident.
Your appointment at the Practice
- Appointments may be made by telephone or in person
- Please make one appointment for each member of the family who needs to be seen
- We try to keep to time but please be patient if someone before you takes longer than planned
- Appointments are normally ten minute slots and so if you have a complicated problem, or more than one problem, please ask for a longer appointment
- It is Practice policy to allow patients to choose whichever doctor they wish to attend in the Practice (however this may not always be possible during periods of annual leave or illness).
Please help us
If you are not able to attend your appointment please let us know in time so that the time can be used for someone else. If you are more than 10 minutes late for an appointment you may be asked to re-book.
Appointments
Appointments
The surgeries are run on an appointment system usually from 08:30 – 11:00 and in the afternoon from 14:30 – 17:20. Appointments can be made by calling in at the surgery or by telephoning the receptionist on 01324 551555 (4 lines). You may consult any of the doctors.
Cancellation list
PLEASE NOTE – This service is temporarily suspended due to the current COVID pandemic.
We offer a ‘cancellation list’ to our patients, this service is suitable for patients who do not require to see a doctor urgently but would prefer to see a doctor if a sooner appointment becomes available. The cancellation list helps us to make best use of our available appointments and also allows patients to be informed of sooner appointments without repeatedly contacting the surgery.
Normally we will ask you to make a routine appointment in the first instance and if you would prefer to try to see a doctor sooner we will offer to add your details to our cancellation list.
Reception staff will ask for a contact telephone number and some information e.g. when you are available, if it is an on-going or new problem and whether you require to see a specific doctor or if your appointment can be dealt with by any of the doctors.
We will try to call you a maximum of three times to offer a suitable cancelled appointment slot. Unfortunately we are unable to leave messages.
It is hoped that by offering this pro-active service to our patients we can reduce the number of wasted appointments and also encourage patients to contact us to cancel appointments if they are unable to attend so that it can then be offered to someone else.
Emergencies
Emergencies will be seen immediately, otherwise you will be offered the first available appointment. Emergency ‘on the day’ appointments may be with a doctor or a practice nurse and our reception staff are trained to direct patients to the most appropriate clinician or service depending on your health issue or symptoms.
Practice Nurses
In a number of cases it might be worth considering an appointment with a practice nurse rather than a doctor. Practice nurses are qualified to deal with many ailments and you may be seen more quickly. Nurse’s appointments are available between 08:30 – 17:00.
Telephone consultations
A duty doctor is available each day to deal with any urgent problems on the telephone. If your problem is not urgent and you wish to speak to a specific doctor the receptionist will be happy to take a message and pass it on to the doctor. The doctor may ask a receptionist to call back to pass on a message or call back in person if appropriate. A specific response time cannot be given so do please try to keep telephone and mobile lines clear if you have requested telephone advice.
Additional information
If you have a suspected infectious disease
Please inform reception if you suspect an infectious disease, as this will enable us to deal with it appropriately during your visit to protect you, other patients and staff.
Consultations 16 to 75
If a patient aged between 16 and 75 years has not had a practice consultation within a period of three years, we are happy, on request, to provide a consultation.
Giving Consent for Treatment
You have the right to accept or refuse treatment that is offered to you, and not to be given any physical examination or treatment unless you have given valid consent. If you do not have the capacity to do so, consent must be obtained from a person legally able to act on your behalf, or the treatment must be in your best interests.
Your valid consent (agreement to the course of action) is needed for the treatment that’s offered to you before any physical examinations or treatment can be given. If you haven’t given your consent, you can accept or refuse treatment that’s offered to you.
It’s important to be involved in decisions about your treatment and to be given information to help you choose the right treatment. When making treatment choices, you’ll often discuss the options with your doctor or another healthcare professional.
