Appointments with the Doctor
All surgeries are by appointment and these can be made in person or by telephone. When booking an appointment our reception staff will need to ask you a few questions so they can direct you to the most appropriate healthcare professional – this may be a GP, practice nurse or healthcare assistant.
We offer a minimum of 10 minute appointment slots (15 minutes with the Nurse) and although we aim to see patients at their allocated appointment time, there are obviously occasions, due to unforeseen circumstances, when this may not be possible and we ask that you accept this as being inevitable sometimes.
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
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
- 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, 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
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 late for an appointment you may be asked to re-book.
Missed Appointments and DNA’s
Do you feel frustrated when you cannot get an appointment?
Every year wasted appointments cost NHS £162 million. This can cause serious delays in treatment for other patients. On average approximately 150 patients each month Did Not Attend (DNA) their appointment. This means the patient did not turn up for the appointment and did not contact the surgery in advance to cancel or change the appointment. This currently results in approximately 40 hours of wasted clinical time each month.
Here is a list of the different ways you can access your General Practitioner
Telephone advice
During surgery the doctor has set aside time to deal with enquiries over the telephone. We will ask you to leave your contact number and enquiry in order for the doctor to call you back during the surgery hours. A triage system is in place and you may be asked to speak to the practice nurse first.
If you phone the Surgery asking for advice regarding a medical problem that may not require an appointment, it may not be possible to speak to the Doctor or Nurse immediately so the details of your query will be relayed to the Doctor/Nurse and you will be contacted as soon as convenient.
Obviously, in an emergency, the Doctor would be contacted immediately and advice given appropriately.
Urgent
Should you require an urgent appointment please contact the surgery as soon as possible. Please state immediately if it is urgent. These appointments are only for patients with minor injuries and illnesses who should be seen within the hour. They are not for repeat prescriptions, on-going appointments or sick notes.
Extended Surgery
We have an extended Surgery on Wednesday afternoons and we now offer appointments until 7:30pm on that day.
Additional information
Can I bring someone to accompany me to the Appointment?
We are generally very happy for patients to bring with them a carer, relative or even a friend. This often helps, particularly when they know you well and it allows them to tell us any observations they would make about you, which can help us in undertaking our assessment. Ultimately this will lead us more quickly to make an accurate diagnosis and therefore help you more.
Also, having someone with you means they can prompt you to ask questions that you may have forgotten, and after the appointment they can help in reminding you what was discussed.
Occasionally we might ask for them to leave but this would be unusual.
If you require interpretation services please contact us in advance of you appointment and we will arrange this.
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.
Interpreter
If you require an interpreter to attend with you when you see your Doctor please notify the receptionist and this will be arranged.
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.
Private Medical Examinations
Medical examinations for special purposes such as pre-employment, fitness to travel, elderly drivers, fitness to undertake sports etc, will require longer than a routine appointment.
These examinations do not form part of NHS Services, you will be charged for any such examination. Please check the fee chargeable when you require to arrange any such examination.
Urgent and emergency care services
Which Doctor?
As a patient, you are registered with the practice, not an individual GP. You can make an appointment with any of the Doctors at the practice. As medical records are now computerised, all Doctors, at any site can access your details. If you prefer, you can make an appointment with a Doctor of your choice. You may need to wait longer to get an appointment with a specific Doctor of your choice, as they may be in high demand at the time.
Need to see a GP but can’t get an appointment with your GP?
Our Surgery is part of a local Hub, comprising 8 Surgeries in the area, and we can also now offer extended access appointments between the hours of 6.30pm and 8pm, Monday-Friday and additional surgeries during the day at the weekends. You can see a Doctor or Nurse in these sessions and although we cannot guarantee that you will see one of our Doctors or Nurses, this service is very popular with patients who are unable to attend during normal opening hours. You are able to book appointments at the Hub by contacting us in the usual way.