Book an Appointment

If you do not have internet access and want advice about a health problem, you can now have an appointment by telephone and speak directly to a clinician by phone. This will generally be  on the same day that you call if the call is made prior to 3pm. You can use the telephone appointment service for urgent and non-urgent health problems.

This is how it works:

1. Call us on the main surgery telephone number and ask to make an appointment with the doctor.
2. One of our call handling team members will ask you for your name and telephone number. If you need to speak to the doctor urgently, because it’s an emergency, tell them straightaway.
3. The call handler will ask you to say generally what your health problem is and ask you some questions so that your request for care can be prioritised. The more information you are able to give, the better we are likely able to help you quickly. You don’t have to tell the call handler if you don’t want to. But if you can, it helps the doctor to decide whom to prioritise for a call back based on clinical need.
4. If you want to talk to a specific doctor, tell the receptionist. Wherever possible they will arrange it.
5. If your doctor thinks you need to come into the surgery to be seen, or if you would still like to come in, he or she will make an appointment for you.
6. When you call the surgery, if your doctor is busy he or she will call you back as soon as they can. If you want us to call you between certain times then tell us and, where possible, we will arrange that.

Telephone Consultations are available each day with the doctors. These short 5 minute appointments are suitable for queries regarding medication, clarification of test results or at a doctor’s request to follow up on a previous appointment.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

Nursing students attend the practice from time to time and we hope that you will co-operate with us and help the students to learn about general practice.

You will be informed of their presence in advance, and if you do not want them to be present at a consultation, your wishes will be respected. This will not affect your treatment in any way.

• Why is the surgery offering online and telephone appointments?

You have told us that sometimes you find it frustrating and difficult to get the appointment you need, when you need it. By offering an online consultation for all people who have internet access this frees up the telephone line for patients who are more vulnerable- for example the elderly- we can ensure that everyone is able to speak to, or see, their doctor on the day that they request  call or on the day they choose.

Many people don’t need to come into the surgery to be seen at all; their problem can be dealt with via online advice or by telephone. This gives your doctor more time to see those people that need appointments in the surgery. And, because your doctor is the one making the appointments, he or she can judge how much time you might need and give you a long or short appointment. This helps appointments to run to time and means you’re more likely to be seen on time. We also know that when people make an appointment close to the date that they call, they are more likely to keep the appointment.

• What do I do if I need an emergency appointment?

Telephone the main surgery number and tell the receptionist that your health problem is urgent. He or she will ask a clinician to call back as soon as possible. If all of the clinicians are busy, the receptionist will make sure you are called back as soon as possible

• Can I still telephone to make an appointment for a home visit?

When you speak to the receptionist plesae ask for a home visit. If, after to speaking to you, the clinician thinks you need to be seen at home, he or she will arrange this.

• Are telephone appointments safe?

During your call with the clinician, he or she will ask questions to help them make a decision about whether you need to be seen in person or not. For example, if your clinician needs to look at something or examine you, you will be asked to either come into the surgery for the appointment or conduct a consultatioin via video. If your clinician thinks you need to be seen he or she will always ask you to come in to the surgery.

• What happens if I have trouble using the telephone?

If you have difficulty using a telephone you can still come in to the surgery to book an appointment. You will be added to the doctors list and they will book your appointment or advise you in the same way.

• Can I still book an appointment for next week or next month?

Generally you can get an appointment on any day that you call if prior to 3pm, therefore you shouldn’t need to book ahead. With the current Covid pandemic and changing guidance, we do not suggest booking ahead more than 1-2 or days.

• I’m not comfortable telling the receptionist what is wrong, do I have to?

Knowing what your health problem is generally helps the staff at the surgery to make sure those people with more urgent problems are seen quickly. However, you don’t have to tell the receptionist what is wrong. If you are not comfortable talking about your health problem, simply say you would rather not and the receptionist will respect your wishes.

Cancellations

If you cannot attend an appointment for any reason please inform us as soon as possible in order for us to give the slot to someone else.