Appointments

Appointments can be booked by visiting our Consulting Room.

Please Note:

You will be asked by reception staff 1) if your problem can be dealt with on the phone and 2) for an idea of the problem so they can direct you to the most appropriate appointment.

Appointments are available everyday – they can be booked at ANY time of day – you do not have to ring at 8am when phones are busy and you do not have to come down at 8am. If your problem is urgent we guarantee to see you within 48 hours and if you need to be seen the same day and there are no appointments left we can get a doctor to ring you to assess the situation.

Telephone Appointment

Telephone appointments are a very effective way to deal with many problems. If you have an urgent medical concern, a doctor or nurse can often give advice about what to do in the early stages of an illness which can avoid an unnecessary trip to the surgery. They are also very useful if you want to ask the doctor for advice about a health concern or about your medication. They may be able to provide you with a prescription over the phone or advice about what you should do.

This is ideal if you want:

• Advice regarding medication or a prescription change
• Advice regarding ongoing illnesses with your usual doctor
• To request forms, certificates or referrals
• To request tests or x-rays to diagnose a condition

Book in Advance

We provide appointments which can be booked up to six weeks in advance so that you can plan when it is best for you to attend.

These ‘pre-bookable’ appointments may be booked at any time of the day, either by phone or in person at either surgery. Some pre-bookable appointments can also be booked online using Patient Access. We try to provide a range of appointments so that you can book with a doctor of your choice within two working weeks.

This is ideal if:

• You need a routine review e.g yearly check for an ongoing condition
• You need to see your USUAL doctor about a chronic illness
• You need to see a particular doctor to follow up an ongoing problem
• You know when you need to be seen e.g after a hospital appointment or test
• You can wait

What you can do to make it easier:

• Let us know if you think your condition can be dealt with on the phone – a telephone appointment can be arranged with a doctor or nurse.
• Please inform us as soon as possible if you cannot attend an appointment for any reason. This will allow us to give the slot to someone else.
• Try to see the same doctor for ongoing problems – your care will be more effective and you will build up a relationship with that doctor.
• Be prepared to give the receptionists a little bit of information about your problem so they can direct you to the most appropriate appointment or person.
• Please be patient with us – we will do our best to sort out your problem in the way that is most appropriate for the condition you have.
• Rudeness on the phone or in surgeries will not be accepted and our practice supports Zero Tolerance regarding abuse. If this should happen, you could be asked to register elsewhere.