If you cannot keep an appointment, please inform the reception team or use the cancellation option on our telephone system, we will then be able to offer it to another patient. You can call right up to the last moment and leave a message on our cancellation line.

We will continue to offer a broad range of routine appointments with nurses and health care assistants, from early morning to late clinics. We also offer clinics such as blood pressure, asthma, diabetes and family planning. You can still book up a few weeks in advance.

Staff do their best to guide patients to the most appropriate appointment, by asking questions about the nature of your problem. The staff are following the Partners instructions, please support them. The Doctors have advised them too on when its best to see the same Doctor wherever possible and when its less important to do so. For example, if a GP has sent you for a test, it is always better to wait to see or talk to the same Doctor about that result, if it is indicated that they wish to discuss it with you.

• Appointments can be booked in by phone.
• We release appointments at 8.30am.
• To make an appointment telephone 01243 813450 during surgery opening times.

Booked Telephone Consultations with a Doctor or Nurse

We also offer pre-booked times to speak on the telephone to your Doctor or Nurse at the practice. The procedure for making an appointment is the same, only the consultation will be by telephone. If a patient does not require a face to face consultation, the reception team can book a telephone consultation with a clinical member of the team. The doctor or nurse will ring you back at an agreed time. These are for non complex problems and for one problem only please.

Duty Doctor Appointments

We will run emergency clinics each day available for those patients that have a medically urgent problem. The doctors have given careful consideration to what is a medically urgent and are happy to provide this service to those patients needing urgent medical care. The reception staff may ask for some details of the urgent medical problem and will follow the doctors’ instructions in booking these slots. Patients may decline to give information, in which case our receptionists will take contact details and the emergency doctor will phone back the patient in order to assess the emergency.

Minor Illness Clinics

If a Pharmacist has been unable to help you, our nurses run a minor illness clinic each day, where patients can be seen for a variety of minor ailments. The list is long, and our nurses can either prescribe or arrange for a prescription if required at the time of your appointment. Examples of the type of minor illness seen are:- impetigo, tonsillitis, allergies and acne – and lots in between! We also see minor injuries.  Again the receptionists have been trained to ask for details so they can guide you to the right clinician for your problem.

Dealing With Telephone Calls

Usually we aim to answer promptly, but in the mornings (and especially on Monday) the phone can be very busy. To get a better service, please avoid telephoning for routine matters such as general advice or test results until after 11:30am. If your Doctor is not available to speak to you on the telephone, you will be advised when he/she is able to deal with your call or you will be offered an alternative arrangement. Unless it is an emergency, the Doctor will not be interrupted during surgery hours.

We have a call back facility which enables our system to automatically call you back once it is your turn in the queue, please do use this option when calling the surgery.

Wheelchair Access

There is good access for wheelchair users to all of our consultation rooms. Toilet facilities are also accessible and available on the ground floor.

Mobile Telephones

Mobile telephones can be a nuisance to others using the surgery. We ask that you turn off mobile telephones before entering the building.

Smoking

Smoking is not permitted in any part of the grounds or building.