How Do I...
Make An Appointment?

Practice Policy

We allow our patients the opportunity to: have an appointment with a GP within two working days; book appointments more than 48 hours in advance; state preference of practitioner (we will comply wherever possible).

Before booking an appointment with the doctor, please consider whether any of the following options would be more appropriate:

1. See an optician for eye problems, a dentist for problems in the mouth and throat, a physiotherapist, osteopath or chiropractor for muscle or joint problems and a podiatrist for foot problems.

2. When the surgery is closed, and you are not sure if you can wait until it re-opens, you can ring NHS Direct for advice. Telephone 0845 46 47 or speak to your pharmacist.

3. Ring the surgery to speak with a receptionist to discuss who may be the best person to deal with your request. This could mean:

* A telephone consultation with the doctor or nurse, especially if your request is urgent.

* A nurse appointment, for example to check blood pressure, asthma, diabetes, general health checks, elderly health checks and for vaccinations.

* An administrative request. You do not usually need to see the doctor for the following, unless advised to do so: first week self certification forms, DSS forms, housing letters, Blue Badge parking forms, immunisation certificates, council exemption forms, employment references, letters for employers, insurance certificates. Some of these may incur a charge.

* A routine or urgent appointment with the doctor.

What we need from you

* Please help the doctors by arriving at least five minutes before your appointment is due. Doctors' appointments are booked at 10-minute intervals; if you arrive even this length of time late you increase the waiting time for the majority of patients who do arrive on time.

* Try to only address one ailment per appointment. If you feel you may require more than one appointment to address all your issues, please ask the receptionist for further advice.

* Do not ask the doctor for repeat prescriptions, as this takes up valuable time, and we already have a repeat prescription system.

* Please inform us if you are unable to attend your appointment so we may offer it to another patient. If you fail to attend more than three appointments in one year we may have no alternative but to ask you to find a new GP who operates an appointment system more suitable to your requirements.

These measures are to help us provide the best quality of service and care for our patients.

How Do I...
Speak To My Doctor On The Phone?

We ask that all patients should, whenever possible, avoid telephoning the practice on ANY morning before 10.30am unless it is essential or urgent. This will allow us to improve our telephone service to all our patients.

The doctor on call is available to speak to patients on the telephone every weekday between 9.00 and 11.30am. Please ring the surgery during these times to request medical help for urgent problems and for telephone advice. The only calls that the doctor will deal with at other times are serious emergencies that cannot wait until the next routine appointment is available.

How Do I...
Obtain A Home Visit?

Home visits can be requested via the doctor on call, preferably first thing in the mornings. We follow national guidelines to assess the medical need for a home visit, which usually means bed-bound or terminally ill people. It is often better for you to be seen in the surgery; you will usually be seen more promptly, and the clinical team will have more medical equipment available to assess your illness.
All requests for home visits are assessed by the doctor on call who may ring you before visiting to gather more medical information. We ask that you do not request a home visit unless you are genuinely not fit to attend the surgery.

How Do I...
Obtain Test Results?

You will be advised by the person taking the test how long you can expect to wait before receiving your results. Once this time has elapsed, you may telephone the surgery and receive your results over the phone after 11am. All results are checked by the doctor, and receptionists then will be able to advise you whether you need to make an appointment to be seen at the doctor's request.