Appointments

We know you are busy, accessing health care when you need it should not disrupt your day.

Like you, we don't believe that you should have to contact us at 8am to get an appointment, sit in a waiting room for an hour when you already feel unwell or have to come down to the surgery to pick up a note.  

We are trying to bring our consultations into the 21st century.

Firstly, we are starting by removing our "book on the day" system and are releasing all appointment slots in advance.  Most people would rather have an appointment within two to three days after one telephone call to reception rather than having to ring everyday in the hope that you will speak to a GP on that day. 

We are increasingly using email, sms text messaging and mobile technology and really want to try online consultations.  We know it doesn't suit everyone but for those who work away or cant get to a phone, this is a useful way of making contact.  Further details of our online services are available on our website.

We are asking you to email/text photographs of rashes, bumps etc to allow the GP to assess your problem and this can often eradicate the need for a consultation. 

We are aware of comments made on social media accusing GP's of not wishing to see patients etc.  This is not the case.  We are not  stopping patients from "getting to us", it's to make things easier and importantly allows us to consult with more patients. 

Over 70% of problems can be dealt with by phone, and if you need to be seen our GP will book a face to face appointment or we will arrange bloods/investigations beforehand and plan the consultation.

This system allows us to increase our number of consultations from an average of 15 to 24 a session and thus keep the waiting times down.

This means you will be offered a variety of options. The shortest wait time is for a phone call, of 70% of patients are managed this way and importantly over 95% are very satisfied with the outcome of the call.

Please don't take offence when the receptionist asks the reason why you need to speak to the GP.  This is to allow them to ensure that you are dealt with in the most efficient and appropriate manner i.e if you have a medication issue it may be more appropriate to speak to the clinical pharmacist, if you have joint pain it could be more effective to be seen by the physiotherapist.

Face to Face consultations are still available but the wait time is longer.

The majority of Nurse consultations remain face to face.

We are constantly reviewing our appointment system so if you feel that you have an idea to improve our services please contact us and let us know.

Emergencies.

If you have an urgent problem the staff will work through our protocol and arrange urgent assessment.

Please understand that the Medical Receptionist is required to ask a series of questions to understand the severity of the problem.

Please be aware Primary Care (your GP) is NOT an emergency service. We have limited access to diagnostics and no access to urgent x-rays/imaging and speaking to a GP/Nurse first, may subsequently delay your treatment.

We can deal with some urgent problems and we will call you back to arrange review but you may be signposted to the walk in centre or A&E if it deemed more appropriate.

If you are suffering from any of the following, our Medical Receptionists are instructed to tell the caller to call 999 immediately or, if you are are unable to do so yourself, we will do it for you.

Severe chest pain, tightness in chest, sweating or clammy, pain radiating down left arm

Unconscious/collapsed

Blue

Head Injury

Bleeding profusely (check severity)

Weak and floppy with rash (especially if a child)

Gasping for breath

The Practice has access to a number of different appointment types and it is essential that the Medical Receptionist gains as much information as possible from yourself when booking the appointment to ensure that your are seen appropriately. 

We understand that this can seem intrusive to some patients but the Medical Receptionist have been trained to navigate certain conditions and complaints to the appropriate services.

This also ensures that appointments are used appropriately and are available when needed.

Telephone Consultations

All appointments with the GP are initially a Telephone Consultation. This is to make things easier and importantly allows us to consult with more patients. 

It may be confusing for some patients to understand how an appointment can be undertaken via a telephone for things such as rashes, skin lesions etc but we will ask you to forward a photograph of the condition prior to the consultation so that the GP can assess it prior to the call.  If this is not possible, then the GP will discuss with you the best option available.

Over 70% of problems can be dealt with by phone, and if you need to be seen we can arrange bloods / investigations beforehand and plan the consultation.

This system allows us to increase our number of consultation from an average of 15 to 24 a session and thus keep the waiting times down.

So that means you will be offered a variety of options. The shortest wait time is for a phone call, of 70% of patients are managed this way and importantly over 95% are very satisfied with the outcome of the call.

GP Face to Face Appointments

You will be offered a face to face appointment by a GP if they feel that it is clinically required and that may be the same day or an appointment that is convenient for yourself.

Home Visits 

Any request for home visits will be put on the Doctors list for a call back before 12. The Doctor will assess the need for the visit and the timing for the visit. Some visits are handled by the Joint Visiting Service but you will be informed.