Book an Appointment

The Practice offers an on the day appointment system for GP appointments.

Please phone at 8.30am on the day you wish to be seen. The admin team are fully trained to answer your call and will ask you the reason for the appointment. This information helps to assist the Clinicians, or signpost you to the most appropriate service, which may be out with the practice. Please be patient as the phone lines can be busy. You can request the doctor of your choice and your preference for a telephone or face to face appointment. We will always try our best to accommodate this, although this may not always be possible.

Each day we have a number of consultations available, if we reach the safe capacity for the day you may be asked to call back another day.

Please make one appointment for each member of the family who needs to be seen. We try to keep to time but please be patient if someone before you takes longer than planned. Appointments are ten minute slots. If you have a complicated problem, or more than one problem, you may be asked to book another appointment.

Consultation is by appointment:

Please note appointment times will vary during holidays and illness.The practice offers  on the day appointment system.

Please help us

Please try to make sure you arrive in good time for your appointment, taking into account journey times when booking appointments and planning your arrival. We do understand that an occasional delay is unavoidable therefore if you arrive within ten minutes of your appointment then clinician will see you.

Arrivals after this time is at the discretion of the clinician, although patients will generally be asked to rebook. If you are late you may be seen at the end of the surgery. Late arrivals that lead to cancellations cause an appointment to be wasted which could have otherwise been used. It is important that you arrive on time. Please also remember that one patient’s late arrival can have knock on affects on other patients appointment times, causing the Doctors to run late.

Cancelled Appointments

It is important that you inform the reception staff if you are unable to attend your appointment, this will allow that appointment to be offered to another patient. If you fail to notify the Practice that you are unable to attend, you will be sent a letter informing you that you have defaulted from your appointment. Persistent defaulters maybe removed from the list.

Interpreter

If you require an interpreter when you see your Doctor please notify the receptionist and she will arrange the telephone interpreting service for your appointment, although we can’t always guarantee this will be available.

Extended opening hours

As part of the Government’s plans to improve healthcare we are now opening the practice on a Monday morning. We have nurse and Health care assistant appointments from 7.15am to 8.30am. This is mainly to see patients who are unable to attend during the day for their appointment.

If you become unwell after 6pm please call NHS 24 as usual on 111

Did Not Attend (DNAs)

The practice will pro-actively contact patients who DNA more than once in a 12 month period. If patients continue to DNA thereafter the practice will take action and remove the patent from the practice list.

As a result of DNA’s the practice and its patients have to deal with the effects of:

• Increased waiting times
• Frustration to the Doctors, Nurses, Reception & Other patients
• A waste of resources

The practice has a Text Messaging appointment reminder system. This will send you a text message reminder of your appointment. If you do not receive such texts, please complete a consent form and update your mobile number with reception. We would like to thank you for your co-operation in these matter.

Urgent appointments

If you feel that your problem is urgent and can’t wait until the next day, you can request an urgent telephone appointment with a GP.  The receptionist is unable to book an urgent/emergency appointment but will pass all the information to a doctor, who will triage if your call is urgent for that day. We will always contact you should the GP decide that your enquiry is not urgent.

Private Medical Examinations

Medical examinations for special purposes such as pre-employment, fitness to travel, elderly drivers etc, may not be provided by the practice.  Please check with the receptionist prior to booking an appointment.

These examinations do not form part of NHS Services, you will be charged for any such examination. Please check the fee chargeable when you require to arrange any such examination.

Request for GP Letters/Completion of Forms

The NHS does not fund medical reports by GP’s for housing or benefit appeals. After consideration and guidance from the local medical committee, the practice have decided not to provide letters.