Appointments

GP appointments

All requests for GP appointment are taken over the telephone. When you call you will be put through to a member of our care coordinator team.

We operate an appointments system which includes routine and on the day appointments. Routine appointments can be booked in advance. These appointments can be face to face or a telephone/video consultation depending on your preference.

On the day appointments are provided if your problem is of an urgent nature. We advise patients to call the practice on 01553 774 221 at 8am if you require a same day appointment.

We understand that call waiting times can be lengthy at times, so we offer a callback system during peak times. Call backs are made in the same order as they would have been answered had patients waited in the call queue.

“What is a care coordinator?”

Our care coordinators are trained to ask you questions to direct you to the most appropriate member of our clinical team / service. Not all conditions will require a doctor’s appointment and there are many different roles and services within the practice that we can offer. For example physiotherapists, mental health practitioners, health and wellbeing coaches and social prescribers.

Nurse / Healthcare assistant appointments

You can request an appointment using the link below for blood pressure checks, blood tests, women’s health, vaccinations and injections, and some specialist nurse appointments. Please note chronic disease reviews are monitored by our planning and outcomes team and you will receive an appointment when you are due for a review.

Request an appointment with a nurse or healthcare assistant

Improved GP access appointments

We are pleased to offer our patients additional nursing appointments in the morning and evening to improve our service to you. For more information please contact our care coordinator team.

Appointment reminders

We operate an SMS text alert reminder service for all pre-booked appointments. In order to utilise this service, we will need your up to date contact details. If you would like to update us, please use our change of details form.

Cancelling or changing an appointment

To cancel your appointment:

Please give us as much notice as possible to cancel your appointment. Any appointment you are unable to attend can be offered to someone else who needs it.

If you need help when we are closed

Visit your local pharmacy.

If you need medical help now, use NHS 111 online or call 111.

Call 999 in a medical or mental health emergency. This is when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.

If you need help with your appointment

Please contact the practice if you require an interpreter or if you have any other access or communication needs.

Making the most of your appointment

Before your appointment:

  • Write down your two or three most important questions.
  • Write down details of your symptoms, including when they started and what makes them better or worse.
  • Ask a friend or family member to come with you, if you like. Especially if they help care for you.

During your appointment:

  • Don’t be afraid to ask if you don’t understand. For example ‘Can you say that again? I still don’t understand.’?
  • If you don’t understand any words, ask for them to be written down and explained.
  • Write things down, or ask a family member or friend to take notes.

Home visits

Patients requiring a home visit should phone the surgery on 01553 774 221. All requests for visits must be received by 10:30am.

Please note that a member of our healthcare team may telephone you rather than visiting you at home if it is medically appropriate. 

Due to an increase in patient numbers and demand, we are no longer able to provide a service which is over and above that which we are contracted to provide, i.e providing home visits for patients who do meet the contractual requirements as set out by NHS England. 

Home visits are extremely time consuming; in the time taken to carry out one home visit, 3-4 patients can be seen at the practice.

Home visits are strictly for patients who fall into the following categories:

  • Terminally ill
  • Housebound
  • Patients who are severely ill in bed

The following are not reasons for the practice to provide a home visit:

  • Transport issues for the patient – it is not the responsibility of the practice to arrange transport, or to provide a home visit because the patient has difficulty arranging transport. In these circumstances patients should seek transport help from relatives, friends or taxi firms. This is non-clinical.
  • Childcare issues for a patient – if a patient has difficulty arranging for someone to care for their children whilst attending appointments, the patients are welcome to bring their children with them to the practice. This is non-clinical
  • Poor mobility – whilst it is understood and recognised that having poor mobility is inconvenient and unpleasant, GP practices are designed with this in mind, having lift access and disabled toilets.
  • An unwell child – it is in the best interest for the child to attend the surgery where they can be properly assessed and treated. The GP can make a more informed clinical judgement when seeing the child in surgery.

This policy is based on the GMS/PMS contract and BMA guidelines.

Care homes

All care homes should use the designated care home contact form (if you require the link for this please contact the practice and this will be sent to you via email).

All requests for visits must be received by 10:30am. Please submit a separate request for each resident requiring a visit.

Care home residents are no different to patients in their own homes and therefore the need to visit should be based upon clinical need, not the availability of transport or staff to attend with the patient. It is the responsibility of the care home to make transport available for residents to enable them to travel to their medical and non-medical appointments.

Related information

Health A to Z

Sick notes

Test results