Appointments

We recognise that some people like to book appointments to see the doctor in advance to fit in with their work or other commitments. We also recognise that some people like to ring and have an appointment on the same day. Some people have routine matters they wish to discuss and some have urgent problems needing prompt attention.

We do our very best to meet all of these varying needs within the limitations of the number of doctors and appointments we have available. Three types of appointment are available to you.

Appointments that can be booked in advance

There are a limited number of appointments that can be booked in advance, usually up to 2 weeks ahead. These appointments are there to give you choice and flexibility over the time and day on which you wish to be seen as well as to enable you to see your usual doctor. If these appointments are filled on a particular day the receptionist will be happy to try and find an alternative day for you to book. There are also some appointments released 2 working days ahead to further enable you to see your usual doctor if you have developed a problem that is not urgent but you would like to be seen within a couple of days.

Appointments that are available on the day only

Every morning at 8am a limited number of appointments become available for each doctor on that day. These appointments are there to give you the ability to see the doctor quickly if that is your need. Naturally there is less flexibility over the time of the appointment and the choice of doctor at such short notice.

Appointments that are available for urgent medical problems

If all of the appointments for a particular day are filled and you have a genuinely urgent medical problem that cannot wait until the next available appointment then please tell the receptionist. The duty doctor for that day will call you back and give you advice over the phone or arrange to see you as an emergency at a specified time. Because we are doing our best to see you as an emergency there will not be any flexibility over appointment time or choice of doctor.

Please try to remember that, whatever your situation, the receptionist can only offer you the appointments that are available. All appointments are always in great demand and the doctors have only a limited number of hours in the day in which to meet the needs of our 16,000 patients.

We always welcome any constructive suggestions on ways of improving our appointment system.

Cancelled Appointments

Appointments with the doctors and nurses are always in high demand, we ask you keep or cancel appointments in good time to avoid wasting appointments that someone else could use

Failure to Attend Appointments

Repeated non-attendance is unfair on other patients. If you fail to attend an appointment and don’t let us know within a timescale that would allow someone else to use the appointment slot this will be recorded in your medical records. If you repeatedly fail to attend for an appointment your GP will write to you and advise that failing to attend on a further occasion will result in you being removed from the list.

Home Visits

Because of ever increasing pressures on the doctor’s time a home visit may not always be offered automatically.

If possible please try to telephone reception before 10:30am if you require a home visit.

A doctor or nurse may phone you back as it may be that your problem can be dealt with by telephone advice, or that it would be more appropriate to send a nurse, or indeed arrange a hospital attendance.

House visits are only available for patients who are housebound because of illness or disability.

Please remember that several patients can be seen in the practice in the time that it takes to make one home visit. There are also better facilities for examining and treating patients at the surgery.

Telephone Consultation

You can book to have a telephone consultation with a doctor. He or she will ring back at an (approximate) agreed time on the telephone number you have given. You may leave a mobile number but please ensure it is switched on.

The receptionist will ask for brief details of the nature of the call, this is to ensure a telephone consultation is the most appropriate route to meet your needs and to assess the time frame in which your call is returned.

GP Training

We are a training practice and for much of the year have an additional Doctor, a GP registrar or hospital doctor in training taking both morning and evening surgeries. The Registrar will have completed his or her hospital training and will be within a year of becoming a General Practitioner.

An integral part of this training is video recording of consultations by the Registrar and other doctors in the practice. 

Patients will be advised on the days when this recording is taking place. You may ask for your consultation not to be recorded.  Video recordings are used for training to improve consultation skills and in the assessment of a doctor’s ability to consult.

Medical Students

From time to time there may be medical students accompanying the Doctor while he/she takes surgery.  You should be informed of this prior to your consultation and you have a right to refuse a student being present.