Making an Appointment

You can make a routine appointment with the doctor of your choice if he/she is available.  Appointments are made in person or by telephoning the Surgery and can be made up to two week in advance.  Please try and see the same doctor to maintain continuity of care.  The reception staff will ask the nature of the appointment when booking - this helps them to assess whether you need a single/double appointment and will enable them to give you an appointment with the most appropriate medical staff able to help with your needs.

Every day we run a session for those patients who need an emergency appointment.  The receptionist will ask you the nature of the problem and you will be given the next available appointment on that day with the Minor Illness Nurse.  The Nurse Practitioner can make an appointment with the duty doctor on the same day should your medical condition require it. 

If you require a “Special” appointment these can also be booked in advance (e.g. antenatal, coil fitting, minor surgical procedure, insurance medical examination with a Doctor or asthma check, diabetes check, appointment for contraceptive pill with our Minor Illness Nurse etc). Please inform the receptionist what the appointment if for so that you can be given a suitable appointment.

If you are unable to keep an appointment please let us know as soon as you can – this will enable another patient to be seen. 

Late arrivals

As you might appreciate this creates problems within the appointment system and can waste Doctors’ valuable time.  If you are delayed please telephone the Surgery wherever possible and we will inform you if the doctor is still able to see you.  However, if you arrive late (more than 5 minutes) without notifying us, you may be asked to book another appointment, unless the matter is genuinely urgent.

Telephone Consultations

Many problems can be discussed over the telephone. If you wish to speak to a Doctor please ask the receptionist for a telephone consultation. Unfortunately we cannot give a specific time for the Doctor returning your call, but it will be on the day you request the consultation.

• Being on time for appointments
• Letting us know if you need to cancel, we can then offer the appointment to somebody else
• Calling for home visits or urgent appointments before 10.30am
• Ringing for test results between 12 noon and 2pm
• Telling us if you change address or telephone number
• Giving the receptionist as much information as possible as this assists us in dealing with you efficiently and appropriately
• Re-Ordering your repeat prescription in plenty of time

Home Visits

Try and come to the Surgery whenever possible as the facilities are far better for examination and treatment. This includes children with a temperature or rash.

If you genuinely require a Doctor to visit you at home, please telephone the Surgery before 10.00am. Please be ready to give the patient’s name, address, telephone number and a brief description of the complaint. This will enable the Doctors to prioritise the visit appropriately.

Please remember that several patients can be seen in the practice in the time that it takes to make one home visit.

Test Results

Please call between 11am and 3.30pm to enquire about your test results as our reception staff will have more time to deal with your request between these times.

Note that the practice has a strict policy regarding confidentiality and data protection and we will only release test results to the person to whom they relate unless that person has given prior permission for the release of this data or they are not capable of understanding the results.

When you take your test you will be told how long it will be before the results are returned to the practice.

It is your responsibility to check your results and to make an appointment to discuss them with your doctor if your are advised to do so.