Appointments

Routine Appointments

To book an appointment call 01702 582670 during normal surgery hours.You will usually be able to see the doctor or a nurse within 2 working days for routine appointments. This can be a little longer if you would like to see a particular doctor or if that doctor is away. You may be able to see a doctor sooner if you do not have a preference for which doctor you see. You may also be offered an appointment with a nurse if it is more appropriate.Some appointments are only released on the day so you may be able to book an appointment by calling the surgery when it opens in the morning. Please remember that receptionist may ask why you need to see the doctor or nurse and this is to assist them and the clinicians in making the most appropriate appointment.

Emergencies

Emergencies that need to be seen for acute medical emergencies (ie. those that cannot wait for a routine appointment) will usually be fitted in to see the nurse first. Once she has seen and assessed the patient she will either ask a doctor to review the patient or obtain a prescription after consulting a doctor. In the case of children and babies, these will usually be fitted in directly to see a doctor.

Please remember that as an emergency you may well have to wait to be seen and will not necessarily be able to see the doctor of your choice. If you need to be seen as an emergency please make this clear to the receptionist when you call.  

Telephone appointments

The Practice encourages patients to phone for advice when a face-to-face apointment is not necessary. If you wish to speak to a doctor or nurse please telephone reception and book a telephone consultation and the doctor will return your call. We do try to call back at the allocated time but sometimes due to time pressures during a surgery you may be called at a later time to the one allocated.  

 

Appointment Time

Single appointments with the doctor are 10 minutes long. Please try to keep one appointment for one problem. This is so the doctor has the time to address the problem fully and doesn't keep other patients waiting. If you think you will need more than 10 minutes please tell the receptionist at the time of booking so she can allocate extra time. Certain appointments such as smears and asthma reviews will be allocated 20 minutes.

We do try to run on time as much as we can, so please be considerate to patients waiting to be seen after you, if you take longer than your allocated time it will delay patients waiting to be seen

Cancellations

If you are unable to attend for an appointment please ring to cancel so that your slot can be released to another patient. Patients who persistently fail to attend without prior cancellation will be asked to leave the practice. On average 5-6 patients a week fail to attend a variety of appointments. This accounts for more that 90 minutes of wasted doctor's and nurse's time.

Internet Booking

We are not currently booking appointments over the Internet. However we are hoping to make some progress on this and will keep you informed of any changes.