Appointments

Urgent appointments

To request an urgent appointment for today (Monday to Friday):

  • phone us on 01638 666887, Monday to Friday from 8am to 6.30pm
  • visit the surgery and speak with a receptionist, Monday to Friday from 8am to 6.30pm
  • using the GP online system – SystmOnline

For patients requiring medical attention on the day Receptionists will ask a few triage questions and book a call with our On-Call team. The On-Call team comprises of a GP, Advance Nurse Practitioner, Emergency Care Practitioner or Nurses specialising in Minor Illness. Patients can expect a call that day from a member of the team and should try and keep their phones with them.

Non-urgent advice: Notice

Please note that the On-Call Team’s job is to provide care to patients who have a problem which cannot safely wait for a routine appointment. This will be determined by the On-Call Team in discussion with the patient.

You will receive a call back from the member of the team who is most appropriate to deal with your problem; this may not be the GP. The On-Call Team will triage all calls passed to them to decide with you what would be the safest course of action. The team will ensure medical emergencies, palliative care and vulnerable patients are prioritised.

Following triage you may still be advised to wait for a routine appointment if your problem has been reviewed as not requiring same day intervention. However, you will now be able to do this having been reassured that it is safe to do so following a review by the On-Call Team.

Routine appointments

You can request a routine appointment by:

  • using the GP online system – SystmOnline
  • phoning us on 01638 666887, Monday to Friday from 8am to 6.30pm
  • visiting the surgery and speak with a receptionist, Monday to Friday from 8am to 6.30pm
  • using your NHS account (through the NHS website or NHS App) to book a screening test or vaccination

 If you choose to book online please enter a reason for the call and a contact number. Please note the times for telephone consultations are approximate but best effort is made to make the call to you within the specified hour.

Your appointment

However you choose to contact us, we may offer you a consultation:

  • by phone
  • face to face at the surgery
  • on a video call
  • by text or email

What Sort of Problems are Appropriate for the On-Call Team?

It is impossible to provide a comprehensive list but some examples of appropriate problems for same day review by the on-call team would include:

  • A wound, animal bite, or other minor injury that requires same day attention but does not require A&E;
  • An unwell child where self-care measures (see https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/) are failing and the community pharmacist has already been consulted;
  • Difficulty breathing. However, if you cannot complete sentences you should call 999;
  • Cough productive of coloured sputum with fever;
  • A newly confused patient with or without fever;
  • A fall or loss of consciousness that day;
  • New severe abdominal pain;
  • A spreading hot red rash with or without fever;
  • A newly swollen, hot or red joint;
  • Palliative and/or end of life patients;
  • Safeguarding adult or children concerns;
  • Pregnancy complications (please speak to your midwife first).

We would expect problems such as sore throats, cough and cold symptoms, diarrhoea and vomiting, insect bites etc. to wait until the next available routine appointment.

Urgent Mental Health

Urgent mental health support can be accessed by calling 111 Option 2 (this is for new and existing mental health problems). Patients already under the care of a mental health team should call them in the first instance. The practice can offer urgent mental health support if that is your preference or if you have not been able to access the help you need using the methods outlined above.

Cancelling or changing an appointment

Please let us know as soon as possible if you are unable to make your appointment by telephoning us on 01638 666887.

In future, you may wish to register for online services to have the ability to Book or Cancel an Appointment, Request a Repeat Prescription, Change Personal Details and View your Medical Records without visiting the practice.

To cancel your appointment:

  • use your NHS account (through the NHS website or NHS App)
  • using the GP online system – SystmOnline
  • phone us on 01638 666887, Monday to Friday from 8am to 6.30pm
  • reply CANCEL to your appointment reminder text message

If you need help when we are closed

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

NHS 111 online is for people aged 5 and over. Call 111 if you need help for a child under 5.

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 tell us:

  • if you need an interpreter
  • if you have any other access or communication needs

Home visits

Whilst we encourage our patients to come to the surgery, where we have the proper equipment and facilities available, we do appreciate this is not always possible.

In this respect, if you do need a home visit, you can help us by calling reception on 01638 666887 as early in the day as possible. Our telephone lines open at 08:00.

You may only request a home visit if you are housebound or are too ill to visit the practice. Your GP will only visit you at home if they think that your medical condition requires it and will also decide how urgently a visit is needed.

Please bear this in mind and be prepared to provide suitable details to enable the doctor to schedule house calls.

You can also be visited at home by a community nurse if you are referred by your GP. You should also be visited at home by a health visitor if you have recently had a baby or if you are newly registered with a GP and have a child under five years.