How To Book Routine Appointments from 1st October 2025:

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Routine Appointments from 1st October 2025:

The only way to request a routine GP appointment is via our online triage webform:

  • Use our eConsult service, Monday to Friday from 8am-6.30pm at eConsult Station Road
  • If you are unable to complete the form yourself, a friend or family member can do so on your behalf.
  • Alternatively, please phone us or walk in, and one of our team will complete the form alongside you.

Once we receive your request, a GP will review it. They will decide:

  1. Who is the most appropriate person to see you – this could be a GP, physiotherapist, mental health practitioner, or nurse.
    1. How soon you should be seen.

You can also use this form to submit admin queries like blood test requests, sick notes, private referrals etc.

If a routine appointment is needed, you’ll either be sent a link to book with the right clinician or our team will contact you directly to arrange the appointment.

Can reception make me an appointment instead?

  • From 1 October 2025, whether you visit in person or contact reception by phone, they will no longer be permitted to book doctors’ appointments. They will help you complete the form if you struggle to do it yourself.

What if I do not have access to the internet or struggle to complete forms?

Please call the reception, and they will assist you in completing the form. Alternatively, you can visit in person, and the reception team will help you complete it.

Can reception make me an appointment instead?

From now on, whether you visit in person or contact them by phone, they will no longer be able to book youa doctor’s appointment. They will help you complete the form for a medical query if you struggle to do it yourself.

How long will it take to fill in the eConsult?

For medical queries, it will take approximately 5 minutes. For administrative or simple issues, it is even shorter:

  • Examples of admin issues are –to ask about a fit (sick) note.
  • Examples of simple issues are – change of contact details, such as a mobile number.

What happens after you submit the eConsult:

  • Once you submit the webform, you will automatically receive confirmation that your request has been received by the practice.
  • Your request will then be reviewed and scheduled for triage by a GP. We will notify you once this has been arranged.
  • After the GP has triaged your request, we will contact you again with the outcome.

When the surgery contacts you, this may be by text, email, or phone call. Depending on the outcome, you may be:

  • Offered an appointment
  • Given advice, or
  • Directed to appropriate healthcare services in the community that we work with, such as a social prescriber, pharmacist, physiotherapist or other healthcare professionals.

Why do I need to complete a form or answer the questions the reception team ask me?

This process helps us make sure you receive the right advice or appointment with the most appropriate professional, within the right time frame.

Alongside our GPs, the Practice now has a wider team of healthcare professionals, including:

  • First Contact Physiotherapists
  • Social Prescribers
  • A Practice Pharmacist
  • A Mental Health Practitioner

In some cases, it may be more appropriate for you to see or speak with one of these practitioners instead of a GP.

Will I get an appointment quicker if I speak to reception instead?

No, the reception team will no longer be permitted to book routine GP appointments with patients directly. All methods of completing the triage forms, either online, in person or over the phone, will be assessed equally.

I don’t feel comfortable telling reception about my medical issue

Please be assured that anything you discuss with a receptionist will be treated with absolute privacy and respect. All staff within the Station Road Surgery, including receptionists, sign a confidentiality agreement, meaning anything you discuss with them is not shared inappropriately.

What if English is not my main spoken language?

In the same way that clinicians frequently use an official translation service on the phone the receptionists will also be able to access this if the patient they are speaking to is on the phone or in person in the surgery.

Does this mean I won’t see a GP anymore?

No. Routine Triage is just a preliminary way of collecting information to ensure you are seen by the right person in the right way, not a way of deflecting medical issues that need contact with a GP. 

What if I need help for an urgent issue?

Urgent appointment booking is not changing. We are endeavouring to keep the system as user friendly as possible, and therefore, if a truly urgent problem needs to be addressed, then you can still book an urgent appointment from 8am via reception. Please note that receptionists will not be able to book routine issues into urgent slots.