Appointments - Pound Hill Medical Group

Appointments & Enquiries

To book an appointment, please call the surgery, or come to our reception desk at any time the surgery is open. Some appointments may also be available online.

Routine appointments are available up to four weeks ahead.

Our book on the day appointments open automatically at 8.00am each day that the surgery is open and are allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Requests for urgent appointments for acute illness are dealt with by a telephone triage system, and can’t be booked online. Please call the surgery in the morning and a nurse, doctor or physician associate will phone you to discuss the problem. They can arrange an emergency appointment or give you advice as necessary. If possible, please try to phone before 10.00am.

How does the acute illness system work?

If you call the surgery to request a same day urgent appointment our receptionist(s) will ask for a brief outline of the problem to give to our triage team who will then call you back as soon as possible. This will usually be within 1 hour of your call to the surgery but may be longer depending on how busy the team are.

The triage team may include doctors, specially trained nurses, and physician associates.

The triage team will attempt to call you once. If you do not answer the phone, they will not try again. Please ensure that you are available to take the call.

The triage team will assess your health needs and direct you to the most appropriate health professional such as a doctor, pharmacist, health visitor or even self help. You may not always need to see a doctor.

The advice given is based on procedures drawn up by the doctors who supervise the other members of the triage team.

It may be useful to remember that the triage team are acting as a channel between the patient and the doctor – they are not there as a barrier, so please help them to help you.

Please be considerate to other patients in urgent need of a same day appointment – if you have a routine or ongoing problem, please use the routine appointment system.

Non-urgent advice: Please note

The triage team will only make ONE attempt to phone you. If there is no reply your details will be filed and no further action will be taken.

We are unable to leave messages on answer phones or voicemail systems for reasons of confidentiality.

Please note that the doctor will only see one patient per appointment. If there are other members of the family with you, they will need to have separate appointments.

Telephone Access Time

Our telephone lines are now open from 8:00am for booking appointments (Monday to Friday).

Please be aware that during the hours of 8:00am to 8:30am we ask you to only call the surgery if you require an appointment or in an emergency.

If you no longer need your booked appointment, please cancel it so we can offer the appointment to another patient. You can cancel appointments online, or by calling us at the surgery.

Our appointment system includes a selection of book on the day appointments. These become available at 8.00am each day and can be booked by telephoning the surgery. We also have several telephone consultation slots available which can be booked by telephoning the surgery.

Make the most of your visit to the doctor

An average appointment lasts 10 minutes. Be prepared to tell your story. Consider taking a partner or close friend to help you describe a health problem and ask them to prompt you. You must get across what’s really worrying you and if you are anxious your mind may go blank, or if you are embarrassed you’ll sidestep the issue. A companion will jump on inaccuracies such as “I hardly drink at all” or “I never snore”.

Take notes, ask questions. If you do not understand what is being said ask for it to be explained again in plain English.

Find out about your family medical history. It does not mean you will have the same problems but any risk needs to be taken in to account by the doctor.

Boost your confidence by making a list of symptoms beforehand and rehearse how you will answer questions such as, “Where is the pain?” or “How long have you had it?”

Chaperones

Video consultations

Pound Hill Surgery

Appointments & Enquiries: Tel: 01293 540 620.

Appointments are normally between 08.30 – 11.30 in the morning and 14.00 – 17.30 in the afternoon, although appointments outside of these core times may be available.

Opening Hours: Monday – Friday 08.00 – 18.30

Copthorne Surgery

Appointments & Enquiries: Tel: 01342 774 888

Appointments are normally between the 08.30 – 11.30 in the morning, and 14.00 – 17.30 in the afternoon (Monday – Thursday) or 14.00 – 17.00 (Friday).

Opening Hours: Monday – Thursday 08.00 – 18.30 & Friday 08.00 – 17.30

Warning advice: Important

If you are not able to keep an appointment or no longer need the appointment you have booked, please telephone the surgery to cancel. Please give us as much notice as possible so that your appointment slot can be offered to another patient.

If you arrive late for your appointment you may be asked to wait until the end of surgery to be seen. However, if you arrive 10 minutes or more late for your appointment, you will be asked to re-book.

If you want general advice on matters of health, please call NHS 111 or visit 111 online.

Enhanced Access Appointments

Pound Hill Medical Group is now working with the other local practices in our Primary Care Network to be provide over 50 hours per week of additional GP, Nurse and other healthcare professional appointments. To book these appointments please contact the reception team in the usual way. These are typically evenings from 6:30PM to 8:00PM, mornings before 8:00AM, and on Saturdays.

Home Visits

If possible please try to telephone reception before 10:00am if you require a home visit.

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.

You can 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.