Appointments

To arrange an urgent appointment first phone our receptionists, who will take some very brief details. This is important as it allows the triage team to prioritise calls. Our telephone team are in a completely separate office to our waiting room, so nothing can be overheard. They have the same confidentiality rules as any of the clinical team.

Our receptionists are also trained in Signposting. For some conditions the GP practice is not the best place to be seen – for example eye problems are much better seen by an optician or dental problems by a dentist. Pharmacists can deal with certain problems like simple urine infections. And in some cases it would not be safe to wait for a GP appointment (eg chest pain or signs of stroke) when you will be advised to call an ambulance.

Once on the triage list one of our clinicians (a GP or Advanced Nurse Practitioner) will call you back, always within an hour but usually much sooner. They will take further details and agree a plan of action with you. This is often a same day appointment with one of the team, but sometimes it might be reasonable to arrange a prescription or you may just need advice.

At present we do not triage small children – we will always arrange an urgent appointment for children directly.

If your circumstances are such that speaking privately to someone on the phone would be completely impossible (eg due to work) then please let the receptionists know this, with as much detail of your problem as possible, and we will try and arrange something.

Booking An Appointment

We now offer more choice of appointments. You can book in advance either on-line using Patient Access, by telephone or in person. If you feel you need to be seen the same day you are best to phone as soon after 8.20am as possible. Patients who have an urgent medical problem which can not wait will usually be booked in to see our Advanced Nurse Practitioner.

All consultations are by appointment except in an emergency. You may consult any of the doctors. In the case of urgent problems (conditions which cannot wait a day or two) the patient will be seen that day, otherwise, you will be offered the first available time with the doctor of your choice. Priority is always given to babies and young children who will always be seen that day.

You can book appointments online via Patient Access. If you have an account please click on the login button below. If you would like an account please click here for instructions on how to register.