Appointments

If you have registered for online internet access you can now book and cancel appointments online. Otherwise download and complete the pre-registration form and pop it into the surgery.

Our phone-based appointment system enables Practice members to offer you an appointment quickly and accurately. It is our policy to offer a routine appointment within 48 hours and within 24 hours for patients who feel they have an urgent problem. Due to fluctuating demands it is not always possible to offer an appointment with your usual doctor, however, you will be offered an alternative doctor. If you have 'phoned in for an "urgent/same-day" appointment over the past six months you will have noticed a change in the system.  In common with most GPs we have found that there is an ever-increasing demand for these appointments - a demand which it is difficult to satisfy.

We run a widely used system known as "triage".  Basically, this means that the calls are initially passed to the nurse, who assesses the complaint and decides the most appropriate response to each request.  Sometimes this means a same-day appointment, but at others it might mean telephone advice, an appointment later in the week, or the nurse may be able to arrange a prescription over the 'phone.

Urgent Appointments

The doctor will see patients who have an urgent need for an appointment, within 24 hours. Such problems may include moderate to severe pain, ear, chest or urinary infections or deterioration of previously established conditions e.g. asthma. A routine appointment is usually necessary for other problems such as review of ongoing conditions, stress related and emotional problems, HRT and discussion of test results, as the doctor will require more time for discussion of these.

Emergencies

We are not an emergency service but we do have a daily doctor-on-call who responds to life-threatening emergencies. However, if it is difficult to contact the surgery immediately, we recommend 999 is dialled.