Appointment System
During the Coronavirus pandemic NHS England is requiring all GP practices to make changes to the way they work going forward. This means a change in the way we are asking you to book your appointments.
For GP appointments and consultations we are asking, where possible, for our patients to use Online Care Contact Form. This is because as a practice we are moving to total triage, meaning that the practice will deal with all contacts made with a patient on the day. The information you submit through the Care Contact Form will be viewed by a clinician and if the clinician feels you are needed to be seen in person you will be seen on that day.
Appointments for nurses, chronic disease management etc.. will not be affected and you can carry on as normal by ringing the practice to book these appointments.
Our aim is to ensure you are able to speak to a clinician as soon as possible, however we do prioritise those who have serious or urgent illness.
Don’t need your appointment? Cancel it!
We know people forget things, cancelling GP appointments being one of them. Remember to cancel your appointment if you don’t need it. Failure to attend booked appointments is a significant waste of NHS resources.
If you are unable to keep your appointment, please give us as much notice as possible so that your appointment can be offered to someone else.
If you are cancelling please telephone us on 01790 728111 as soon as possible, and at least 30 minutes before your appointment time. This will enable us to offer your appointment to someone else.
Alternatively you can cancel your appointment online using Patient Access if you are signed up to the service.
Cancellations notified less than 30 minutes before the appointment time will be recorded as failure to attend (DNA).
Home visits
Patients are requested, where possible, to telephone before 11am if a home visit is required that day.
We would request that, apart from the genuinely housebound, all other patients attend the surgery rather than request a home visit because of the extra time home visiting takes. On average four to five patients can be seen in surgery in the time it takes to do a single house call. In addition, the care that can be offered due to the lack of adequate lighting, examination facilities and equipment means that you may not receive as good a service as the doctor may be able to offer if you came to the surgery.
Please note that the doctor may telephone you rather than visit you if this is medically appropriate. Ultimately it is the doctors’ right to decide whether or not a visit is appropriate for a particular set of circumstances.
