Information about Appointments
Appointments with a Doctor
Routine appointments are booked at ten minutes intervals. Help us, to help you by letting us know of your most urgent problem first. If you feel that your appointment needs more than ten minutes please book a double appointment.
Patients are registered to the practice and not to individual doctors. We do, however, advise where possible to stick to the same doctor for the same problem. This helps ensure continuity of care which we believe to be important for patient care.
Please be punctual for your appointment and if you are running late let reception know by telephone. If you are more than 20 minutes late the doctor reserves the right to ask you to re-book.
Emergency Appointments
Emergency appointments are always available daily and are usually with the duty doctor of the day. Please bear in mind that these are short five minute appointments for urgent assessment and not for routine medical care. These appointments are given out consecutively, as requested, on the day at the earliest time slot available. As these are emergency appointments we ask for your patience in being seen; as some patients may take longer to be assisted.
Patient Preference
Patients may express a preference of practitioner when making an appointment. The practice will always try to comply with these requests but it may not always be possible due to, for example, overbooking, meetings, annual leave or sickness. Emergency or urgent appointments will be made with the next available doctor, at the earliest time slot available.
Appointments with a Nurse
If you need an appointment for any of the following then please ask for an appointment with the practice nurse:
- Family planning
- Contraceptive pill check
- Vaccinations
- Travel vaccinations and advice
- Cervical smear
- Asthma check
- Diabetes check
- Ear syringing / assessment
- Wound dressings
- Removal of sutures (stitches)
- ECG (Electrocardiogram – electric tracing of the heart)
- Blood Pressure check
Appointments with a Health Care Assistant
We also have a Healthcare Assistant, with whom appointments may be made, who has been trained to do:
- Health checks
- New patient checks
- Well man checks
- Well woman checks
- Weight checks
- Blood tests
- Dressings referred from the practice nurse
Telephone appointments
If you wish to speak to a doctor or nurse, but do not actually need to see him or her, you can ask to have the practitioner telephone you back rather than coming in to the surgery. The doctors usually do their ring backs during and at the end of morning surgery. Therefore if you would like a ring back please telephone before 11am.
Non-Attendance
Non-attendance for appointments is a persistent problem and increases the wait to see the doctor/nurse. If you no longer require your appointment please cancel in good time, as this will allow someone else to see a doctor/nurse that day.