Diffculty getting appointments
What to do if you can't get through on the phone in the morning.
We know that there is a high demand for appointments at the practice. We are very sorry if you find it difficult to get through on the phone system. We are working to improve it and to improve access to the practice more generally. The pressure on GP appointments is a national issue and we are doing our best to try to help patients with a variety of different needs.
How do I get an urgent appointment then?
If your problem is urgent, and cannot wait until another day then you have several options:
1) Call the practice and ask for the Duty Dr to call you back
2) If you can't get through when the lines open, don't worry, just call a bit later when it is quieter, e.g. after 10.30am. We run a 'Duty Dr' system the whole day which means a GP will always call you back if requested and appropriate on the same day.
3) Alternatively you or a relative or friend can come to reception on your behalf and request a call back as above.
4) NB: We do NOT accept email contact for clinical problems
What about if my problem is less urgent?
If you have an issue which does not have to be dealt with today then you have several options. But before you read on, please do consider whether this is a problem which needs a GP or Practice Nurse appointment. Some more minor problems can be dealt with by the Pharmacist at any high street pharmacy. Other problems can be managed on your own by looking at the NHS app at: https://www.sensely.com/asknhs/ or using https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ . If you feel that you still need to see a GP or Practice Nurse, consider the following:
1) Get online access to appointments. Using the website or app you can book appointments up to 6 weeks ahead. To get access to the app you will need to bring some photo ID to reception.
2) Call the practice after 10.30am when it is a little quieter and our care navigators can help you find an approprate appointment.
3) If there is no face-to-face appointment suitable for your needs please call (later in the day) and ask for a routine telephone call from a GP. The GP will call you back on a specific date and will discuss your problem with you and either give you advice, a prescription or order some tests. After that the GP will discuss with you what should happen next, which may include arranging a face-to-face appointment.
4) If your problem is specifically medication-related please consider asking for an appointment (telephone or face to face) with the practice Clinical Pharmacist.
