Appointments
We want to help patients get the best service possible from the staff and resources we have available at the health centre. We offer a range of appointments with doctors, practice nurses and healthcare assistants.
We open at 08:00 and our surgeries run from 08:00 - 17:50 daily. We also provide an evening surgery between 18:00 - 20:00 on Mondays.
In order to ensure you get the correct appointment you may be asked for some information about the problem by the reception staff when booking. This information will be treated in the strictest confidence.
You could be offered the following:
- A face to face appointment with a GP
- A telephone appointment with a GP
- A face to face appointment with a practice nurse
- A telephone appointment with a practice nurse
- An appointment with a healthcare assistant
- A telephone appointment with the practice pharmacist to discuss a medication query
Routine appointments can usually be booked up to 4 weeks in advance. We try to provide appointments with your usual GP for continuity of care but this is not always possible. There is a large team at the Health Centre and you may be offered an appointment with another healthcare professional who will be able to help you. Please book separate appointments for each member of the family attending.
The following guidelines may help you decide which appointment is the most appropriate.
Routine Appointments
These can be booked ahead with a GP of your choice. These are 10 minute appointments.
Standard GP consultations are 10 minutes long and it is possible to deal with 1 and sometimes 2 problems in this time. If your problem is complex or you have a list please consider booking a 20 minute (double) appointment. Double appointments may also be appropriate for gynaecological problems, emotional issues, joint injections and initial acupuncture consultations.
If the GP is unable to deal with your problems in the 10 minutes then you may be asked to make another appointment.
Longer appointments can be arranged at your GP’s discretion.
Telephone Appointments
These can be pre-booked with your GP or practice nurse.
Telephone appointments are suitable for:-
- Results of investigations or blood tests
- Mangement of minor illnesses
- Medication reauthorisation
- Urine infections
- Emergency contraception
- General health queries
Telephone appointments are 5 minutes.
Same Day Appointments
The GPs provide a telephone phone back system every morning, Monday to Friday, between 9.15am and 11am for patients who request to be seen that day. The purpose of the telephone phone back system is to ensure that your request is dealt with appropriately. It may be that you just require advice and that an appointment at the surgery is not necessary. If the GP feels that an appointment is required they will arrange this for you whilst you are on the telephone.
Practice Nurse Appointments
Practice nurses run the chronic disease clinics which include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, asthma and COPD.
They also deal with complex wound problems and dressings, cervical smears, ear syringing and immunisations.
Healthcare Assistants
Daily clinics are held where you can book for blood samples, simple dressings and wound care, blood pressure monitoring, ECG’s and certain immunisations.
We have a health promotion room and encourage you to visit this. Here you can check your own blood pressure, height and weight and there is relevant and up to date health promotion literature.
Cancellations
If you cannot attend an appointment for any reason please inform us as soon as possible in order for us to give the slot to someone else.