We would like to help all our patients access the right care at the right time. All consultations with a GP or Practice Nurse are by appointment only, we offer both face to face and telephone appointments. To make an appointment please phone the practice. A member of our admin team will ask for a brief description of your symptoms, this is entirely confidential and will help us to direct you to the most appropriate health care professional for your needs, this may not always be a GP. You may be offered an appointment with the Community Treatment and Care Team (CTAC) for testing and wound care, First Contact Physio for musculoskeletal problems or the Mental Health Team or signposted to your local pharmacy, optician or dentist if this is more appropriate. Local pharmacies can treat many minor ailments without the need for a GP appointment. Please help us to ensure that we use practice resources in the best way possible by considering an alternative health care professional.
The different types of appointments available are,
· On the Day - These are only for patients with a serious medical issue that cannot wait.
· Soon - These are within a week to ten days and are for illnesses/conditions that cannot wait for a routine GP appointment.
· Routine - These appointments are for issues that can wait, for medication reviews and for patients who would like to see a specific GP to help manage ongoing issues. These are usually bookable four to six weeks ahead.
If you have booked an appointment and no longer require it, please let us know so that we can offer it to someone else.
Standard GP appointments are 10 minutes long and it is only possible to deal with ONE or sometimes TWO problems in this time.
If your problem is complex or you have a list please consider booking a double appointment.
Below are some links for patient websites which give guidance on making the most of your GP appointment.
12 ways to get the most out of your GP appointment
https://patient.info/news-and-features/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-gp-appointment
Make the most of your GP appointment | The Patients Association
https://www.patients-association.org.uk/make-the-most-of-your-gp-appointment