Appointment System

We operate a telephone call back appointment system which we believe will improve access to doctors and nurses at the surgery and get you the appointment you need, when you need it. You will be able to speak to a doctor or nurse for urgent and non-urgent health problems.

When you call the surgery you will be offered 3 different options:

     Option 1 - Results (after 2pm ONLY)

     Option 2 - Triage appointments (8.00-11.00am and 2.00-4.00pm) with a GP, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, or Paramedic (this line will close when all                           available appointments are full - you then have the option to contact LIVI, speak to a local pharmacist or to call 111.

                        Alternatively you can call back for the start of the next session e.g. 2 pm.

     Option 3 - For home visits by a paramedic, routine appointments with a nurse e.g. blood test, dressings etc or for any other routine query 

How it works:

1. Call the surgery and ask to make an appointment with the doctor or nurse.

2. You will be asked for your name, a contact number and to give a brief outline of why you need an appointment. You don't have to tell the receptionist but it will help the clinicians to prioritise their call backs based on clinical need.

3. If you want to talk to a specific person tell the receptionist, whenever possible they will arrange it.

4. If the doctor or nurse thinks you need to come into the surgery to be seen, they will make an appointment for you.

5. When you call the surgery, if the person you want to speak to is busy, he or she will call you back as soon as they can. If you want a call back at a specific time, tell us and we will arrange to call back at that time where possible.

Making an Appointment 

When you contact the surgery to book an appointment you will be asked about the reason for your visit. This is to enable us to direct you to the right person, as not all medical conditions need to be seen by a doctor. 

The nurses are able to deal with conditions such as:

Boils/acne, Coughs/colds/flu/sore throat, Diarrhoea/vomiting/constipation, Gynaecological problems, Headaches/migraine, Mouth ulcers, Non-specific viruses, Rashes, Skin infections, Sprains/strains, Urinary infections, Worms/lice/scabies….

If they are concerned about your condition they will be able to get an opinion from the doctor.

Our appointment system is designed to allow the doctor or nurse to deal with one problem for each appointment.

Chaperones

All patients are entitled to have a chaperone present for any consultation, examination or procedure where they consider one is required. The chaperone may be a family member or friend, but on occasions a formal chaperone may be preferred.

Patients are advised to ask for a chaperone if required, at the time of booking an appointment, if possible, so that arrangements can be made and the appointment is not delayed in any way.The Healthcare Professional may also require a chaperone to be present for certain consultations.

Home Visits

If possible please try to telephone reception before 10am if you require a home visit.

A doctor or nurse may phone you back as it may be that your problem can be dealt with by telephone advice, or that it would be more appropriate to send a nurse, or indeed arrange a hospital attendance.

House visits are only available for patients who are housebound because of illness or disability.

Please remember that several patients can be seen in the practice in the time that it takes to make one home visit. There are also better facilities for examining and treating patients at the surgery.