Appointments

• telephoning or attending the surgery
• online via Engage Consult
• online using The NHS App
• online using Patient Access (or via the link at the top of this page)

GP online services easy read Patient Guide download HERE

From Monday 8th April 2024 we will be introducing a new way of dealing with requests for GP appointments.

We will be using a total triage system where every request will be triaged by a GP who will allocate an appointment with the most appropriate clinician.

See leaflet for further details

Thank you.

1. FROM MONDAY 8 APRIL 2024 we will be operating a total triage system, where every request for a GP appointment is triaged by our GP team.
2. You can request an appointment by calling the practice from 8am Monday to Friday, by coming to reception in person, or by submitting an Engage Consult online medical request via our website.

3. Anyone requesting an appointment will be asked by a member of our trained reception team for some details about their request. The details will be shared with the GP conducting the Clinical Triage and will be used to help deal with your issue in the best possible way. As NHS employees, all staff working in the surgery are bound by a duty of confidentiality and will only provide this information to the GP.

4. The GP will review the information you have given to the receptionist, and depending on the reason for your request, they will either call you back, or you will be contacted by our reception team to arrange an appointment with the most appropriate clinician. This may be a GP, an Advanced Nurse Practitioner, a Clinical Pharmacist, or a First Contact Physiotherapist.
5. If you have multiple problems, your GP may ask you to make another appointment in order for them to have time in which to deal with these.
6. Please inform the receptionist if you work away, are a shift worker, or a carer. If so, we will try to offer you a suitable appointment.
7. We will offer you the best-suited clinician to meet your needs. However, if you would like to see a specific clinician, you may have to wait longer for this type of appointment to be arranged.
8. Please remember the telephone lines are very busy between 08:00 and 10:00 each day. Please make use of our online services as much as possible, you may find this faster and more efficient than contacting us via telephone.
9. If you need a medical report or a support letter, please note that this work is not undertaken during routine appointments and we would request that all enquiries with regard to work of this nature are made in writing. For more information visit this page.

To ensure the highest level of security, Patient Access will now ask you to enter a 6 digit time-based passcode each time you sign-in, as well as your username and password. To access a passcode, you will need to install an authenticator app. 

Note: If you have biometrics (Face ID or Touch ID) enabled, you will not be asked to enter an authentication code each time you sign-in. 

For more information about this security feature on Patient Access and how to install the  authenticator app follow this link:

https://support.patientaccess.com/signing-in/sign-in-or-register-using-two-factor-authentication

We are now offering additional pre-bookable telephone appointments with the GP on weekday evenings and on Saturday mornings. These appointments must be booked online using Patient Access or the NHS App.

We also offer appointments with our nurses and HCAs on a Saturday morning. Please call the surgery or speak to reception to check availability.

If you feel unwell or you need social care and support, consider:

• Self-care(many common illnesses can be treated at home, without recourse to a doctor) Click Here for the Guide to conditions, symptoms and treatments.
  • Please remember that self-care for common conditions can help free up our GPs’ time, making it easier to get an appointment when   you have a more serious condition.
• Pharmacist– your local chemist can offer advice about treatment & medication for minor illness. How your pharmacy can help - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
• Contacting NHS 111or using the NHS 111 website
• If you or someone you know needs help with day-to-day living because of illness or disability, this website explains your options and where you can get support. Social care and support guide.

However you choose to contact us, we may offer you a consultation:

• by phone
• face to face at the surgery
• on a video call
• by text or email

Appointments by phone, video call or by text or email can be more flexible and often means you get help sooner.

To cancel your appointment:

• use your NHS account (through the NHS website or NHS App)
• using the GP online system [Patient Access]
• phone us on 01424 464 756, Monday to Friday 
• reply CANCEL to your appointment reminder text message

If you need medical help now, use NHS 111 online or Call 111.

NHS 111 online is for people aged 5 and over. Call 111 if you need help for a child under 5.

Call 999 in a medical or mental health emergency. This is when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.

Click here for more information

Please tell us:

• if there’s a specific doctor, nurse or other health professional you would prefer to respond
• if you would prefer to consult with the doctor or nurse by phone, face-to-face, by video call or by text or email
• if you need an interpreter
• if you have any other access or communication needs

PATIENTS PLEASE NOTE: 

• The cut-off point for same day home visits request is 12 noon.
• Home visits are reserved for patients who are genuinely housebound.
• If you request a home visit, you may initially received a telephone consultation from the Triage Clinician who will discuss your symptoms with you.

In cases of any major injury or a critical condition, it may be more appropriate to go directly to your local Hospital Accident & Emergency Department. If an ambulance is required, please dial 999.

Please ensure that you arrive to your appointment in time. If you are more than ten minutes late for an appointment you may be requested to re-book for an alternative date or time. 

Occasionally your clinician may be called away on an emergency during surgery. This will likely cause delays and we ask you to please be patient with us if this does occur.

We operate a text reminder service using Accurx whereby you will receive a text message from the Surgery to remind you of an upcoming appointment. If you wish to cancel the appointment you simply text back ‘CANCEL’ and the appointment is automatically cancelled at the Surgery. 

Please do not reply with any other messages as these will prevent the system from automatically cancelling the appointment. Please also be aware, the texts we receive back for cancelling are not monitored so please do not use this as a method of contacting the practice for anything other than cancelling the appointment that you have booked.

Under GDPR, if practices are sending messages about recommended treatment for the management of a specific health issue, then this is defined as providing appropriate care for patients, not marketing purposes.

If you have any questions related to our text messaging service or you wish to opt out of this service, please contact the Surgery.

If you wish to register for this messaging service please fill out the consent form.

Patient Support: My practice has sent me a document via text

• If you have received a text from your GP with a link to view a document (such as a sick note, referral letter, imaging request form, or blood form) you should be able to use your phone to access the document if you have internet access on your phone.
• Type in your date of birth to verify your identity and then click "Continue". You will then be able to view or download the document that your GP sent to you. 

Who are Accurx and where has this link come from?

We are a software company providing NHS staff with tools to communicate with their patients and colleagues. We are currently used in over 90% of GP practices in the country.

If you've received a text with a link in it, this was sent to you individually by a staff member at a GP practice (hint: the bottom of the text should tell you which practice). Your practice will have sent this to you as they'll require some information from you, and replying is really helpful as it might save an appointment, phone call or letter for both you and the practice.

What is happening with my data?

In legal terms, Accurx is the Data Processor, and your GP practice is the Data Controller. What this means is that Accurx doesn't own any of your data and wouldn't pass it on to other companies or use it for other purposes like marketing.

Their  security page details the accreditations and NHS digital guidelines that we follow and links to our Data Processing Agreement and Privacy Policy.