Booking appointments
What's the problem?
When you ring to book an appointment, the receptionist will ask for a brief idea of the problem. If you prefer not to say, that's fine, just let the receptionist know.
Who to see?
You don't always need to see a doctor. We offer a wide range of services provided by our nurses and nurse practitioners. They often have more appointments available. If in doubt the receptionist can advise.
Whenever possible, we recommend that you see the same nurse or doctor each time for help with continuing care.
Arranging to see a nurse or healthcare assistant
You can make an appointment to see a nurse or HCA by telephone or by calling into reception. The length of the appointment depends on the reason for the consultation.
Arranging to see a doctor or nurse practitioner
If you think that you need to see a doctor or nurse practitioner, please telephone and the receptionist will ask you for a brief idea of the problem.
A doctor or nurse practitioner will call you back and consult with you over the telephone. We resolve many problems this way, but if they think you need a face to face appointment we can book this for you. This may be on the same day, or at a later date convenient to you.
Cancellations
If you have an appointment and are no longer able to attend, please let us know so that we can give the appointment to someone else.
Urgent medical problems
There are times when a medical problem can't wait for the next routine appointment, but it's also something that's not suitable for A&E. For these situations, you may be given an emergency appointment. Emergency appointments are five minutes and are for one problem only. Sometimes the emergency doctor has to deal with very ill patients and this can cause a delay, so please be prepared to wait.
For information about other services that can offer urgent help, see: In an emergency.
Arriving at the practice
When you arrive for your appointment you need to either:
- use the 'arrivals touch screen' in the waiting room - just type in your gender and birthday
- or check in at reception
If you do not let us know you have arrived then you will miss your appointment.
