SEEING THE DOCTOR

Appointments to see the doctor can be made with reception. 

• Please make one appointment per person – delays are caused for everyone if two people are seen in one appointment.
• Cancellations – it is essential that you telephone if you cannot keep your appointment, even at short notice.  We can usually allocate your appointment to someone else. 
• Patients who repeatedly do not attend appointments and do not contact the surgery to cancel their appointment will not be given further appointments but will instead be asked to attend open access surgery.
• Appointments are for 10 mins although some patient’s problems take longer than others, so please be patient if there is some delay.  If you feel you will need a longer appointment than usual, please let the receptionist know and we will try to make provision for this.
• Open Access is normally for quick consultations i.e. less than 10 mins. If you have a problem, which will take more than 10 mins, please make an appointment to see the doctor when an appropriate length of time can be given. 

URGENT APPOINTMENTS

If you have an urgent problem, although you will be able to see a doctor the same day, it will be the first doctor available and may not be your usual doctor.  The receptionist will ask you for some brief details about the complaint and the doctor will contact you to arrange a time for you to be seen or may decide your problem can be dealt with by telephone advice

Interpreter Services 

Are available to all patients where English is not the first language.  Interpreters are available to the practice but must be booked in advance.  For routine appointments with  an interpreter present we require 72 hours notice.

Home Visits

Please do not ask the doctor to make a home visit if you are well enough to come to the surgery. If you ask for a home visit you may be contacted by the doctor to judge if a home visit is necessary.

Other than in the case of extreme emergency all requests for home visits should be made by telephoning 8772 2621 before 10.00 am.

The receptionist will ask a few details to allow the doctor to assess the urgency of your call and help you in the most appropriate way.

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 Health Centre.

Emergencies

Emergencies during surgery hours telephone 8772 2621. Between 8.30 and 6.00 pm, urgent requests will be given prompt attention by the receptionist and the doctor will be informed. It will be necessary for the receptionist to ask some details regarding the condition of the patient so that the doctor can assess the urgency of the call.

When the surgery is closed – telephone 8772 2621 and a recorded message will tell you how to contact the Out of Hours Service. 

Please remember that this service covers a wide area and many practices and should be reserved for genuine emergencies only.