How to Make an Appointment
To book an appointment via telephone call either 01543 278 461 or 01543 577 972 and press Option 1. These numbers go to a central portal and will be answered by one of our receptionists between the hours of 8:00am – 6:30pm.
Don’t wait in the queue on the telephone!! Press call back when prompted and you will maintain your place in the queue and we will call you back.
Our appointments are available to book at any time of the day, you do not need to call at 8:00am.
You can also complete a form through Accurx to tell us about a medical condition that you need help with. This MUST NOT be used in an emergency.
If you have an urgent medical problem you can:
Call 999 if you are experiencing chest pain or shortness of breath.
During closed hours you can contact NHS 111
Telephone NHS 111 or go online by visiting 111.nhs.uk.
Available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The online service is for people aged 5 years and over only.
Telephone the Surgery
Please telephone the practice on 01543 278 461 or 01543 577 972) during our surgery opening hours.
Our receptionists will ask for some information about the illness in order to establish a suitable appointment slot to offer. Reception staff are trained in care navigation and confidentiality, please help us to help you.
For urgent appointments and home visits you may not be able to see the doctor of your choice and you may be redirected to an alternative service.
Visit a Local Pharmacy
Why Visit Your Pharmacy?
It’s estimated 50 million visits to the GP are made every year for minor ailments such as coughs and colds, mild eczema and athlete’s foot.
But by visiting your pharmacy instead, you could save yourself the time and trouble. Instead of booking and waiting for a GP appointment, you can visit your local pharmacist any time, just walk in.
Minor Ailments and Conditions Your Pharmacy May Help With
- Mild skin conditions, such as acne, eczema, psoriasis, impetigo, athlete’s foot
- Cughs and colds, including blocked nose (nasal congestion), and sore throats
- Bruises, sunburn, and minor burns and scalds
- Constipation and piles (haemorrhoids)
- Hay fever, dry eyes and allergies (including rashes, bites and stings)
- Aches and pains, including earache, headache, migraine, back pain and toothache
- Vomiting, heartburn, indigestion, diarrhoea and threadworms
- Period pain, thrush and cystitis
- Head lice (nits)
- Conjunctivitis, cold sores and mouth ulcers
- Warts and verrucas
- Nappy rash and teething
- The Practice can also refer you to a local pharmacist under specific criteria for certain conditions. This may be offered when you book an appointment slot.
Non-urgent advice: Cancel an Appointment
If you cannot attend an appointment for any reason please inform us as soon as possible in order for us to give the slot to someone else. Call the practice to cancel your appointment or use Patient Access or the NHS App to cancel an appointment online.
Chaperones
This Practice is committed to providing a safe, comfortable environment where patients and staff can be confident that best practice is being followed at all times and the safety of everyone is of paramount importance.
All patients are entitled to have a chaperone present for any consultation, examination or procedure where they feel one is required. The chaperone may be a family member or friend. On occasions you may prefer a formal chaperone to be present i.e. a trained member of staff.
Wherever possible we would ask you to make this request at the time of booking your appointment so that arrangements can be made and your appointment is not delayed in any way. Where this is not possible, we will endeavour to provide a formal chaperone at the time of request. However, it may be necessary to re-schedule your appointment.
Your healthcare professional may also require a chaperone to be present for certain consultations in accordance with our Chaperone Policy.
If you would like to see a copy of our Chaperone Policy or have any questions or comments regarding this, please contact the Practice Manager.
Getting the Most out of an Appointment
In Great Britain, patients on average have just ten minutes with their GP. The British Medical Association (BMA)‘s Doctor Patient Partnership offers the following advice to help you use this time effectively.
Be Prepared
Make a list of any questions or problems you wish to discuss before hand.
Take a pen and paper as you may want to note down important points.
Wear loose clothing if it’s likely you will need to be examined.
Be prepared to tell your doctor of any non-prescription medicines or supplements you are taking.
You can bring someone with you for support.
During The Appointment
Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
If you don’t understand, ask your doctor to repeat it or write it down.
If you are prescribed a drug, make sure you know why it has been given to you, how long to take it for etc. Remember pharmacists are experts in medication and a very useful source of advice.
Be direct. If you have a problem that you find embarrassing or difficult to talk about, don’t leave it to the end of the appointment before mentioning it. Remember your problem is likely to be a common one for your GP, who is there to help you.
One problem at a time
If you have several problems it is more effective in the long run to concentrate on just one problem during the consultation than to have to rush through a list of problems. Be prepared to make another appointment so that each problem can be given the time it needs to be sorted out.
Be on Time
Be on time for your appointment, or inform the surgery as soon as possible, if you wish to cancel your appointment. If you waited more than 15 minutes from the time of your appointment, please make reception aware.
Separate Appointments
Make a separate appointment for each member of the family.
Under 14 Year Olds
Children aged under 14 years and under should be accompanied by a parent or guardian. If however, a young person strongly wishes to be treated without his/her parent’s/guardians involvement, his or her confidentiality will be respected.
Home Visits
Home visits are available on request for patients who are housebound, terminally ill or too ill to come to the surgery. All requests for home visits will be assessed by a doctor.
At home the doctor will only have limited equipment and it is often difficult to perform a full assessment of a patient’s symptoms. It is therefore essential that if it is at all possible that you attend the Surgery to see the clinician.
If you do need a home visit, it would be helpful if you could call before 10.30am. Please give the receptionist as much information as possible so that the doctor can give your request due priority. This helps to avoid unnecessary delays as the doctors are able to plan their appointments.
A clinician may phone you before coming to see you as it may be that your problem can be dealt with by telephone advice.
Calls are distributed amongst the clinical team, thus you may not necessarily be visited by your preferred doctor.
Late For Your Appointment
Please attend your appointment on time, if you are late you may not be seen. Please speak with the receptionist to re-arrange a further appointment.
Text Reminder Service
We have a texting service which allows you to receive confirmation and reminders about your appointments.
To have this service you will need to register by completing a consent form.
Please remember to update your contact details with us when you change address, telephone numbers and email address.