A Guide to How our Appointment System works:
- All GP appointments are now face to face here at the surgery by default (we can change your appointment to a telephone call if there is an appropriate reason for doing this)
- We have ‘on the day’ appointments with each GP which open up at 8am and 12noon (available to book online or by telephone)
- We limit how far ahead appointments can be booked so that appointments with GP Partners are available within 2 weeks and with other GPs and GP Registrars within 1 week.
- We operate a Duty Dr system for patients with urgent clinical need once our ‘on the day’ appointments are all booked.
Why are we working this way?
- Assessments of medical conditions are best done face to face – this is safer for patients and ensures less duplication (where a telephone call results in a patient having to be squeezed in later that day)
- Patients who request continuity with a particular GP were waiting too long to be seen under our old system ( sometimes up to 2 months) so we have now put limits on how far ahead those appointments can be booked. Use the online system or NHS App to track the availability of your preferred doctor – new appointments will be released each day at 8am so the earlier you look online (or phone reception) the more likely you are to find an appointment with your preferred GP within 2 weeks.
- If a GP needs to review your condition in a longer timeframe he/she will book the appointment for you (or will ask reception to do this).
