How to make an appointment

Please either call into the Health Centre or telephone 01458 834100. We offer a variety of appointments that have differing durations. We ask that when contacting the receptionist you make it clear the appointment type you require and when; we are able to book up to four weeks in advance as well as offer same day appointments. The telephone lines are extremely busy at 8.00am until 9.30am. If your enquiry is not important please avoid this peak time. The BT Ringback service should not be used, as it does not work properly when many callers are trying to get through.

Appointments for the nurses can be booked six weeks in advance.
We aim to meet government targets for access to appointments and we expect patients will be able to see a primary care professional within one working day and a GP within two working days.

Video consultations

We are an approved training practice and we may occasionally request your consent to video the consultation to be used in general practice training. Please be assured you can decline to participate at any time with no prejudice to your care.

How to obtain telephone advice

Many problems can be solved and advice given by speaking to the doctor or nurse on the telephone. You can book a telephone consultation with a doctor or nurse of your choice. The receptionist will gladly assist you.

We are not able to give you an exact time of when the doctor will return your call, so please give contact details and the nature of the advice you are seeking or nature of the enquiry; it might be appropriate to speak to a nurse or the duty doctor if urgent. The receptionists are governed by codes of confidentiality; they can assist with accessing professional help, if you help them, by giving as much information as you feel comfortable.

Telephone calls

Please note that telephone calls made to the Health Centre and the out-of-hours service may be recorded.

Failure to attend a booked appointment

Please inform us if, for any reason, you are unable to keep an appointment with any member of the Primary Health Care Team.  If you persistently fail to turn up for appointments we may remove you from our practice list.

Home visits

We ask that home visits are only requested for those who CANNOT possibly get to the surgery because of illness.  If the problem is one of lack of transport please arrange for a friend, relative or taxi to bring you to the Health Centre.  Please remember that a doctor can see up to six patients in surgery in the time that it takes to do one home call. 

Patients can also be examined more thoroughly in a surgery environment. Please contact the surgery before 10.00am (urgent calls may be made at any time). To enable the doctor to assess the urgency of the visit, please give the receptionist as much information as possible. The number to ring is 01458 834100. Please do not use this service for convenience.

Visits after stay in hospital as an Inpatient

Please note that we do not routinely visit patients after discharge from hospital.  If you have a problem and need a GP, then please arrange to come to the Health Centre if you possibly can.  We will, of course, visit you upon request if you are truly housebound. Please can you ensure that you bring with you any hospital letters or correspondence given to you, as this will help the doctor.