You may have noticed that when you call to book an appointment our receptionist will ask you if the health concern you have is ‘Something the nurse could help with?’.
The reason for this is to try and ensure that our patients are seen by the correct professional from first contact with us. The receptionist will try to find out the ‘nature of the problem’, with the aim of helping you to waste minimal time in getting to the right appointment.
If you or the receptionist are unsure about who can help, then they will ask the GP who is with them in recpetion every morning, so that an expert opinion advises you immediately. The GPs won’t give medical advice over the phone at this point or do a consultation, but they will guide you to an appropriate clinician, which might also include a pharmacist or dentist, as many people phone to book a GP appointment for toothache, or conjunctivitis, when these can best be dealt with elsewhere.
An alternative to booking by phone is to book online of course, and if you are interested in this option just apply for the PIN number required, via our website. It is much more convenient than sitting in a queue of people waiting for us to get to your call.
Our phones ring constantly in the morning, so it helps us a lot if you can be brief and tell us the nature of the problem immediately eg ‘pill check up’, or ‘mental health’, and can be flexible around appointment timing options please, as we have a very large list size of patients, and not enough NHS funding for more staff (despite campaigning constantly for better funding for young people’s healthcare).
We always do our best to get you to the right appointment first time, it doesn’t always work, but our intentions are good, and your support is appreciated.
If your problem is a medically urgent one, then please state this and why and we will always see you the same day.
If you need a certificate, then please speak to our office team first, Option 2. You may not need an appointment.
Please don’t use A&E unless it really is an emergency eg broken bone, collapse etc, as the Out of Hours GP is available 24/7, just phone our usual number. A&E is under strain nationally, and we should try to keep it for what it is designed for please.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and understand our system. We are here to help!