Online consultations

The quickest way to get help from the surgery is to start your consultation online. You will be asked to fill out an online form with the details of your problem. The form might ask you the sort of questions that a doctor would and it is sent immediately to the practice.  

The doctors find it helpful as it gives them a lot of information about your problem so that they can get back to you with a phone call, email or text - or a face-to-face appointment - as quickly as possible.

Starting your consultation online leaves the phone lines free for those of our elderly and vulnerable patients who cannot use the online system.

Start an online consultation by clicking on the link below: 

Phoning the practice

If you are unable to start your consultation online you can phone reception.

When you phone the practice, the reception team will ask you for some details of your problem. Where possible please try to help them by giving them as much information as possible, as this will help them speed up your clinical care by directing you to the right healthcare professional.

CARE NAVIGATION—WHAT THIS MEANS FOR PATIENTS

Patients may have noticed when contacting the Practice to book appointments our Patient Service Administrators ask you for a brief outline of your problem. Frontline staff receive Care Navigation training. They can then give patients more information about local services. This includes services within and outside of primary care. The information is provided in a safe and effective way.

Care navigation will offer the patient ‘choice not triage’ to access the most appropriate service first which isn’t always the GP. Care navigators do not make medical decisions. However, if a patient has symptoms that meet the criteria for other services, like a physiotherapist or optician, the navigator can help the patient choose the best option for their health and wellbeing.

Click this link to read a local article about care navigation by the Telegraph & Argus. It's called: Care Navigation – help direct patients to the most appropriate care

What is the best time to phone the surgery? I can never get through when I try

Our busiest times of day are 8am to 10.30am. We recognize that it can be difficult to get through on the phone in the mornings and we have changed staff rotas to increase the number of receptionists answering phones at this peak time. You can beat the queues by starting your consultation or submitting your query - online.

Alternatively our new telephone system has a call-back function.  Choosing the call-back option will keep your place in the queue and automatically call you back when you reach the front of the queue.  Please make sure you are by your phone and able to accept the call. 

What to do when we are closed

Home visits are only available for people who are completely house bound.

If possible, please try to telephone reception before 10:30am if you require a home visit.  Your request will be passed onto a clinician, in most cases they will ring you so it is really important we have your correct telephone number and that you stay by your phone.

The clinician will ring and discuss your concerns and it will be their decision whether or not a visit is appropriate.

There is an on-call team of doctors at the surgery each day for emergency problems. There are also better facilities for examining and treating patients at the practice. Please contact the surgery before 10:30am if you have significant concerns about your health so we can arrange the most appropriate support for you.

Enhanced access clinics