Appointments

Appointments

Information about our Appointments

Non-urgent advice: Appointment Requests or Queries

If you have an urgent medical need please phone us on 01923 604884 and our reception staff will do our best to help you.

For non-urgent issues, request an appointment or ask a question.

For some conditions, a pharmacy can see you more quickly and if suitable we will direct you there. Before you ask for an appointment, please check if you have one of the conditions suitable for Pharmacy First. These pharmacies could see you and issue prescription medicine if needed without seeing a GP first.

For repeat prescription requests, please use the NHS App.

Request an appointment or ask a question

Measles

If you think you or someone close to you might have measles, please tell us when you ask for an appointment.

Pregnant?

If you are pregnant, please see the important information about having a booster whooping cough vaccine.

How our appointment system works

We will always try to see urgent medical cases on the same day. When you call, our receptionists will book appointments for urgent medical issues. For non-urgent issues, we’ll ask you to fill in a brief online form for a GP to assess.

Please do not use this online form for urgent or emergency requests. We read forms during office hours. We won’t see them on the weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) or on Bank Holidays.

You can also fill in the form in using the NHS App to make it faster to complete. If your request isn’t urgent, you don’t have to call us first.

On the form, you can let us know what times work best for you. We aim to consider this when we contact you or book your appointment.

If you can’t fill out the online form, don’t worry! We can do it for you. Let reception know when you call, and they will help you.

A GP will review the request and we will respond as soon as possible, usually within 48 hours (2 working days).

If you become more unwell, or if you need more urgent help, please call us on 01923 604884. Call NHS 111 during out of hours for advice.

If this is a medical emergency, please call 999.

Cancelling or changing appointments

If you have an appointment and don’t need it, or can’t attend, please don’t waste it. Call reception on 01923 604884 or use the NHS App to cancel it to free it up for someone else.

If you need to change your appointment date or time, please call us.

Out of Hours

NHS 111

When we’re closed, you can call 111 for information and advice.

111 is the NHS non-emergency number. It’s fast, easy and free. Call 111 and speak to a highly trained adviser, supported by healthcare professionals. 

NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Calls are free from landlines and mobile phones.

Emergencies

Is it an emergency?

Our trained reception staff will ask you a few questions to understand how we can best help you. This allows us to give you the right care.

You may see a different healthcare professional instead of a GP. This could be a nurse, healthcare assistant, physiotherapist, pharmacist, or community pharmacist.

Please know that any information you give will be completely confidential. It’s okay if you choose not to share your issue. But it may mean a longer wait as we won’t be able to direct you to the right appointment as quickly.
The practice always tries to see patients with urgent medical problems on the same day. Call 01923 604884 to ask for an urgent appointment. To ask for an urgent same-day appointment, call us as early as possible.

We will always ask why you need an urgent appointment. We will share this information with the doctor.

We can only book some appointments if you explain why you’re calling. If you prefer not to share the reason, you can fill in a form for one of our GPs to assess.

When we are very busy, we won’t be able to give everyone an urgent appointment. Doctors can only see so many patients in a day and overbooking can be a risk to patient safety. Sometimes we may ask you to contact NHS 111 for help.

Urgent appointments may not run at an exact time. You might need to wait depending on how many other urgent patients we have to see.

The doctor may decide that a different healthcare professional should contact you. Our pharmacists and paramedics are trained to help with illnesses and they also offer urgent same-day appointments.
At the New Road Surgery site, we offer evening appointments (GP & Nurse) on Monday and Tuesday evenings. We also do a late surgery one Friday evening and one Saturday morning each month.
We can book some routine appointments up to two weeks ahead. To ask for a routine appointment please fill in the “medical issue” form. You don’t have to call us first to book routine appointments if you can fill in the form. If you can’t fill in the form, call us and we’ll help.
Besides helping with minor illnesses, our pharmacists can help you with:
  • Questions about medications
  • Reviews of your medications
  • Longer half-hour reviews for patients with more complex needs
  • Reviews for patients with learning disabilities
There’s a new way for patients to get same-day appointments called Pharmacy First. For some health issues you can get prescription medicines without seeing a doctor.

If a pharmacist can help you, we will send you to a pharmacy you choose. You can go there in person or call them. But they need to see some health issues face to face.

We are working with local pharmacies that are well-trained at treating minor illnesses. You might like this option once you see how they can help!

This also helps us keep GP appointments open for people with serious health needs. This way, everyone gets the right care at the right time.
Our First Contact Physio sees people with new muscle and joint problems. They may refer you to the musculoskeletal (MSK) service. The Physio will also give advice on how to manage the problem until you have the MSK appointment.

This service doesn’t give treatment but helps you understand the best choices for your care.
If you want, you can book a phone consultation with a member of the clinical team. But we need to see some medical issues face to face. Our reception staff will be happy to help you choose the right type of appointment.
Patients usually come to the surgery between 8:00am and 6:30pm.

A healthcare professional will decide if a patient needs a home visit. If needed, they will choose the best person from our team to visit the patient.

Please call us as soon as you can if you think you need a home visit.

For more information, see our policy on housebound patients.
We have limited availability for travel vaccinations. If you have foreign travel planned and we can’t offer an appointment, there are local pharmacies which offer travel advice and vaccinations.

To help us give you the right advice, we need some details from you. Please fill out the online Travel Questionnaire before you come to see the nurse. If more than one person is travelling, we’ll need a separate form for each person.
If you have been diagnosed with a long-term condition, we aim to review you at least annually and will contact you to set up your review appointment.

This appointment could be with a GP, pharmacist, or one of our nurse-led specialist clinics.

We value your feedback

We want to hear what you think. We will listen to your comments about our new appointment service. If you want to join our Patient Participation Group, please fill out a PPG sign-up form.

Or you can complete a Friend and Family test.


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

We understand that it’s important to see the same doctor for continuity of care. We will always try to consider your preference. Our doctors work on different days and handle different tasks. Sometimes, it may not be possible to wait for a specific doctor. In this case we will offer you the next available appointment.
We made the change based on NHS guidance. Many other surgeries use this system. It has helped them manage demand and make more appointments available.
We wish we could meet everyone’s wants all the time, but we don’t always have enough availability. You do have the right to an assessment when you contact us. The new system ensures that this assessment happens.
No, we will review your request and we’ll offer the most appropriate response. This could be an appointment with a doctor or another healthcare professional. We may offer you advice on self-care or direct you to other local services.
We did get patient input and worked with our Patient Participation Group. We’ve also listened to feedback and complaints, including those on social media. During testing, we asked patients for feedback and most responses were positive. We’ve also made changes to the system and our communication based on any issues raised.

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