Appointments 
are available between 8 and 6.30 Monday- Friday.

We offer both telephone and face to face appointments and are working to increase our online consultations.

We also offer extended access to appointments so have some very early morning slots and also offer an evening clinic once a month. 

Please contact the surgery if you would like to book one of these appointments.

We will soon be offering the opportunity to book more appointments online.

Chaperone

If you would like a chaperone present during your consultation, please advise the receptionist when booking your appointment or you can inform the GP or nurse before the consultation commences and they will arrange for a chaperone to be present.

Cancellations

If you cannot attend an appointment for any reason please inform us as soon as possible in order for us to give the slot to someone else. Every month in excess of 100 patients fail to attend their appointments.

Home Visits

Whilst we encourage our patients to come to the surgery, where we have the proper equipment and facilities available, we do appreciate this is not always possible. In this respect, if you do need a home visit, you can help us by calling reception before 10:00.

You may only request a home visit if you are housebound or are too ill to visit the practice. Your GP will only visit you at home if they think that your medical condition requires it and will also decide how urgently a visit is needed. Please bear this in mind and be prepared to provide suitable details to enable the doctor to schedule house calls

You can also be visited at home by a community nurse if you are referred by your GP. You should also be visited at home by a health visitor if you have recently had a baby or if you are newly registered with a GP and have a child under five years.

Sickness Certificates

You do not require a doctor's sickness certificate for any illness lasting seven days or less. Your employer may however require you to complete a self-certification form (SC2) which is available from your employer or on the HMRC website.

Evidence that you are sick

If you are sick for more than seven days, your employer can ask you to give them some form of medical evidence to support payment of SSP (statutory sick pay).

It is up to your employer to decide whether you are incapable of work. A medical certificate, now called a 'Statement of Fitness for Work’ (see below) from your doctor is strong evidence that you are sick and would normally be accepted, unless there is evidence to prove otherwise.

You could also provide evidence from someone who is not a medical practitioner, e.g. a dentist. Your employer will decide whether or not this evidence is acceptable. If your employer has any doubts, they may still ask for a medical certificate from your GP.

Statement of Fitness for Work - ’Fit Note'

The 'fit note' was introduced on 6 April 2010. With your employer's support, the note will help you return to work sooner by providing more information about the effects of your illness or injury.

For more information see the DirectGov website (where this information was sourced).

We also use the Patient Knows Best platform to allow patients to request fit notes online

Patients know best

Why should I self-care?

There are lots of benefits to self-care, these include;

It is quicker – there is no need to wait for an appointment here at your GP, you can get advice on minor illnesses online or from your local pharmacy.

It is easier – you can ask at the pharmacy for the best treatment for you, which can then be bought at your local pharmacy or supermarket to use at home.

It is simple – you can get advice on self-care from a variety of sources, either from websites (some useful links are listed below) or from your pharmac

It is considerate – using self-care relieves pressure faced by NHS services e.g. GP Practices and A&E. Treating minor illnesses allows our GP’s to see patients with more serious medical needs.

Pharmacists are trained professionals and are often the best people to see in these instances, most pharmacies will have a private consultation room where they can offer you confidential advice.

Did you know your pharmacy can give you advice on these conditions

Video Consultations

We are now offering video consultations, enabling patients to have an appointment from home or wherever is most convenient, whilst still being able to see the clinician. All you need is a smartphone or PC and internet connection to take part in a video consultation.

NHS England have created a patient guide to video consulting with your NHS.

We use AccuRx for our video consultations. AccuRx is an NHS Digital approved video consultation service and complies with the standards set in the GP IT Futures framework.

Telephone Consultations

There are many things, medical & non-medical, e.g. sick notes, blood results, insurance claims, that can initially be discussed on the telephone, saving a visit to the practice.

If you do wish to discuss any matter on the telephone with a doctor, nurse, or healthcare assistant, please contact the surgery.

If appropriate, the reception team will then book you into the next available telephone slot with the relevant clinician.