Requesting An Appointment
We now use an online system to request GP support from the practice.
For those unable to use online tools such as this they can call reception who will complete a request on their behalf. The information gathered is then assessed by trained care navigators to ensure you can get the right help first time and we can ensure those with the greatest need are prioritised. Please click here for PATCHS support, we also have a useful video here explaining how PATCHS works and shows the benefits.
Nurse and Other Appointments
To book an appointment with our nursing team please phone the practice on 0113 2951828.
Some appointments i.e. smears are available to book online using the NHS App.
Cancelling appointments
If you don’t need your appointment or cant make it please cancel so we can offer the time to another patient. Every day patients fail to attend appointments which could have been offered to another patient in need. Our practice offers the ability to cancel all appointments either via replying to the appointment reminder text message or online. This is through the NHS App or Patient Access. Alternatively phone reception to let them know.
Appointment Use
Appointments should ideally be for one problem but if short then multiple problems can be addressed. If complex or requiring the longer the doctor may ask you to come back for a further appointment to discuss further. While we make every effort to stick to appointment times we also strive to provide patients with the time and service they need. Often the surgeries can run late due to squeezing in urgent extras or because patients need extra care such as admission to hospital. We have reviewed our surgery times to try to mitigate a build up of such delays through the surgery but this is not always successful as each patient is different and we tailor our service to them.
Help the doctors and nurses by having planned what you are to say before appointments and explaining this clearly at the start, including if you hope to discuss multiple issues. Useful advice to get the most of your appointment is available here.
Emergency appointments
What if I have an emergency?
General practice is not an emergency service and is not set up to deliver immediate access or care. In most instances genuine emergencies need 999, 111 or direct to minor injuries units or A&E. General practice should not be used to help decide if this is necessary. For urgent requests which need seeing on the day, our system flags these up and they will be managed accordingly. If you are given an appointment in a day or two but your condition has worsened you can submit another request online and we can review this.
Where patients have urgent medical needs which require an appointment that day we will try to ensure they are seen. Please be aware if our appointment books are full this will mean being squeezed in or seen at the end of a surgery. Squeezing one patient in can lead to an wait of 10 minutes or more for 16 subsequent patients. These urgent appointments are for one issue only and please only request these appointments when needed. If you are unwell though please be assured we want to see you early
We manage these based on clinical need and are not able to do this for other issues such as work timings etc. Our doctors often see between 30 and 40 patients in a day which is well above what is considered ideal. This is despite having fewer patients per GP than the average practice. They will often then have to undertake all associated paper work etc beyond the normal times.
Challenges
We know it can be frustrating trying to get a doctor or nurse appointment, particularly when you are ill or in pain. While we do our utmost to provide the best access possible there are times where demand outstrips our capacity. Over recent years we have invested in more doctors and also using other specialists to enhance the service we provide including a physicians associate, clinical pharmacist, physiotherapist, nurse prescriber, mental health worker and a nurse practitioner. We continually review the best approach to offering appointments and have recently increased the number of appointments which can be pre-booked as opposed to simply offering them on the day. To find out more about how we currently allocate appointments please click here.
