The practice made some important changes to our appointment system on the 6^th February 2023.

The new system offers continuity of care whilst ensuring patients with the most urgent medical needs can get priority same day access via the On-Call Team who will contact the patient the same day.

From the 6^th February patients will be able to pre-book up to 4 weeks in advance a telephone consultation with a GP of their choice. Appointments can be booked by calling our reception on 01638 666887 or booking an appointment via our online booking system. If you choose to book online please enter a reason for the call and a contact number. Please note the times for telephone consultations are approximate but best effort is made to make the call to you within the specified hour.

For patients requiring medical attention on the day Receptionists will ask a few triage questions and book a call with our On-Call team. The On-Call team comprises of a GP, Advance Nurse Practitioner, Emergency Care Practitioner or Nurses specialising in Minor Illness. Patients can expect a call that day from a member of the team and should try and keep their phones with them. Please note that the On-Call Team’s job is to provide care to patients who have a problem which cannot safely wait for a routine appointment. This will be determined by the On-Call Team in discussion with the patient. You will receive a call back from the member of the team who is most appropriate to deal with your problem; this may not be the GP. The On-Call Team will triage all calls passed to them to decide with you what would be the safest course of action. The team will ensure medical emergencies, palliative care and vulnerable patients are prioritised. Following triage you may still be advised to wait for a routine appointment if your problem has been reviewed as not requiring same day intervention. However, you will now be able to do this having been reassured that it is safe to do so following a review by the On-Call Team.

What Sort of Problems are Appropriate for the On-Call Team?

It is impossible to provide a comprehensive list but some examples of appropriate problems for same day review by the on-call team would include:

• A wound, animal bite, or other minor injury that requires same day attention but does not require A&E;
• An unwell child where self-care measures (see https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/) are failing and the community pharmacist has already been consulted;
• Difficulty breathing. However, if you cannot complete sentences you should call 999;
• Cough productive of coloured sputum with fever;
• A newly confused patient with or without fever;
• A fall or loss of consciousness that day;
• New severe abdominal pain;
• A spreading hot red rash with or without fever;
• A newly swollen, hot or red joint;
• Palliative and/or end of life patients;
• Safeguarding adult or children concerns;
• Pregnancy complications (please speak to your midwife first).

We would expect problems such as sore throats, cough and cold symptoms, diarrhoea and vomiting, insect bites etc. to wait until the next available routine appointment.

Urgent mental health support can be accessed by calling 111 Option 2 (this is for new and existing mental health problems). Patients already under the care of a mental health team should call them in the first instance. The practice can offer urgent mental health support if that is your preference or if you have not been able to access the help you need using the methods outlined above.

If you have new chest pain, severe breathlessness, a non-blanching rash, heavy bleeding or symptoms suggestive of a stroke (facial weakness, slurred speech, limb weakness) you should call 999.