Routine Appointments
Cancel Appointment
"Routine appointments" are bookable seven and three days ahead. This means that you could call on a Monday and book a GP appointment for seven days ahead (the following Monday) or three days ahead (Thursday). Our reception team will ask you some questions to determine whether you need to see a GP, or if another member of our team would be more suitable to offer you health care. In order to keep our phone lines free for poorly people who need on the day appointments, we will not be able to release these routine appointments until 1pm. You are welcome to give us a ring, pop to reception or use your NHS app to book one of these appointments.
You can book a face-to-face appointment with a doctor, Monday to Friday between 08:30 and 18:00. Appointments with the doctor are 15 minutes in duration and for 1 problem. If you have more than 1 problem/issue to discuss you should contact Reception.
At all times you should let us know the degree of urgency.
Please attend for appointments in good time; if you are late, this may result in your appointment being missed and a new one having to be scheduled.
If you are unable to keep your appointment please inform reception as soon as possible.
You can express a preference of doctor, and every effort will be made to allow you to see your preferred doctor. Please note that this may not always be possible.
Opportunistic health checks will be made when appropriate to ensure the best health care is provided.
You can book an appointment by calling the surgery on 0191 274 3724, attending the surgery, or using your online app to book.
Getting the Right Help
There is a self-arrival screen in reception by the main desk. Please feel free to use this to check-in for your appointment, or ask for assistance using it.
NHS App
You can use the NHS App or other app (such as Patient Access) to
Home Visits
We have the proper equipment here at the surgery so we encourage you to come to the surgery. However, we do appreciate this is not always possible. If you need a home visit, we ask that you please let us know by calling reception before 11:00.
You may only request a home visit if you are housebound or are too ill to visit the practice. The clinician will only visit you at home if they think that your medical condition requires it. They 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.
First Contact Physiotherapists
If you have any of the following issues, we can offer you an appointment with a First Contact Physiotherapist:
INCLUSION CRITERIA
- All soft tissue injuries, sprains, strains or sports injuries
- Arthritis – any joint
- Possible problems with muscles, ligaments, tendons or bone (eg tennis elbow, golfers elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, plantar fasciitis)
- Spinal pain, including lower back pain, mid-back pain and neck pain
- Spinal-related pain in arms or legs, including nerve symptoms (eg pins and needles or numbness)
- Sports injuries
- Slipped disc
- Sciatica
- Sprains (e.g. ankle sprains)
- Post-orthopaedic surgery
Extended Hours Appointments
The surgery also offers extended hours appointments – these are early in the morning. Check with reception for details of these sessions.
Practice Nurses
In some cases, we may offer you an appointment with a Practice Nurse rather than a Doctor. Practice Nurses are qualified to deal with many conditions and you may be seen more quickly.
Cancellations
It is important that you make every effort to attend an appointment if you book one.
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.
You can use your app to cancel any appointments or reply CANCEL to the automatic text reminder when you receive it.