Telephone Consultations

Our recent patient survey showed that most patients were unaware that they could speak to a doctor or nurse in person on the phone. Clearly unless it is a medical emergency we cannot do this during a surgery consultation with another patient but we have a system in place for telephone consultations; there are two types:.

Firstly, we have a system for people requesting a same day appointment. This gives the option of speaking to a doctor on the phone later in the morning instead of coming into the surgery to be seen, as this would save you a journey to the surgery. Please ask the receptionist for a "triage phone call" if you think you this is for you.
Remember if you just need advice, you can ring NHS Direct or alternatively you can visit your local Pharmacy and, where deemed appropriate by the Pharmacist, various treatments can be given. This is available on the NHS through the "Minor Ailments Scheme" as long as the patient is present in the Pharmacy (i.e. you cannot go on behalf of someone else) and also that the patient has their NHS number with them to give to the Pharmacist, who will hold the consultation with the patient.

Secondly we offer being able to speak to a doctor or nurse on the phone with a call back when there is time. If you feel your problem is something that can be dealt with by a short phone call without a need for a face to face consultation then please give some details to the receptionist along with details of where & when we can ring you back, & we will ring you back later. Wherever possible we will always try to get back to you on the same day you leave the message but on busy days this may be quite late on in the day, or even the next working day. Sometimes we will still suggest you come in to see a doctor or nurse so if you feel that your problem might still require you to be seen then please use the "triage phone call" option above, and ring before 11am so there is time for you to get to the surgery for a Same Day Appointment if we suggest that this is what is needed. Otherwise you may ring anytime during the day to leave a message. Please let reception know whether it is OK for any doctor who sees the message to ring you or if it has to be a specific doctor (e.g. that doctor has seen you recently & this is part of that same problem) - but remember that not all doctors are available every day.