The Surgery reception and telephone lines are available for Same Day Access appointments from 8:00am.

Contact your GP online

We offer appointments through online bookings/same day access by ringing the practice.

We offer face to face and telephone appointments.

Also you can request an appointment through PATCHS by clicking on the'Contact us online' above in right hand corner on home page.

This will allow you to send a request for an appointment. The information you give will be checked by a clinician within 48 hours and dealt with as needed. We may need to contact you for more information and to offer you an appointment so please keep your phone with you.

To register for PATCHS click on link on home page.

If you cannot use the NHS App or PATCHS, please call the reception, who will be happy to help you on 01274 729602

We have  ANY patient who requires a face to face appointment due to examination etc. will be assessed individually and called in as required. We are able to hold video consultations when required. Please speak to a member of our team for any further information.

To book an appointment with any of our medical professionals you should telephone our main switchboard on 01274 729602.

If you are in a telephone box please tell us as soon as the call is answered, also state the urgency of the call as soon as possible.

Urgent cases may be seen within 24 hours, this is at the GP’s discretion.

Several appointments are blocked and can only be opened on the same day as the Consultation. These appointments are made available on a daily basis from 8.00am onwards.

Non-urgent cases can expect to see a GP within 4 working days, though you may have to wait longer if you wish to see a specific GP. The Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Practice Nurse and Health Care Assistants based in our Practice treat patients for a wide range of common conditions; you can expect to see a Nurse within 5 working days.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE DO NOT attend the surgery if you have: flu/cold symptoms/fever/ a new persistent cough/hoarseness/shortness of breath/sore throat/ wheeze. See 111.nhs.uk or book a telephone appointment.

Care Navigators

Why does a receptionist ask what’s wrong with me?

Receptionists are trained 'care navigators' and are trained to ask certain questions so you will receive:

• The most appropriate medical care
• from the most appropriate health professional
• at the most appropriate time

Receptionists are asked to collect information from patients:

• to help doctors prioritise house visits and phone calls
• to ensure that all patients receive the appropriate level of care
• to direct patients to see the nurse or other health professional rather than a doctor where appropriate

Receptionists are bound by confidentiality rules:

• any information given by you is treated as strictly confidential
• the practice would take any breach of confidentiality very seriously and deal with accordingly
• you can ask to speak to a receptionist in private away from reception
• however, if you feel an issue is very private and do not wish to say what this is then this will be respected

Extended Access

Extended Access is the provision of core GP services outside of the current ‘standard’ GP hours (8.00am to 6.30pm). A GP clinic will be held each day from Monday to Friday of Extended Access for routine GP appointments, Nutrition and weight management health check, face to face welfare benefits advice, Physiotherapy assessments and advise service, wellbeing clinic which are all to be held at Westbourne Green Community Health Centre, in Bradford 8. Please telephone the Surgery who will be able to advise and book an appointment for you.

Pre-booked appointments

Patients will only be able to book pre-booked appointments 2 weeks in advance. The reason for this is that patients are booking too far ahead and not attending their appointments. Hopefully this will cut down on the patients who Do Not Attend (DNAs).

Staff will now be able to take messages for all children under the age of 15 and for patients over the age of 65 if there are no appointments left for the day and the GP will then decide as appropriate.

Messages can be left for the ANP/Nurse to call you back if necessary.

Consultations are through appointment only; appointments are allotted in 10 minute slots, only 1 person may be seen per appointment.

Chaperone Service.

If you would like a Chaperone present during an examination please let us know when making your appointment.

Telephone Consultations

Telephone consultations can be arranged if you need to speak to the doctor but feel that a face-to-face consultation is not necessary. If you are only available on a mobile you will be asked to 'phone the surgery at a certain time.

Attend or cancel

Please ensure all appointments that you are unable to attend are cancelled prior to the appointment time. We have a mobile phone facility, failure to do so 3 times may result in dismissal from the practice list. Please text 07436 788787 to cancel an appointment.

Interpreters

Non English speaking patients, we can arrange interpretation and translation services in person or by 'phone. Please let us know if you need this service when booking an appointment.

Patient Preference

Patient Preference for Practitioner consultations are by appointment only. To make one, telephone the appointment line or call in to the surgery. You can ask to see whichever doctor you prefer and you will be accommodated if an appointment is available. If possible make an appointment well in advance to see your usual doctor.

Urgent appointments are always available the same day, but not always with the doctor of your choice.

Please keep your appointment or cancel it in good time as this allows efficient use of our services ensuring we are available for others to be seen.

Reception

Many of our Receptionists and Administrators have special qualifications in General Practice work and all are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the doctors and nurses. They may need to ask you further details when you 'phone; this is to ensure that we assist you as speedily as possible. Their job is very demanding so please be patient.

Self Arrival Screen

Patients can self arrive themselves therefore cutting down on queues at the front desk.

Confidentiality

Patients can be seen in a private room for matters of a more confidential nature, please ask at Reception.

Online

We have now increased the number of appointments that are available to be booked online. We have placed these appointments at various different times throughout the day and each GP working has appointments available to book with them. We have found that this is a very popular option for people who wish to book appointments around work and family commitments. If you wish to register for this service please collect the registration forms from reception.

If you have already registered for the service then please use the link at the top of this page to access the online booking system:

Cancel an Appointment

Do you need to cancel an appointment?

You can cancel your appointment online. Every appointment that you don't attend and don't cancel costs the NHS £120.

If you are unable to use the online form it is important that you inform the reception staff, this will allow that appointment to be offered to another patient. If you fail to notify the Practice that you are unable to attend, you will be sent a text message informing you that you have defaulted from your appointment. Persistent defaulters may be removed from the list.

Late Arrivals

If a patient is more than ten minutes late for an appointment, they may not be seen. The Reception Team will check with a Clinician if they will still be able to see a patient, if they arrive between 5-10 minutes late. This is due to the reason that if a patient arrives late for their appointment, it pushes the Clinician behind their working schedule. This makes it unfair on patients who have arrived on time and for those requiring visits on that day. Any patient arriving over ten minutes late will not be seen and will have to re-arrange their appointment.

Clinicians do their best to meet the individual needs of patients within the time allocated. Unfortunately, this is not always possible depending on the complexity of the issue and may cause the Clinician to fall behind. Staff endeavour to inform waiting patients if this event occurs.

Chaperones

You are entitled to request a chaperone for any appointment you wish. While you may attend with a friend or family member, these would be informal chaperones and you may wish for a formal, trained chaperone to be present in the case of an intimate examination. Our staff hosts many professionally trained chaperones who can be present in such circumstances. Should you wish to have a chaperone present during your appointment, please advise the clinician/reception/admin staff.

Interpreter

If you require an interpreter please notify reception when booking the appointment and they will arrange this for you.

Home visits

Please see the next page for home visits information.