Book an Appointment

Patient Notice
Please be aware that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all appointments with the GP will be done via the telephone initially, unless requested otherwise by the GP. We are not currently offering appointments to book online but we are constantly reviewing this.

SystmOnline

It is easier and quicker to manage your appointments via our online service. Simply log in and select an option.

NHS App

Download the NHS App, or open the NHS website in a web browser, to set up and log in to your NHS account. Owned and run by the NHS, your NHS account is a simple and secure way to access a range of NHS services online, including appointments, prescriptions and health record.

Download on the App Store
Get it on Google Play
NHS App

Can another Healthcare Professional help?

Do you need to see the GP?
Sometimes the GP is not the most appropriate Healthcare Professional to deal with your ailment. Please see the information on see a Doctor or Healthcare Professional, which might help you decide whether a GP appointment is truly necessary or whether it might be better for you to see a Pharmacist, Optician, Dentist or other Healthcare Professional. You can even self-refer for some services without seeing your GP.

For real life-threatening emergencies such as those below – RING 999

  • Chest pain (suspected heart attack)
  • Suspected stroke
  • Suspected meningitis
  • Anaphylactic shock (severe allergy)
  • Heavy bleeding or deep lacerations
  • Fluctuating levels of consciousness or completely unconscious
  • Difficulty breathing or stopped breathing with a change in colour
  • New seizure, fit or uncontrollable shaking

For immediately serious conditions such as the following, GO TO Emergency Department (A&E) IMMEDIATELY

  • A fever and lethargic (drowsy) child
  • A feverish and floppy (unresponsive) infant
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Sudden, severe abdominal pain
  • Accidental or intentional overdose of medication
  • Trauma (including falls) and possible broken bones or road traffic accident

Your appointment at the Practice

  • Please make one appointment for each member of the family who needs to be seen
  • We try to keep to time but please be patient if someone before you takes longer than planned
  • Appointments are normally ten minute slots, so if you have a complicated problem, or more than one problem, please ask for a longer appointment
  • It is Practice Policy to allow patients to choose whichever Doctor they wish to attend in the Practice

Please help us

If you cannot attend your appointment please cancel it as soon as possible so it can be made available to someone else. Appointments can be cancelled by telephone (0191 3700500, choosing option 4) where you can leave a message with your details and appointment time, via patient Online Services or by calling into the Practice to inform one of our Reception staff.

Here is a list of the different ways you can access your General or Nurse Practitioner

Nurse Practitioner

If you have a minor ailment such as a chest infection it isn’t always necessary to see a GP. We have specialised nurse practitioners who are trained to deal with most minor ailments. Appointments are available to book on the day and medication can be prescribed when required.

If you have one of the following problems then our nurse practitioner should be able to see you:

  • Chest, water, ear or skin infections
  • Sore throats
  • Eye infections such as conjunctivitis
  • Rash
  • Sinus infections

Please be aware that our reception staff may ask you what the problem is when booking an appointment. This is just to ensure we are providing you with the correct appointment and appropriate care.

Routine

These appointments can usually be booked up to 3 weeks in advance for both the nurse and the doctor. If you require an appointment with a certain member of staff, you will often wait a longer length of time than if you were willing to see any doctor.

On the Day Appointments

If you feel you require an urgent appointment, you may be asked for more details from our receptionists to help them access your needs. Our nurse practitioners offer on the day appointments available for most minor ailments which they can prescribe for.

If you require the attention of a doctor then our receptionists would triage the details to our on call doctor so they could access and deal with this accordingly. This could be one of the following: prescription, telephone advice, an appointment or a home visit. All on the day appointments are with the doctors available and not necessarily the doctor of your choice. 

Additional information

Can I bring someone to accompany me to the Appointment?

We are generally very happy for patients to bring with them a carer, relative or even a friend. This often helps, particularly when they know you well and it allows them to tell us any observations they would make about you, which can help us in undertaking our assessment. Ultimately this will lead us more quickly to make an accurate diagnosis and therefore help you more.

Also, having someone with you means they can prompt you to ask questions that you may have forgotten, and after the appointment they can help in reminding you what was discussed.

Occasionally we might ask for them to leave but this would be unusual.

If you require interpretation services please contact us in advance of you appointment and we will arrange this.

If you have a suspected infectious disease

Please inform reception if you suspect an infectious disease, as this will enable us to deal with it appropriately during your visit to protect you, other patients and staff. 

Giving Consent for Treatment

You have the right to accept or refuse treatment that is offered to you, and not to be given any physical examination or treatment unless you have given valid consent. If you do not have the capacity to do so, consent must be obtained from a person legally able to act on your behalf, or the treatment must be in your best interests.

Your valid consent (agreement to the course of action) is needed for the treatment that’s offered to you before any physical examinations or treatment can be given. If you haven’t given your consent, you can accept or refuse treatment that’s offered to you.

It’s important to be involved in decisions about your treatment and to be given information to help you choose the right treatment. When making treatment choices, you’ll often discuss the options with your doctor or another healthcare professional.

DNA (did not attend policy)

If you miss an appointment, this will be marked in your records as Did Not Attend.  Access to clinics and services may be revoked if misused.

Any patient who misses three or more routine appointments will be discussed with the Partners. If there is no valid reason why these appointments were wasted, the patient may be removed from the Practice Register.