Our appointment system is designed to offer all patients access to a healthcare professional within the time deemed clinically appropriate.
If you feel you need to speak to a clinician on the day, you will be directed to our triage service.
We also offer online booking of appointments which is available through this website. You will need to register to use this service, you can either do this via our website or call into the practice and ask at reception. If you have booked an appointment online then you also have the option to cancel should it be necessary through your SystmOne access.
If you are booking appointment with a specific GP for a reason, please ensure that you note this clearly in your SystmOne booking to make the practice aware. Unforeseen circumstances may mean your appointment will have to be rescheduled to a different GP. If you have stated who you wish to see and they are not in, we will call you to discuss your options.
To book an appointment please continue though some short questions to our get help for any health problem form:
Get help from the practice
Disabled access
The practice is well equipped for disabled patients. All consulting rooms are on the ground floor and easily accessible. There is also a toilet for the disabled on the premises.
Telephone advice
If you need to speak to one of our clinicians over the telephone during normal working hours, please contact our reception staff who will be happy to advise you as to how to proceed.
Please note that all incoming and outgoing phone calls to and from the practice are recorded
More advice on appointments
Why does the receptionist need to ask what is wrong with me?
It is not a case of the receptionists preventing you from having an appointment or being intrusive.
Reception staff are trained to ask certain questions in order to ensure that you receive:
- the most appropriate medical care
- from the most appropriate health professional
- at the most appropriate time
Our doctors and triage nurses have asked our receptionists to collect brief information from patients where necessary
- The help doctors / triage nurses 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
Reception staff, like all members of the team, are bound by confidentiality rules
- Any information given by you is treated strictly confidentially
- 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
GP and nurse practitioner appointments
We ‘release’ pre-bookable appointments every week which offer a range of available times and dates throughout the week to suit as many patients as possible.
No GP or nurse practitioner appointments can be booked more than four weeks in advance.
Appointments are for ten minutes and for one person only. Many of our clinicians will try to deal with all your concerns within the ten minute time frame, but there will be occasions where they may ask you to rebook at a later date. Although we try to run to time, sudden emergencies or patients requiring more time than allocated can cause us to run late. If you are delayed for these reasons your patience is requested. Remember: it could be you!
We also ask you to arrive to your appointment on time to allow our clinics to run as near to time as possible.
We appreciate that it is sometimes difficult to get an appointment at the time you want or with the doctor or nurse you would prefer. Whilst we are trying everything we can to improve our appointment system, we have limited resources and cannot offer unlimited appointments. As in all parts of the NHS, our funding is being reduced rather than increased and this is affecting all areas of our work, including the number of appointments we are able to offer.
Primary care plus: extended access and appointment choices
We are part of the primary care plus extended hours service which means we can offer specific appointment times after surgery finishes (they are usually available between 6:30pm to 8pm and on weekend mornings) at a hub. They can be booked only through our reception team.
Our nearest hub is Park Farm, Allestree. They offer GP, Nurse prescriber appointments and practice nurse appointments such as dressing clinics, phlebotomy and smear clinics. We need your consent to share your records with this out of hours service, so if you have an acute or recent problem, call us and we will give you the choice you need.
The following groups are not suitable for hub appointments. Our reception team can advise if you are unsure if you are eligible for hub services.
- Babies under 12 weeks old
- Pregnancy-related problems
- Chronic disease or long-term condition management that requires continuity of care
- Severe mental health problems
- Patients identified with a potentially life-threatening medical condition which requires referral to urgent or emergency care settings
- Walk-in patients
Online booking
Both doctor and nurse practitioner appointments are available to book online. SystmOnline links directly to our appointment system at the surgery so you will get a live view of the appointments available at the time of booking. The only appointments that you will not be able to book are appointments for that day. If you need to be seen on the same day you are looking then you will need to telephone the surgery.
If you are booking appointment with a specific GP for a reason, please ensure that you note this clearly in your SystmOne booking to make the practice aware. Unforeseen circumstances may mean your appointment will have to be rescheduled to a different GP. If you have stated who you wish to see and they are not in, we will call you to discuss your options.
To register for our online services you will need to complete an online access registration form (either on our website or pick one up at the practice. You will need a user name and password to be able to log into SystmOne and this must be requested in person at the reception desk. You must provide photographic ID that has your name on (e.g. passport, driving licence) and proof of address (no older than 3 months). Patients under 16 years old must still provide photographic ID and can be given access via their parent or guardians record. 16 years and above must attend the surgery in person to register.
You can also:
- View future or past appointments
- Cancel appointments
- Change your contact details
- Request any repeat prescriptions
- View your medical record (electronic summary of key clinical information (including medicines), allergies and adverse reactions) about a patient, sourced from the GP record.
There is also a SystemOnline and a NHS app that is available for iPhone, iPad and Android users that can be downloaded for free from the App Store
Cancelling or changing an appointment
To cancel your appointment:
- use your NHS account (through the NHS website or NHS App)
- using the GP online system: Systm Online
- phone us on 01332 513283 during opening times
If you need help when we are closed
If you need medical help now, use NHS 111 online or call 111.
NHS 111 online is for people aged 5 and over. Call 111 if you need help for a child under 5.
Call 999 in a medical or mental health emergency. This is when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.
Home visits
Please telephone before 9.30am if you require a home visit. House/home visits are only available for patients who are housebound because of illness or disability.
Our practice is part of a home visit service and for this reason, we ask that you ring in as soon as possible if you or the person you care for, is housebound and has an acute need. A doctor or nurse will phone you back to discuss your issue and will advise what steps need to be taken as a result. This could mean a home visit from a doctor (who may or may not be from our practice) or they may send a nurse/paramedic/community matron or arrange hospital attendance. We will require your consent to share your record with this service.
Palliative patients who are housebound and require routine visits will be seen by our oncall service in the practice, please follow the same process by calling in before 9:30am where possible.
We will always encourage acute needs patients to attend the surgery rather than have a home visit, so if you are a carer of the patient and can get them to the surgery, there are better facilities for examining and treating patients here rather than at their home.
Care homes that are served by the practice should contact the practice in the same way, by calling before 9.30am to request visits.