Appointments

How to Request an Appointment

You can request an appointment in the following ways:

Please note that the volume of calls we receive can make it difficult to get through on the phone at peak times. If you have a routine query, please visit eConsult. Please try and call after 10:30 if you do not need an urgent appointment.

Our doctors work a rota system to share the work fairly, so it is not possible to give surgery times for individual doctors. If you would prefer to see a particular doctor, or would, for example, prefer to see only a female GP, please let us know when you book an appointment.

On the Day Appointments

We have a mixture of appointments that are bookable including ‘on the day’ appointments and those that can be booked in advance (usually at least two weeks).

Around half our GP appointments are bookable ‘on the day’ only, as we find this is what many patients prefer, and it helps reduce the number of appointments wasted by patients not attending. The remaining appointments are available to book ahead for less urgent matters.

Please ask clearly if you would like to see a particular doctor, although this may mean you have to wait a little longer, as some GPs work only part time.

Telephone Appointments

You can also book to have a telephone consultation with a doctor. He or she will ring you on the telephone number you have given, during the morning surgery. Many common queries (such as explaining test results, sickness certificates and repeat prescriptions) can be dealt with over the phone, saving you time. All of our doctors have full access to your medical records on our computerised system.

Many minor illnesses can also be dealt with during a telephone consultation or by using eConsult, saving you a trip to the surgery. Please visit our Treatment Room for further information and advice on minor illnesses.

Double Appointments

Most appointments are for a fixed time (usually 10 minutes). If you have several issues you need to discuss with the doctor, please ask the reception for a double appointment. They will need to ask you why you need a longer appointment, as it will mean a delay for another patient.

Our rule is ‘one appointment – one patient’. Please do not expect to have all your family members treated in one ten minute appointment.

Please note that to ensure everyone has fair access to the system, a maximum of two appointments can be booked online at any one time. If you need a double appointment (for example if you need someone to translate for you), please contact the surgery to book as only single appointments can be booked online, and the doctor may not have long enough to help you with a single appointment.

You can also book appointments using the NHS App.

Nurse Appointments

All nurse appointments are pre-bookable. This includes immunisations, travel vaccinations and appointments for reviews for people with chronic diseases such as diabetes and asthma. Please note that families needing to book for travel vaccinations will always need multiple appointments.

GP Access Service

If you need to see a doctor for either routine problems or urgently, you can book an appointment at the local GP access hub based at Evergreen Surgery.

The access hub is open:

  • 18:30 – 20:00, Monday to Friday
  • 08:00 – 20:00, Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays

Please note that GPs and nurses at the hub have partial, but not full access to your records. This service is not suitable for medicals, completion of medical reports, patients requesting medical certificates or sick notes, or for those requiring travel vaccinations.

Cancellation and Lateness

If you are unable to keep your appointment to see the doctor or the practice nurse, it would be appreciated if you would contact us to cancel the appointment as early as possible, so that the appointment time can be given to another patient.

To cancel an appointment, you can:

If you arrive late for your appointment, you will be asked to re-book. Patients arriving late for booked appointments are the main reason surgeries do not run on time, and why you are kept waiting past your appointment time.

If you have booked a double appointment, it is the time of the first appointment that will be used to decide this.