Make an Appointment
All consultations are by appointment and can be booked in person at either surgery or over the telephone.
If you need to see a doctor urgently we have appointments available every day from 08:00, which are booked by a telephone triage call-back system. If the doctor feels you do need to be seen, an emergency appointment will booked.
Appointments on the day are for medical conditions that need urgent attention. We try to ensure you will be seen by a doctor within twenty four hours. Due to availability you may not get to see the doctor of your choice.
Online Consultation
You can use our eConsult service to submit a online consultation using your smartphone, computer or tablet. The practice will review the information and respond by either generating a prescription, an appointment or by providing medical advice. It also allows you to self-check your symptoms using the NHS self-help service.
Chaperones
Should you require the services of a chaperone during a consultation with a doctor or nurse, for an examination of an intimate nature, this can be arranged. Where possible, please let the receptionist know at the time you book the appointment.
Book Online
You may also book and manage your appointments online by clicking here. Please note you will need to bring photo ID to register for this service. If you have pre- registered online you will need to bring ID in within three months otherwise your registration will timeout. Please note: As many of our consultations are currently booked for telephone or video calls, it is not possible to use online services to book an appointment at the present time. We hope to resume this service in due course.
Telephone Consultations
During normal surgery hours the practice offers telephone consultations with the Doctors. These are available as pre-bookable or ‘book on the day’. These are formal consultations and are offered as an alternative to face-to-face consultations.
Telephone consultations are sometimes more convenient for patients as issues can be dealt without you attending the surgery. For example, urine infections or blood test requests can be sorted out over the phone. So if you are offered a telephone appointment do not be put off, as the doctor can arrange for you to come in if needed.
The doctor will ring you during his surgery but we can only give you an estimated window of time – e.g. between 10:00 and 12:00 as it will depend on the needs of other patients attending the surgery. If you will only be available before or after a certain time please mention this when booking your appointment so that the doctor can be advised.
NB: Please ensure if you have changed telephone numbers that you let us know.
Video Consultations
The surgery also offers video consultations, whereby you can communicate with the Doctor or Advanced Nurse Practitioner using the camera in your smartphone, tablet or computer. This can save time as you will not need to travel to the surgery for a face-to-face appointment and will help stop the spread of infections, such as Coronavirus.
If you require further information please see the following patient guide.
Practice Nurses
In a number of cases it might be worth considering an appointment with a practice nurse rather than a doctor. Practice nurses are qualified to deal with many conditions and you may be seen more quickly.
Home Visits
If possible please try to telephone reception before 10:00 if you require a home visit.
You may only request a home visit if you are housebound or are too ill to visit the practice. One of the home visiting team will only visit you at home if they think that your medical condition requires it and will also decide how urgently a visit is needed. They may contact you by telephone you prior to your home visit.
You can be visited at home by a community nurse if you are referred by your GP. You should also be visited at home by a health visitor if you have recently had a baby or if you are newly registered with a GP and have a child under five years.
Cancellations
If you are not able to keep your appointment please call 01227 831900 (Bridge), 01227 763377 (Ethelbert Road) or 01227 721515 (Littlebourne) and cancel as soon as possible: someone else may need to see the doctor urgently.
Alternatively you can cancel your appointment online using Patient Access or The NHS App if you are signed up to the service.
Please remember that there may be a shortage of appointments and when you fail to attend you have prevented someone else from being seen in your place.
Cancellations notified less than 30 minutes before the appointment time will be recorded as failure to attend (DNA).
Repeated failure to attend booked appointments is a significant waste of NHS resources