Appointments

Appointments

Telephoning the surgery on (01270) 820527, during opening hours to make appointments.

Please telephone (8.30 to 10.00 am) for an appointment on the day that you wish to be seen. An appointment time will be offered. There are more appointment slots available during the morning, it would be helpful therefore, if you are able to attend in the morning.

Monday is our busiest days. If you can avoid Mondays, e.g. for routine checks it would help spread the workload over the week.
Appointments are ten minutes long. If you feel that you require extra time please ask for a double appointment.

If you are unable to keep the appointment let us know as soon as you can so that we can give that time to someone else. Please arrive on time. If you are not called when you expect please check with reception to see how the surgery is running.

DOCTOR

MORNINGS
Monday to Friday 9.00am – 10.30pm

EVENINGS
Monday to Friday 4.00 pm – 5.30 pm (EXCEPT THURSDAY AFTERNOON CLOSED)

PRACTICE NURSE

MORNINGS
Mondays 9am – 11am
Wednesdays 9am – 11am
Fridays 9am – 11am

EVENINGSMondays 3pm-5.30pm
Tuesdays 3pm – 5.30pm
Wednesdays 3pm – 5.30pm
Fridays 3pm – 5.30pm

If more than one person is to be seen please ensure that you have an appointment for each person.
The system is intended to reduce waiting time in the surgery.

Telephone Advice

If you wish to speak to the doctor or nurse please contact the receptionist. The best time to call is between 11.00am & 11.30am, please make it clear who you want to speak to and if appropriate why. Please tell us if it is urgent. Be prepared to ring back at an appointed time. Ensure that we have your contact details by giving home, work or mobile number. Be aware of confidential issues if other people use the number given.

Practice Nurse

Appointments can be made to see the Practice Nurses. It is especially important to be clear what the appointment is for. Some procedures take longer than 10 minutes and if you indicate the reason for the appointment an appropriate time slot can be allotted. They are available for Vaccinations (routine and travel), cervical smears, dressings, blood pressure checks, blood tests and health advice. They also carry out diabetes, asthma, blood pressure and heart disease management checks.

Home Visits

Home visits are for patients who are too ill or infirm to come in to the surgery.

If you feel that you need a home visit please telephone the surgery before 10.30am on the day the visit is required. Please give the receptionist as much information as possible so that the doctor can give your request due priority.

Patients are seen in their own home if: –

  • They are truly housebound or live in a residential home.
  • They are terminally ill.
  • Travel to surgery would be detrimental to their condition.
  • It is rare that an unwell child cannot come to surgery for assessment.
  • You may be asked to come to surgery, be seen by a paramedic or sent direct to hospital if the doctor feels that this is the appropriate course of action.

Emergencies – Dial 999 for an ambulance if it is an obvious emergency i.e. chest pain – a heart attack is suspected or if you feel that that the patient has had a stroke.

Out Of Hours

If you require urgent medical advice when the surgery is closed, you should telephone 111. You may be offered telephone advice if this is appropriate.

You may be asked to attend the emergency Centre or a doctor will visit you at home if your medical condition prevents you from attending the surgery Centre. You may be asked to go straight to the hospital, or an ambulance or paramedic to be called.

Do not drive yourself to seek medical help is it is unsafe or not sensible to do so.

If you are coming to the surgery it is best to let us know rather than just turn up as this is less disruptive to other patients appointments. Patients who are ill are always seen straight away.

Evenings, Weekends and Holidays

This service is for problems that need to be dealt with before the next day.

The surgery phone will advise you to telephone 111. When you ring that number your call will be triaged to assess priority and whether/where you need to be seen. You may be given telephone advice, directed to a pharmacist, sent to hospital or asked to attend an assessment Centre. Reasons for visits are few, mainly housebound and terminally ill. Not for those with transport problems. It may be a paramedic or nurse who visits and carries out a home assessment and not a doctor.

This service is provided by Staffordshire Doctors Urgent Care, Campbell Road, Stoke, Staffs.

This service is commissioned by NHS North Staffordshire, Morston House, The Midway, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
ST5 1QG. Tel: 0845 602 6772