Appointments
Who do I see?
Routine appointments
Please note that you cannot book an appointment via email.
Routine Appointment System
- All routine appointments will be booked as Face-to-Face consultations, unless the patient requests a phone appointment.
- The following problems are well suited for telephone appointments:
- Medications reviews
- Side effects
- Mental Health
- Blood test results
- HRT discussions
- Referral requests
- Forward appointments can be booked at any time up to 3 months ahead, subject to availability.
- It is not always possible to see the Doctor of your choice, although every effort is made to meet patient’s requirements.
- To see a Doctor – if there is no same day/urgent need, an appointment on an alternative day eases the pressures on Doctor availability. This ensures fairness to other patients who do need a same day / urgent appointment.
Urgent Appointments
The Practice has a telephone triage service with the Doctors for patients with same day urgent needs.
How does the triage system work?
If a patient feels their issue is too urgent to wait until the next routine appointment, then they will go on the triage list for that day.
All patient requests added to triage will be reviewed by the duty doctor, however if the request is deemed non-urgent they will not automatically be called/seen. We unfortunately get a significant number of in-appropriate requests for same day appointments, and we don’t always have the capacity to call everyone back.
Triage is for patients who are not SAFE to wait a week, not patients who do not WANT to wait a week. For example, children who are unwell enough to be added to triage list would not be expected to be at school. Most adults who feel they are unwell enough to need to be added to triage would not usually be well enough to be at work etc.
Please note that patients with a triage appointment must be available the same day for a face-to-face appointment if an examination is subsequently required.
Urgent home visits should be requested before 10.00 am where possible.
Cancelling your appointment
It is important that you inform us if you are unable to attend your appointment, this will allow that appointment to be offered to another patient.
No need to queue!
We have an automated option for cancelling appointments that patients can select when they call the surgery – no need to wait to speak to staff, saving both the surgery and the patient time.
We understand that sometimes things come up last minute which prevent attendance, or sometimes we simply forget. However, patients who consistently do not attend their appointments and fail to notify the practice will be sent a letter informing them they have defaulted from their appointment. Persistent defaulters may be removed from the list.
Enhanced Access on a Saturday
New Forest PCN provide Saturday GP and Nursing appointments for patients registered at this Practice.
These appointments are bookable through our reception team, but are provided at Chawton House Surgery in Lymington (SO41 9ND).
Cancelling Saturday appointments on the day
If you need to cancel your Saturday appointment on the same day, please call 07342 165867.
Home Visits
If possible please telephone reception before 10:00 am for a same day home visit .
A doctor or nurse may phone back -a problem can often be resolved via a clinical telephone consultation.
It could be more appropriate to send a nurse, or indeed arrange a hospital attendance.
House visits are only available for patients who are housebound due to illness or disability.
Please remember that several patients can be seen in the Practice in the time that it takes to make one home visit. There are also better facilities for examining and treating patients at the Surgery.
