Appointments in General
We operate a booked appointment system for all doctors, nurses and healthcare assistants. You can make an appointment in person, by telephone either by speaking with a member of staff or following the telephone instructions on our automated system. Appointments can also be made via the online service (At the moment GP appointments cannot be booked online). We work very hard to ensure that patients see the most appropriate member of the team for their needs.
You do NOT always need to see a doctor. There are other members in the team who can help. Remember an appointment is for one person, and to discuss one problem only. If a patient wishes to discuss more problems the patient should request an extended time slot.
Please note that text messaging is used to remind patients of their appointments 24 hours in advance. If you no longer need your appointment please cancel it so that it can be freed up and used for another patient who needs it.
If you wish to opt out of receiving text messages please contact reception.
Appointments for GPs during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic
Please be aware that due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic most appointments are currently booked on the day so patients are asked to call at 8am or attend in person to make an appointment, although attending in person does not automatically guarantee you an appointment. Patients will be put on a list for the GP to telephone back during the course of the morning or afternoon and perform triage. The GP will then decide on the next appropriate course of action as not all patients need to be seen and treated in surgery.
When requesting an appointment, our receptionist will ask patients the nature of their condition. This is to help them decide on the most appropriate type of appointment, healthcare professional or service to see as not all conditions need to be treated by a GP, therefore patients may be offered an alternative service that is more fitting to their condition.
Any requests for home visits will also be placed on a list where a doctor will perform triage.
Please note: You will not be given a specific time for when the GP will call you back.
You may request to speak with a particular GP, we will try and accommodate this the best we can, however it may not always be possible to fulfil these requests due to the availability of the GP.
The above does not apply to booking appointments for Nurses and Healthcare Assistants
Online Services
This service is available via SystmOnline, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and enables patients to:-
- Book and cancel appointments, view past appointments and future appointments
- Request repeat medication
- View own medication
Patients need to register for this service and this can only be completed at the surgery and not via the telephone as we are required to identify the patient for Data Protection purposes. Photographic evidence such as a passport or driving licence is accepted and once identification is completed the patient will be issued with written instructions and a password which they can later amend to their own. Reminders of passwords can be re-issued direct to the patient.
We also offer online/video consultations if patients prefer and GPs are able to offer this using Accurx. This will send a link to the patient for them to log onto and speak to the GP via video link.
Automated Telephone Booking Appointments
Patients may wish to book, check or cancel appointments via the automated telephone booking system and the instructions for this are at the end of the recorded telephone message or by pressing 1 on the telephone keypad. Patients can access this facility when the surgery is closed and need to enter their date of birth in 6 digits and the telephone number we hold on the patient’s record. This is for appointments with doctors only. Appointments with other nursing staff have to be made by telephone only to ensure patients booked into the correct clinic.
Pre-Bookable Appointments with Any Doctor
Routine appointments are available to book up to one month in advance. Surgeries have extended openings on Mondays until 8pm, please see normal surgery opening hours.
We aim to give you the appointment you request, and for you to be seen on time. We aim to see you immediately if you require urgent medical attention.
An appointment system is offered for non-urgent cases.
Please contact the surgery between 8.00am and 6pm at Thurnscoe or 8am to 6.30pm at Goldthorpe and Great Houghton, either in person or by telephone to make an appointment.
If you need to speak to the doctor or nurse during surgery hours, please contact the receptionist. The Doctor/Nurse will ring you back at their earliest their convenience.
Training Practice
We are a GP training practice and regularly support medical students who are training to be doctors and nurse students wanting to work in general practice.
The receptionist will be able to tell you when a surgery is being jointly run (with a GP plus medical student), the patient will be asked if the student is permitted to remain during the doctor’s consultation. The practice would like to thank all those patients who help us with the continuing education of future doctors.
Did Not Attend (DNA)
If you cannot attend your appointment for any reason, please let us know as soon as possible, giving at least 24 hours notice when possible. We can then offer the appointment to someone else who may need to be urgently treated.
The practice has a DNA policy for patients who repeatedly fail to attend their appointments. A patient may be removed from the practice list for persistently not attending their appointments as this is wasting valuable clinical time.
All consultations are by appointment only.