At the end of your appointment, make sure that you know what you should do if the symptoms do not get better within an agreed time period. See here for more advice regarding after your appointment.
Your appointment will normally last around 10 minutes. This may be at the practice, on the phone, or at your home if you are bed-bound. Your GP, nurse or healthcare professional will ask you questions about your health and related matters. They will see your full medical history and hospital letters and results. They will make detailed notes of their consultation with you which you can view on the NHS App.
Face-to-face appointments
- Allow plenty of time to travel. Parking is always limited
- If you know that your GP may need to examine part of your body, make sure you wear loose clothing
- Use the check-in screen to let us know that you have arrived
- Take a seat in the waiting room
- We try our best to see you at the specific time. But please be patient as delays can happen due to emergencies
Telephone appointments
- We can only keep to a rough time window, so please don’t expect a call precisely at your booked time. We could be calling you up to an hour either side of your appointment
- The practice phone number will be displayed when we call
- If we can’t get through to you, we will ring back once more a few minutes later
- If we can’t get through to you after a second try then you will need to book another appointment
In an appointment, your GP could take the following actions:
- Prescribe (or change) medication
- Refer you to a hospital consultant for your issue
- Refer you to a therapy or support service
- They may also also advice on non-treatment options that can improve your health
Non-urgent advice: Chaperones
Some appointments, involving certain examinations and consultations, may require a chaperone. The chaperone can be a member of the team who has been specially trained as a chaperone. They are familiar with the procedure and are there to provide reassurance and address any concerns on your behalf. You have the right to decline any examination or choose an alternative examiner or a chaperone present.
Non-urgent advice: Zero Tolerance Policy
We have a Zero Tolerance Policy regarding physical or verbal abuse towards our staff. All incidents will be followed up and extreme cases my result in removal from the practice, or even police involvement.
To see our full Zero Tolerance Policy, please click here.