Appointments
Who do I see?
Missed Appointments
Missed Appointments (DNA Policy)
Missed appointments (“Did Not Attend” or DNA) place significant pressure on NHS services and reduce appointment availability for other patients who need care. If you cannot attend an appointment, you must cancel it in advance so that it can be offered to another patient.
Repeated failure to attend appointments without prior cancellation may be considered a misuse of NHS resources and could result in action being taken in line with our practice policy, which may include removal from the practice list.
We operate a zero-tolerance approach to behaviour that negatively impacts our ability to provide safe and effective care to all patients.
Arriving late for appointments
Please make every effort to arrive on time for your appointment. Clinicians often have fully booked clinics, and late arrival can affect the care of other patients.
Patients who arrive after their appointment start time may not be able to be seen and may be asked to rebook. This helps us keep clinics running safely and fairly for everyone.
If you think you may be late, please contact the practice as soon as possible.
Cancelling your appointment
If you cannot attend an appointment for any reason please inform us as soon as possible in order for us to give the slot to someone else. We monitor non-attendance of booked appointments and we reserve the right to remove patients from our surgery list if this becomes a frequent occurrence. You can cancel your appointment online using your NHS App or via our online consultation tool at any time of the day or night. You can also contact Reception on 01775 724088 or visit either site and speak to a member of the team in person.
Requesting an Appointment
Our practice now operates on a Total Triage model, supported by our online consultation provider, AccuRx. All request for appointments are reviewed by our clinical team to ensure your requests are directed to the most suitable clinician or other health care provider. This ensures our capacity is maximised and our patients receive the most appropriate care in a timely manner. We also have a wide range of appointments available for your to book directly online using the NHS App
💻 For more information about AccuRx and the Total Triage model, their website explain things very well: https://www.accurx.com/total-triage
ℹ️ Please watch this video for guidance on how to submit your online request – Patient Flash Demo: How to submit a medical request in Patient Triage | Accurx Desktop
📵 What if you don’t have a smartphone or can’t use the internet? 📵
Don’t worry – you can still telephone your surgery or visit in person. The receptionist will ask you some questions about your request to fill out the online form on your behalf. The surgery team will then assess your request and will be back in touch with next steps.
Start here
Enhanced Access
Enhanced Access are non-urgent pre-bookable appointments available between 6.30pm-8pm weekdays and on Saturdays.
Appointment may be a telephone call or a face-to-face appointment, either at your own GP surgery or an NHS service nearby, and can be with a range of clinical staff, such as doctors, advanced nurse practitioners or nurses, and health care assistants.
For urgent matters at evenings, weekends and bank holidays, patients should call NHS 111 or visit https://111.nhs.uk/.
Alongside our usual telephone and face-to-face consultations, we are also offering video consultations with the leading online GP provider, Livi as part of our Extended Access service with Spalding PCN.
Seeing a doctor via Livi means you can:
- Book an appointment at a time that suits your schedule
- Consult with an NHS GP from the comfort of your own home, or other convenient location
- Show the clinician any areas of concern in relation to your condition, while allowing them to pick up on any visual cues
- Help us save face-to-face appointments for patients that need them, e.g. those requiring physical examinations or blood tests
Home Visits
Whilst we encourage our patients to come to the surgery, where we have the proper equipment and facilities available, we do appreciate this is not always possible. In this respect, if you do need a home visit, you can help us by calling reception before 11:00, which allows us to schedule the visits of our clinicians in an effective way.
To request a home visit please call 01775 724088 and listen to the options.
You should only request a home visit if you are housebound or are too ill to visit the practice. Your GP 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. Please bear this in mind and be prepared to provide suitable details to enable the doctor to schedule house calls. A Doctor or a member of our Nursing team may telephone you before agreeing to visit you at home.
You can also 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.
