Requests for Urgent Same Day Appointments

This practice operates a telephone triage system for determining urgent and not so urgent cases so that appointments can be allocated according to patient need. The system works by allowing clinicians to triage all requests for same day urgent requests. All Practices in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale now operate a system of clinical triage for all urgent same day requests.

Morning clinic times are from 08:00 – 13:00 and Afternoon clinics between 14:00 – 18:30.

The aim is to provide the most appropriate appointment, more convenient access, more efficient use of time for GPs and patients by resolving an enquiry with a single telephone call to help ensure routine appointments remain available for patients with chronic complex illnesses.

It is likely if on the day your appointment is booked with your preferred GP and his/her clinic is running late due to an emergency, the GP on call will contact patients from their list. This is to prevent further delays to patient care and addressing patient needs.

Please note that we will still be operating the same system for pre bookable routine appointments and these can be made up to two weeks in advance.

We continue to encourage patients to register to use our on line services for booking appointments and requesting repeat prescriptions.

There are different types of appointments offered at the Practice to ensure the clinics run efficiently.

Advanced: These appointments can be made up to two weeks in advance. They are usually routine appointments with the GPs (in the morning /afternoon), Practice Nurse and HCA for ongoing illnesses or conditions which are non urgent. You can book these appointments over the phone, at the reception desk or online.

Same Day: These are for clinical/Acute conditions which you feel need to be seen urgently. The telephone line opens at 8.00am and the front desk opens for appointments at 8.00am, therefore to ensure you get an appointment for the same day please ring the practice. 

Web Access: We have online appointment available for pre bookings and have availability up to two weeks in advance, these appointments are available with the GP'S, Healthcare assistant and practice nurse and can be managed by patients themselves. (Please speak to a member of staff for more information)

Telephone: These can be used for results; advice and continuous Sick Notes. Telephone appointments can only be made with the GPs. They are usually dealt between 12.00pm - 15.00pm, however the time can not be guaranteed. Please keep your phone available on the day.

Triage of urgent on the day demand: Admin Staff carry out triage of all urgent on the day requests from all patients. All patients who are 12 years or younger will be seen in the practice on the same day if clinically required. Once triage has been carried out by staff, the message will be conveyed to the GP if necessary and if patient needs to be seen then an appointment will be made for the same day.

Please remember that appointments are for ONE PERSON only. If you feel your consultation may be lengthy, ask the receptionist for a DOUBLE APPOINTMENT when you book. Please do not ask for an accompanying relative to be seen within the same appointment. It is unfair on the other patients waiting outside to see the GP and equally it will lead to delay in the clinic.

If possible please try to phone reception before 10:00am if you require a home visit.

You may 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. They will ring you first before the visit to triage so that the situation can be dealt with more efficiently. Therefore please provide the reception team with a valid telephone number. 

You can 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.

Acute Visiting Scheme

We have an AVS in place for Acute visits. If possible please inform the receptionist of the nature of the problem AND IF IT IS URGENT please specify this so that the Doctors can plan their visits efficiently and appropriately.

Home visit request will then be telephone triaged by the on call GP.

Please remember that 4 patients can be seen in the surgery in the time that it takes to make one home visit. There are also better facilities for examining and treating patients at the surgery.

If you are unable to attend for your appointment please let us know as soon as possible. To cancel an appointment please telephone the practice on 01706 664160 Persistent failure to attend appointments will result in your removal from the practice list.       

If you need help when we are closed

Click here for information about out-of-hours services available

Please tell us:

• If there’s a specific doctor, nurse or other health professional you would prefer to respond
• If you would prefer to consult with the doctor or nurse by phone, face-to-face, by video call or by text or email
• If you need an interpreter
• If you have any other access or communication needs

Would you like an appointment with a GP, Nurse, or Health Care Practitioner in the evening or at the weekend when we are closed?

If so, you can book your appointment now by contacting us.

Access Services are an extension of our usual service, it is not a walk-in service, and you will need to make an appointment through the practice reception. The service gives you more flexibility in where, when and how you use local health services. It helps those who struggle to get to the doctors during the week because of work and family commitments.

Please note that whilst you may not get to see your own doctor during these hours, and it may not be at your own practice location, the GP or Nurse you see will have access to your medical record, subject to your consent.

APPOINTMENTS ARE AVAILABLE:

Monday to Friday - Daytime & Evenings
Saturday and Sunday - Daytime
Bank Holidays – Daytime

APPOINTMENT TYPES:

Face to Face – You will see a clinician in person and be required to go to the service location

Telephone Consultation – You will be called by one of our clinicians during your appointment time. This will be from a withheld number and you will not be required to go to the service location unless offered at the time

Care Navigation and Appointments

It is not always necessary to see a GP. A nurse practitioner, practice nurse, health care assistant or practice pharmacist, or another service such as an Optician or Community Pharmacy, may be more appropriate and for this reason our receptionists have now been trained to cover a more diverse role and will now be working in the practice as Care Navigators. This is a role that is being introduced in ALL practices across Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale.

The purpose of this role is to advise patients and carers about the sources of help and advice which are most relevant to their reed. Active signposting is NOT a clinical consultation and it is not to make a diagnosis or plan treatment.

This new approach is not about denying our patients an appointment but actually using signposting for precisely the opposite motive – to make it easier for patients who need to see a GP to get an appointment, while shortening the time it takes to connect patients with the most appropriate person.

To help you make the appointment, the Care Navigator will need to know a little about why you need an appointment and so will ask you some very brief questions. This is because the Care Navigators have a number of alternative types of appointments available to them, and they need to offer you the most appropriate appointment to deal with your problem. The most appropriate appointment may be with your GP for example, or perhaps with another member of the practice team.

To make an appointment please contact the practice on 01706 664160.