Non-urgent advice: Same Day Appointments
If you need an urgent/same day appointment with a doctor, please contact the surgery at 08:00 (for morning appointments) or 14:00 (for afternoon appointments) and you may be offered either an appointment or our telephone call back service. The receptionist will take your name, contact details and a brief description of the problem and and will book either a face to face or telephone appointment as appropriate.
Please note if a telephone call is booked the call will show as a private number on your phone. The doctor will only call once, and are not allowed to leave voicemail messages except where it is clear and specific in stating who the voicemail belongs to.
Non-urgent advice: Cancel an Appointment
It is important that you inform the reception staff if you are unable to attend your appointment, this will allow that appointment to be offered to another patient. The telephone lines are open at the surgery from 8am for cancellations. You will also then be able to re-book your appointment at a time that is convenient to you.
If you fail to notify the Practice that you are unable to attend, you will be sent a text message informing you that you have defaulted from your appointment. Persistent defaulters maybe removed from the list.
Non-urgent advice: Doctor Appointments
We have recently conducted an analysis of our appointment system and have made some alterations, to ensure that as many people as possible can speak to a doctor when they ring to book a same day appointment. Your ongoing feedback to continue to improve is also gratefully received.
Appointment slots will continue to be able to book up to 2 weeks in advance, these are offered on a first-come-first-served basis. These are for follow-ups, or non-urgent appointments and reviews with a GP. These appointments may be booked by telephoning the surgery.
Online booking – If you do not have your user name and password, please call into reception and ask for it. You will need some photo id with you. You will then be able to access our on the day telephone appointments online. These are accessible for booking from 6am for a morning telephone appointment and then after 10am to book an afternoon telephone appointment.
Routine GP appointments in the Practice are 10 minutes long. We ask that you do not ‘save up’ problems as a single 10 minute appointment is sufficient time to deal with one problem only. If you have several problems please ask for a double appointment.
Nurse/ Healthcare Assistant Appointments
We offer a variety of appointments and clinics between 08.10 and 18:00.
Phlebotomy/Blood Testing Appointments
- Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday 08.10 – 11:20
- Thursday & Friday 08.10 – 11:20
Nurse & Health Care Assistant Appointments
- Available for annual review of long term conditions
- Cervical smears
- Pill checks & HRT checks
- Childhood Immunisations
- Adult Immunisations
- NHS Health Checks
- Dressings
Home Visits
If you are too ill to attend the surgery please let us know before 10.30 am if possible and explain the problem clearly to the receptionist. You will be booked a telephone appointment with a GP for them to assess your problem. The doctor will arrange for an appropriate time to call if a visit is necessary, if not the doctor will make alternative arrangements.
Enhanced Access
As a Rushcliffe patient you can now access routine appointments in the evenings and at weekends. These appointments are best suited for things that will not need ongoing review by your usual practice.
You can book through your surgery during opening hours for appointments between 6.30pm and 8pm in the evening on weekdays and between 8.30am and 12.30pm at weekends. If you request one of these appointments, which are outside of usual working hours you will be offered a slot with a Rushcliffe GP, Nurse or Healthcare Assistant at one of three locations across the borough.
The location will depend on the day of your appointment.
The additional evening and weekend appointments will be available at:
• Radcliffe-On-Trent Health Centre
• Castle Healthcare Practice in West Bridgford
• Cotgrave Surgery
• East Leake Health Centre
• Keyworth Medical Practice
PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL ENHANCED HOURS APPOINTMENTS ARE PREBOOKABLE ONLY BY CONTACTING YOUR OWN GP PRACTICE.
THERE IS NO WALK IN SERVICE OFFERED.
IF YOU REQUIRE URGENT ASSISTANCE BEFORE 8AM OR AFTER 6.30PM, PLEASE CALL 111.
Why does the receptionist need to ask the nature of my problem?
The reception team are members of the Practice team and it has been agreed that they will ask patients ‘why they need to be seen’. Reception staff are bound by the same level of confidentiality as our clinicians.
Reception staff are trained to ask questions in order that you receive:
- the most appropriate medical care
- from the most appropriate health professional
- at the most appropriate time
The information that the receptionists pass onto the doctor allows the doctor to prioritise the calls and ensure that all patients receive the most appropriate care.
Chaperones
Sometimes it is helpful to both the patient and the doctor to have another person in the room during a physical examination. Please understand that you may ask for a chaperone to be present and the doctor will not be offended. The doctor themselves may also request another person to be present.
Text Reminder Service
We have a texting service which allows you to receive confirmation and reminders about your appointments.
To have this service you will need to register by completing a consent form.
Please remember to update your contact details with us when you change address, telephone numbers and email address.