MESSAGE FROM THE DOCTORS
The Doctors have requested that our patient advisors ask you for a brief reason for your appointment. This is to assist you in accessing the most appropriate service. They will also ask you for your preferred contact number. If appropriate you will be given an appointment with an Advanced Nurse Practitioner. We do appreciate the difficulties patients face in the current climate when all our available appointments have been taken. We would kindly ask you to consider other options recommended such as GP appointments at the extended hours service at Bath Street, Widnes walk-in centre, your local pharmacy and Bath Street Wellbeing Centre for family planning and sexual health. The patient advisors will have details regarding these services. I would remind you that we provide 4 extended hours clinics each week on Monday and Wednesday until 8.30 in the evening.
Details of our Practice Nurse Services are available in the following link Services Delivered by our Practice Nurses . Remember that Nurse appointments can be booked further ahead and are not released daily like GP appointments. If you are booking a Nurse appointment we suggest you phone after 10am when demand is less.
We can provide a chaperone, hearing loop or interpreter services. If you need any of these services please advise the receptionist when booking your appointment.
The following points merit special mention:
- If you wish to see a specific practitioner, you should specify this when you make your appointment. Doing so may affect the time when an appointment can be given.
- Due to the demand for GP appointments and the impact of wasted appointments when patients do not attend, you may book only one appointment with any GP at one time. Further appointments with any GP cannot be booked until the existing one has been attended (or cancelled).
- An appointment is for the patient for whom it was made and for that person alone. It is not appropriate to request an impromptu consultation for others who may have accompanied you to your appointment.
- Punctuality is of the utmost importance. Please make every effort to attend at the appointment time as this facilitates the smooth running of the surgery for all concerned. The doctors will endeavour to ensure that you are seen at (or as close as possible to) the appointment time. Sometimes you may be seen slightly later than arranged, as the enormous variety of problems presenting to a doctor is unpredictable and is not always amenable to a strict timetable. However, you should note that if you are late the doctor may not be able to see you and you will be asked to rebook your appointment.
Cancellations
If you find that you will not be able to attend for your appointment, you should make sure that you inform the surgery. Please try to do this with more than one hour’s notice. If you do so, your appointment can be given to someone else. We have a dedicated line for this: please telephone (01925) 725644 and press 2. (This line is only available on weekdays between 08:00 and 18:00.