Are you in severe discomfort, pain or distress?

Inform the Patient Care Coordinator (PCC) that you need to talk to someone today for one of the above reasons, and you will be contacted by a member of our Clinical Team via a triage telephone call.

Are you in severe discomfort, pain or distress with an ongoing problem for which you are seeing 1 GP?

If you have an ongoing health problem which is being treated by one General Practitioner (GP), inform the Patient Care Coordinator (PCC) of this and they will try and accommodate this request, however, if that GP is unavailable, it may be better in the short term to deal with the above symptoms as a matter of urgency, and see any available GP.  The Triage Clinical Team will assess this when they call you back.

Do you need an appointment with your regular GP or nurse for an ongoing health problem?

In this case it would be useful to see the same person, so allow a little time, if possible, when booking your appointment, in case your usual clinician is unavailable or fully booked for a few days.  We have routine appointments available for booking in advance, for reviews, check-ups, etc. and if you know your review will be due in a particular month in the year, allow yourself plenty time to book an appointment on a day and time suitable to you, with the relevant person.

Do you need help or advice with a health problem which you can discuss on the telephone?

We can take your name and telephone number and ask your GP to call you back to discuss any concerns, sample results, and offer advice which doesn’t involve a physical examination.  You will be called as soon as the GP is free to make phone calls, however, if you have any restrictions on when you can receive a call please let the Patient Care Coordinator (PCC) know so we can make a note of this with your details.

Do you need an appointment with a Practice Nurse or Healthcare Assistant?

If you have an ongoing health problem or chronic disease, you will be aware of the need for frequent reviews.  When your GP feels your symptoms are stable and your medication is correct and appropriate, you will then be reviewed by our nurses or healthcare assistants (HCA's) who will ensure that you remain in a stable condition. This will either be on a 6 monthly or annual basis.

Further to these duties, the nurses also offer extensive skills, to support the GPs in their clinical tasks. The nurses and healthcare assistants also assist the GPs with IUCDs and implants, following an initial assessment consultation with the GP.

The HCA also offers a range of skills to support the clinical team and you may be asked to book an appointment with the HCA for bloods, prior to a routine GP appointment.  Please ensure you allow at least one week for the results to come back into the Practice.