About Our Appointment System...

Appointments are normally for ten minutes and surgeries run from 8.30 am most mornings, through the day to 6.30 pm, subject to availability. Emergency appointments (those booked on the day) may be for five minutes.

For ten weeks, starting Saturday 14 January, 2012, we will also be running emergency clinics on Monday evenings and Saturday mornings.  Please see above for timings.

Urgent Appointments

People who need an urgent appointment will be seen the same day by our Duty Team.

Routine Appointments

If you wish to see a doctor, please make a routine appointment with the receptionists. Routine appointments are usually available within four working days. You may have to wait longer to see your usual doctor.

The telephone lines are quieter after 10.30 am for the arrangement of routine appointments.

Home Visits

Should you need to see a Doctor quickly and can come to the surgery, an urgent appointment will always be arranged. This is quicker than waiting for a Doctor to visit after surgery.

However, for housebound patients and those too ill to attend surgery, a home visit can be requested by telephoning Northampton 633682 before 10.30 am. Our Receptionists will ask for the patient’s name, address, telephone number and brief details of the problem.

Please Note: Visits take approximately 30 minutes each. To allow Doctors time to provide appointments at the surgery, please ask for a visit ONLY if it is really necessary. The Volunteer Car Bureau, Telephone 01604 628234, can provide assistance to people with travel difficulties.

Telephone Advice

If you wish to speak to a doctor or nurse on the telephone, call Reception and they will pass a message to the clinician who will call you back. Please leave a contact telephone number with the receptionist.

Missed Appointments - DNAs (Did Not Attend)

Because of the pressure on our appointments, we have regrettably made a decision that if you fail to attend three appointments in a year without notifying us beforehand of your wish to cancel it, we will remove you from our patient list and you will have to find another doctor’s surgery. We will write to you when you have missed two appointments, informing you of what may happen if you miss a third appointment.

Missing appointments for minor operations or some clinics has a greater impact because they are longer appointments. You may be removed from our list if you miss just one of these long appointments.

Keep Us Informed

10% of our appointments are wasted by people not turning up - please let us know if you are unable to attend. This is very important for counseling appointments which are usually for 60 minutes and some nursing or doctor appointments of 30 minutes" duration.

If you change your name or address etc, please inform the Receptionists as soon as possible. Please bear in mind that your new address may be in an area not supported by the practice. If you are attending hospital or waiting for an operation, you also need to inform the hospital of a change in address.