Routine Medical Appointments (GPs) All Face to Face appointments with your GP are made following telephone triage with them.

The way GP appointments are made can vary significantly between GP Practices. There is no minimum time set within which you should see your GP. If your problem is urgent we with try and see you as soon as possible. (RCGP July 2011)

APPOINTMENTS

TELEPHONE TRIAGE WITH GP FIRST PLEASE

Ashley Medical Centre aims to provide 4 surgeries, five days per week  with 10 minutes appointments available after telephone triage with the GP. We cannot guarantee that you will see a doctor of your choice. 

At times there are a significant number of DNA's we would ask that if you are unable to attend for your appointment please inform the surgery . This enables others who need appointments to be seen by the Doctor or Nurse 

Please note appointments for medical reasons will be given priority over those for insurance, Disability Living Allowance and other non medical administrative tasks.

All appointments with Doctors and Nurses are at 10 minute intervals. GPs can only discuss 1 health matter within this time frame. If you require a longer appointment you should notify the Reception Staff when booking so that suitable time may be given. Doctors and Nurses request that Patients prioritise their health needs as they cannot deal with multiple concerns in a 10 minute appointments. You may be asked to book another appointment if the Doctor or Nurse cannot deal with all your concerns

Please see link for Royal College of General Practitioners regarding appointments.

http://www.rcgp.org.uk/pdf/rcgp_iyp_full_booklet_web_version.pdf

Emergency Appointments (un-named Doctor) Currently suspended - Telephone Triage First with Dr Please

Daily there are 8 Emergency Appointments available with Doctors. An emergency may be one of the following, with onset or exacerbation of symptoms in the last 24 hours necessitating immediate treatment. Please advise our Receptionists accordingly.

In such cases, you should provide the Receptionist with as much detail as possible so that they may inform a Doctor or Nurse who will assess the clinical urgency. Medical emergencies will be seen by a Doctor or Nurse as soon as possible on the day, therefore patients may have to wait.

Emergencies consist of but are not limited to the following:

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  An acute mental health problem

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  An acute asthma attack

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  Emergency contraception

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  Serious infection

48 Hour Access (un-named Doctor)

12 x 48 Hour Access appointments are available each day. These appointments are for the onset of medical conditions that are not an emergency but may require treatment within a short period. These appointments are with an un-named Doctor or Nurse and patients cannot specify times. Appointments are offered on a first come basis.

Open Surgeries (un-named Doctor) Currently Suspended

Ashley Medical Centre continues to provide an Open Surgery on Monday Mornings. Patients must arrive before 10.00am and wait to be seen. Patients will be seen in order of arrival or, in the case of an emergency, GPs decision will apply. The Open Surgery is for urgent medical conditions which cannot wait for a routine appointment. Open Surgeries are also held on Tuesday/Wednesday following Bank or Public Holidays. Please note the Patients who arrive after 10.00am will not be seen.

Book On Day Surgery (un-named Doctor)

Wednesday Morning from 8:30am and Friday afternoons 3.00pm – 5.00pm. Patients may telephone from 8.30 to book for the early surgery or from 2.00pm to book an appointment for the later Surgery (Friday only). Appointments are limited and will be offered on a first come basis

Currently due to the level of Patients failing to attend for booked appointments, we have had to cap the the future booking of appointments to two weeks. We appreciate that this may cause some inconvenience to Patients, but was necessary in order to reduce the number of appointments being missed.

House visits are only available for patients who are housebound because of illness or disability.

Patients cannot insist that a GP visits them at home. GPs will only visit you at home if they think your medical condition requires it and will also decide how urgently a visit is necessary;.Several patients can be seen in the practice in the time that it takes to make one home visit. There are also better facilities for examining and treating patients at the Health Centre.

If you feel a home visit is required please telephohne 02891 477150. Doctors may contact patients by telephone and Doctors will determine if a home visit is required. Requests for home visits should be made before 10.30am – requests after this time may have to wait to the following day – this is at the GPs discretion.

Telephone Calls

See Opening Hours

Patients who fail to attend for appointments and do not cancel, delay treatment and care for other Patients who may need to see a Doctor or Nurse.

It is our policy to write to all Patients who fail to attend. Patients who regularly fail to keep appointments without cancelling may be asked to leave the Practice - following a written warning.

Appointments in the Surgery are at a premium and we ask that Patients consider the needs of others and book suitable appointments and if they are unable to attend contact the Surgery as soon as possible to cancel so that the appointment can be allocated to another Patient.

Patients MUST contact reception staff to inform them if an appointment is not longer required. Doctors and Nurses do not always inform reception staff if Patients cancel appointments during a home visit or telephone consultation, and it is the Patients responsibility to ensure that any future appointments are cancelled.

Thank you for your cooperation.

EVENING SURGERIES

Currently unavailable

During period of high demand (usually winter months - October to March. The Health & Social Care Board  make funding available for additional Surgeries.

Ashley Medical Centre use this funding to provide eveneing Surgeries.

We will endeavour to offer one evening surgery per week (Tuesday) from November to the end of March.  It may not be possible to provide this service every week

To ensure that Patients remember to attend these appointments are only released 4 days in advance. Appointments are available with a Doctor or Nurse.