For real life-threatening emergencies such as those below – RING 999
- Chest pain (suspected heart attack)
- Suspected stroke
- Suspected meningitis
- Anaphylactic shock (severe allergy)
- Heavy bleeding or deep lacerations
- Fluctuating levels of consciousness or completely unconscious
- Difficulty breathing or stopped breathing with a change in colour
- New seizure, fit or uncontrollable shaking
For immediately serious conditions such as the following, GO TO Emergency Department (A&E) IMMEDIATELY
- A fever and lethargic (drowsy) child
- A feverish and floppy (unresponsive) infant
- Difficulty breathing
- Sudden, severe abdominal pain
- Accidental or intentional overdose of medication
- Trauma (including falls) and possible broken bones or road traffic accident
Changes to the appointments on offer
If you have a new cough or feel hot to touch on your chest or back (high temperature) and don’t have any other conditions that you are concerned about, please refer to NHS guide below.
Information specific to services
- Cervical Screening (initially booked as a telephone appointment)
- Childhood Immunisations (No change to the booking process for this service)
- Sexual Health – Coil, Implant (initially booked as a telephone appointment)
- Midwife – (No change to the booking process for this service)
- Pill and HRT checks (initially booked as a telephone appointment)
- Chronic Disease reviews – will be carried out over the telephone or video consultation where possible.
The following can be booked, without the need for an initial telephone appointment
- Essential Injections e.g. Antipsychotic , B12, Depo, Prostap, Zoladex
- Post-natal examinations & 6 week baby checks
- Urgent Swabs requested by a clinician
- Urgent Bloods requested by a clinician (including DMARD monitoring)
- Urgent Dressings
Alternative arrangements will be made for patients requiring interpreting or other supporting services; this is will either be via another agreed remote method or if this is not possible will revert to a booked face to face appointment.
All patients must have been screened for symptoms or isolation prior to booking.
Booking Appointments
If you want to make an appointment with a Doctor, Advanced Nurse Practitioner or our Practice Nurse, please telephone the main surgery number (0191 215 0141) and speak to one of our Patient Advisors.
Urgent appointments
Please contact the surgery on 0191 2150141 at 8:30am (or as close as possible) to request an appointment if your problem is urgent. The reception team will ask you for a brief description of your issue. This is to direct to the most appropriate member of staff.
For same day home visit requests, please contact the surgery before 11:00am.
Routine appointments
If you require an appointment for a routine issue you will be offered the next available appointment with a GP of choice or our Advanced Nurse Practitioner. Please be advised due to demand this is around a 2-3 week wait.
Pre-bookable
Pre-bookable routine GP and Advanced Nurse Practitioner appointments (up to 3 month in advance).
Nursing Team
Routine appointments available with the Nursing Team.
Telephone consultations
You may want to talk to a Doctor or a Nurse about something but do not need to come to the Surgery for a face-to-face appointment. If you would like to talk to someone over the phone, you can book this in with Reception. The Receptionist will take your number and arrange a suitable time. Similarly, Doctors and Nurses may contact you by telephone for any advice and queries.
Please help us
If you are not able to attend your appointment please let us know in time so that the time can be used for someone else. If you are more than 15 minutes late for an appointment you may be asked to re-book.
Patients have rights and responsibilities, including keeping appointments.
Missed appointments cost the NHS thousands of pounds every year. Please inform the surgery as soon as possible if you are unable to attend for an appointment. This will help us to make appointments available to as many patients as possible.
We now offer a free text messaging service which allows you to book and cancel any GP appointment at a time that is convenient for you. Please ask a member of our Reception team for more information if you wish to access this service.
Additional information
If you have a suspected infectious disease
Please inform reception if you suspect an infectious disease, as this will enable us to deal with it appropriately during your visit to protect you, other patients and staff.
Giving Consent for Treatment
You have the right to accept or refuse treatment that is offered to you, and not to be given any physical examination or treatment unless you have given valid consent. If you do not have the capacity to do so, consent must be obtained from a person legally able to act on your behalf, or the treatment must be in your best interests.
Your valid consent (agreement to the course of action) is needed for the treatment that’s offered to you before any physical examinations or treatment can be given. If you haven’t given your consent, you can accept or refuse treatment that’s offered to you.
It’s important to be involved in decisions about your treatment and to be given information to help you choose the right treatment. When making treatment choices, you’ll often discuss the options with your doctor or another healthcare professional.