Appointments

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Emergency (same-day) appointments

We will see the following patients on the same day if asked to do so:

  • Children under age 5
  • Women with problems in pregnancy
  • Terminally ill patients

If you believe you need to be assessed on the same day the staff will take your details, speak to a doctor, and phone you back.

What is the duty doctor list and how does it work? (PDF)

Urgent appointments

If you feel you cannot wait and want to be assessed urgently (i.e. the same day), you may be advised that the doctor may call you back to discuss your problem and decide the best course of action.

If your need is urgent we will offer you an appointment on our next working day. This will often be for conditions that:

  • are severe
  • are persisting or getting worse despite (several days) medication from the pharmacist
  • have not previously cleared up within a few days

To request an urgent appointment for today or tomorrow (Monday to Friday) during opening times:

When you get in touch, we’ll ask what you need help with.

We will use your answers to choose the most suitable doctor, nurse or healthcare professional to help you.

Routine appointments

To request a routine appointments up to 4 weeks in advance during opening times:

When you get in touch, we’ll ask what you need help with.

We will use your answers to choose the most suitable doctor, nurse or healthcare professional to help you.

Appointments are normally available up to a month in advance. Appointment slots are for 15 minutes to discuss a single medical problem. If you intend to discuss several issues you should advise the receptionist who may check with the doctor to see if you need to be allocated a longer appointment slot.

When you telephone the practice to ask for an appointment with a doctor the receptionist will ask you for a brief indication of your problem so that she can, where applicable, direct you to the to most appropriate service to meet your need. If you prefer not to disclose your medical problem with the receptionist, your privacy will be respected. You will then be offered a routine appointment with the GP of your choice. If you need to be seen more quickly, you will be offered an appointment with a doctor within 48 hours. However although every effort will be made to fit you in with your chosen GP they may not be available and you may be offered an appointment with another GP instead.

Get medical advice from a nurse

Where you would like an appointment with the practice nurse you should advise the receptionist of the reason (e.g., blood pressure check, diabetic review, etc) so that she can allocate the appropriate time for your appointment. For example, a blood pressure check usually takes 5 minutes, however, an interim diabetic review normally takes 20 minutes whilst a full review can take up to 30 minutes.

To ask a non-urgent medical question:

We will respond within 2 working days during opening times.

NHS 111

Check your symptoms, visit NHS 111 online.

Call 111 at any time, 24 hours a day. You will speak to NHS professional staff who will help guide you on any medical issue.

Visit a pharmacist
  • No appointment necessary
  • Many pharmacists have a confidential area
  • Open till late and at weekends
Visit an optician
Visit a dentist

Extended access

We open later on Monday evenings from 6:30pm to 8:00pm

These appointments are for routine problems only and are provided for patients who are unable to get to the practice during the day because of their work or caring commitments. If you need to see a GP urgently after 6:30pm please call our out of hours number, 01744 737225.

Continuity of care

We want to offer continued care by the same doctor whenever possible. This should allow you normally to see the doctor who knows you best.

Please mention this to the receptionist whenever you make an appointment.

Midwife appointments

Your community midwife is Liesl Lowe who can be contacted through the community midwives’ office on 0151 430 1492.

Your health visitor is Anne Radice who can be contacted at Haydock Health Centre on 01744 624321.

The ante-natal clinic is held from 9am every Tuesday morning. Our midwife runs the clinic and works closely with the doctors to provide quality antenatal and postnatal care. The midwife sees patients from approximately 8 weeks pregnant.

Additional pregnancy information.

Health visitor appointments

The Health Visitors can offer advice on caring for children, special needs, benefits, relationship problems and counselling relating to children aged 0 – 19. Child development checks are also carried out at regular intervals.

The practice holds a well-baby clinic on Monday afternoons between 1:30pm and 3pm. This is held on the 1st floor of the building.

Babies 6 week post natal check will be performed by Dr Parr. This is an appointment only service.

If you have queries regarding bed wetting, constipation, temper tantrums, etc., you can contact your health visitors to discuss this on 01744 624321.

For more information on the role of the health visitor and child development please see our surgery clinics page.

Phlebotomist (Blood-taking nurse) drip on clinic

Most patients attend the drop in ‘community phlebotomy clinic’ which is held on Monday mornings from 9:30am to 10:30am, in the health centre upstairs. You do not need an appointment or need to be registered as a patient of Garswood Surgery to attend this clinic.

Our healthcare assistant, Julie, also offers an in-house phlebotomy service, by appointment only. This service is exclusive to our own patients, on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings.

Please ask at reception about this or other facilities which are available for taking bloods (e.g. St Helens Walk in Centre 7am to 9am).

Healthcare assistant appointments for blood pressure monitoring

This service is not routinely available for patients on medication for high blood pressure.

Our healthcare assistant is able to take your blood pressure, although she is not trained to discuss your blood pressure reading with you. She acts on the readings they take within a strict protocol devised by the GPs. Any follow-up action that may be needed is dealt with by the GP or nurse.

The reception staff will be able to tell you when your next blood pressure check is due.

You do not routinely need to see a doctor to have a blood pressure check.

The following patients are eligible to have a blood pressure check conducted by the healthcare assistant:

  • Over 16, not receiving any regular medication
  • Known hypertensive patients who have been referred by the GP or practice nurse
  • Patients who need regular blood pressure monitoring who have been referred by the GP or practice nurse.

Cancelling or changing an appointment

If for any reason you are unable to keep your appointment or no longer need it, please let us know as soon as possible so that it can be reallocated. Please remember that there is always a shortage of appointments and when you fail to attend (DNA) you have prevented someone else from being seen in your place. Patients who repeatedly fail to attend appointments may be asked to find an alternative GP.

Whilst we make every effort to keep to appointment times, this is not always possible. If we keep you waiting we apologise in advance. If you keep us waiting we cannot guarantee that you will be seen.

Unfortunately, a number of patients persistently book appointments and then fail to attend without cancelling. This behaviour denies other patients access to the doctors. Persistent abusers may be asked to find an alternative GP.

To cancel your appointment:

FAQ’s

Why does the doctor sometimes run late?

Unlike most surgeries, we offer longer (15 minute) appointments. We try to run to time, but, some patients need longer causing surgeries to run late. As a result patients may be kept waiting. If surgery is running late please be patient. Next time it may be you who needs extra time with the doctor.

What if I am late for my appointment?

As a general rule, if you are more than 5 minutes late for your appointment please expect to re-book it. If you are up to 5 minutes late you may be seen for 10 minutes only. Late arrivals for appointments over the day can result in the surgeries running very late and causes inconvenience to others.

We wish to offer appointments that meet your medical needs as far as possible, bearing in mind our need to serve all our other patients too. We book appointments at 15 minute intervals so that we have sufficient time to evaluate the problem and agree a management plan together.

In order that our staff may arrange the right service for you they will ask you to outline the nature of your problem.

What happens when you do not attend (DNA) your appointment at the practice

Please cancel, don’s DNA

The practice have a strict policy to tackle the issue of appointments that are called ‘DNA’S’.  These are appointment slots that are pre-booked by patients and then that patient fails to attend, without letting the practice know. As I am sure you are aware, appointments are scarce within the whole of general practice, as we are busier than we have ever been before. This is the reason that sometimes it can be a wait for an appointment. Therefore when we have a patient that does not attend, it is extremely frustrating for the practice, as someone else could have been given that appointment. We always ask that you let us know if you cannot make an appointment. 

We also understand that it is easy to forget, as life is so busy nowadays. We therefore have the following protocol;

  • If there is a missed appointment in the previous month and less than 3 DNAs recorded in the last year no action required
  • If there is a missed appointment in the previous month and 2 other DNAs have been recorded in the last year the patient is sent a warning letter to inform them that their repeated failures to attend appointments are considered an abuse of the service and that any further missed appointment may result in us asking them to find an alternative GP.

If a patient DNAs on another occasion within 12 months of the issued of the warning letter, the case will be discussed at the next partner’s meeting. So please always let us know when you wont be able to make your appointment.

If you need help when we are closed

If you need urgent medical attention when we are closed, the number to ring is 01744 737225.

If you need medical advice, use NHS 111 online or call 111.

NHS 111 online is for people aged 5 and over. Call 111 if you need help for a child under 5.

Call 999 in a medical or mental health emergency. This is when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.

If you need help with your appointment

Please tell us:

  • if there’s a specific doctor, nurse or other health professional you would prefer to respond
  • if you would prefer to consult with the doctor or nurse by phone, face-to-face, by video call or by text or email
  • if you need an interpreter
  • if you have any other access or communication needs

Home visits

Patients are requested to telephone before 10:30am if a home visit is required that day.

We would request that, apart from the genuinely housebound, all other patients attend the surgery rather than request a home visit because of the extra time home visiting takes. On average six patients can be seen in surgery in the time it takes to do a single house call.

Please note that the doctor may telephone you rather than visit you if this is medically appropriate.

Related information

Health A to Z

Sick notes

Test results

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